The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-26

him he could trust the natives, and 50 he
signed the treaty. There was great Joy In
the intrenchment that night. Without
mol estation they went out and got plenty OF
water to drink an1 water for good wash.
The hunger and thirst and exposure from
the consuming SUM-, with the thermometer
from 100 to 14O, would cease. Mothers re-
ioiced at the prospect of saving their chill
dren. The young ladies Of the intrench-
ment would escape the wild beasts In human
form. On the morrow, true to the promise,
carts were ready to transport those who
were too much exhausted to walk.
sect into the carriage" said Mr.. Lee,
"and we will ride to the banks OF the
Ganges, for which the liberated combatants
and dnon-combatants started from this place"
On our way Mr.. Lee pointed out monu-
ment over the burial place which was opened
for General Wheeler's intrenchment, the
we'll into which every night the dead had
been dropped. Around 1t Is a curious
memorial. There are five crosses, one at
each corner OF the garden and one at the
centre, from which inscription to-day read
my text. Riding on we came to the Memoir
ial Church built to the memory OF those
fallen in Cawnpur. The walls are covered
with tablets and epltaphs. copied two or
three OF the inscriptions: "These are they
who come out Of great tribulations !" also.
"The dead shall be raised incorruptible;
also, "In the world ye shall have tribulation,
but be OF good cheer. have overcome the
world" also, The Lord gave. The Lord
ys that labor and are heavy laden"
sect into the carriage" said Mr., Lee. and
we rode on to the Ganges and got out at
Hindoo temple standing on the banks.
Now" said Mr.. Lee, "her~ IS the place to
which General Wheeler and his people came
under the escort of Mana Sahib." I went
down the steps to the margin OF the river.
Down these steps went General Wheeler and
the men, women and children under his
care. They stood on one side OF the steps,
and Mana Sahib and his staff stood on the
other side. As the women were getting into
the boats Mana Sahlb objected that only the
aged and inflrm women and children should
20 on board the boats. The young and at
tractiye women we're kept out. Twenty
eight boats were filled with men, women and
children and foated out into the river. Each
boat contained ten armed natives. Then
three boats fastened together were brought
up, and General Wheeler and his staff got In.
Although orders were gwen to start, the
three boats were somehow detained. At this
juncture boy OF twelve years OF age hoisted
on the top Of the Hindoo temple on the
banks two flags. Hindoo AMI a Moham-
medan flag, at which signal the boatmen and
armed natives jumped from the boats and
swan tor the shore, and from innumerable
guns the natives on the bank fred on the
boats, end masked batteries above and below
roared with destruction, and the boats sank
with their precious cargo, and oil went down
save three strong swimmers, who got to the
opposite shore. Those who struggled out
near by were dashed to death. Mana Sahib
and his staff with their swords slashed to
pieces General Wheeler and his staff, who
had not got we'll away from the shore.
said that the young and attractive wo-
men were not allowed to get into the boats.
These were marched away under the guard
OF tho sepoys.
(which way?" inquired 'T will show
you," said Mr.. Lee. Again we took seats in
the carriage and started tor the climax OF
desperation and diabolism. Now we are on
the way to summer house, called the as
sembly rooms, which had been built for reo-
each twenty-nine by ten, and some window
less closets, and here were imprisoned 206
helpless people. It was to become the prl-
son OF these women and children. Some Of
these sepoys got permission OF Mana Sahib
to take one or more OF these ladies to their
own place on the promise they should be
brought back to the summer garden next
morning. A daughter of General Wheeler
was SO taken and did not return. She after
ward married the Mohammedan who had
taken her to his tent. Some sepoys amused
themselves by thrusting children through
with bayonets and holding them up before
their mothers In the summer house. All the
doors closed and the sepoys standing guard.
the crowded women and children waited
their doom for eighteen days and nights
amid sickness and files and stencil AMI
starvation.
The butchers came out exhausted, think
ing they had done their work, and the doors
were closed. but when they were again
opened three women and three boys were
still alive. All these we're soon dispatched,
and not Christian or European was left In
Cawnpur. The murderers were paid fifty
cents for each lady slain. The Mohamme-
dan assassins dragged by the hair the dead
bodies out OF the summer house and threw
them into we'll, by which stood with such
feelings as you cannot imagine. But after
the mutilated bodies ha6 been thrown into
we'll the record Of the scene remained In
hieroglyphics Of crimson on the floor and
wall OF the slaughter house. An eyewitness
says that as he walked in the blood was shoe
deep, and on this blood were tufts OF hair,
pieces OF muslin, broken combs. fragments
Of pinafores, children's straw hats, q card
case containing curl, with the inscription,
"Ned's hair, with Loves" few leaves Of an
Episcopal prayer book; also book entitled
Preparation Tor Death !" a Bible on the fly
leaf on which was written, "For darling
mamma, from her affectionate daughter,
Isabella Blair" both >Ae one who presented
1t and the one to whom It was presented de-
parted forever.
Then Mana Sahib heard that Havelock
was coming, and his name was terror to
the sepoys. Lest the women AMI children
imprisoned In the summer house, or assem-
bly, rooms, should be liberated, he ordered
that their throats should be cut. The off,
GERS were commanded to do the work aud
attempted 1t, but failed because the law OF
caste would not allow the Hndoo to hold
the victims while they were being slain.
Then 100 men were ordered to fire through
the windows, but they fred over the heads
OF the imprisoned ones, and only q few were
killed. Then Mana Sabib was In rage and
the lowest OF the gypsies TO 60 at the work.
Five OF them, with hatchets and swords and
knives, began the work, but three Of them
collapsed and tainted under the ghastliness,
and It WAS left to two butchers to complete
the slaughter. The struggle, the sharp cut,
the binding blow, the cleaving through
scalp and skull, the begging for life. the
death agony Of hour after hour. the tangled
limbs OF the corpses, the piled up dead-
only God and those who were inside the
summer house can ever know.
said: "Mr. Lee, have hearl that in
delicate things were found written on the
creatures wrote In charcoal and scratched
m tha wall fhe storc of the hru .alitias thew