The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-05

ladies wrote in her diary-speaking Of
these women she said, 'They lay upon
the floor fitting into each other like bits
in a puzzle - Wives had obtained from
their husbands the promise that the hus-
bands would shoot them rather than let
them fall into the hands Of these desper-
ADDE'S. The women within the resi-
dency were kept on the smallest allow
ance that would maintain life. No op-
portunity of privacy. The death angel
and the birth angel touched wings as
they passed. Flies, mosquitoes, vermin
in full possession of the place, and these
women in momentary expectation that
the enraged savages would rush upon
them, in violence Of which club and
sword and torch and throat cutting
would be the milder forms
Our escort told Us again and again Of
the bravery Of these women. They did
not despair. They encouraged the SOL
diery. They waited on the wounded and
dying in the hospital. They gave up
their stockings for holders of the grape
shot. They solaced each other when
their children died. When a husband
or father fell, such prayers Of sympathy
were offered as only women can offer.
They endured without complaint. They
T. pared their own children for burial
They were inspiration for the men who
stood at their posts fighting till they
dropped.
The Guns of Relief.
Our escort told US that again and
again news had come that Havelook and
Outram were on the way to fetch these
besieged ones oct of their wretchedness.
They had received letter from Havelock
rolled up in a quill add carried in the
mouth of a disguised messenger, letter
telling them he was on the way, but the
next news was that Havelock had been
compelled to retreat. 1t was constant
vacillation between hope and despair.
But one day they heard the guns Of re-
lief sounding nearer and nearer. Yet all
the houses Of Lucknow were fortresses
filed with armed miscreants, and every
step Of Ravelock and his army was con-
tested-6ring from housetops, firing
from windows, firing from doorways.
I asked orr friend if he thought that
the world famous story of Scotch lass
in her delirium hearing the Scotch bag
pipes advancing with the Scotch regi-
ment was true story. He said he did
not know but that is was true. Without
this mans telling me I knew from my
own observation that delriIm some
times guickens some Of the faculties,
and Irather think the Scotch lass in her
delirium was the first to hear the bag
pipes. I decline to believe that class Of
people who would like to kill all the
poetry Of the world and Danish all the
fine sentiment. They tell Us that Whit
tiers poem about Barbara Freitchie was
founded on delusion, and that Long
fellows poems immortalized things that
never occure;,. The Scotch lass did
hear the slogan. I almost heard it my
self as stood inside the residency while
my escort told of the coming on Of the
Seventy eighth highland regiment.
''Were you present when Havelock
came in?'' : asked, for I could suppress
the question no longer. His answer
came:
"I was not at the moment present, but
with some other young fellows I saw
soldiers dancing while two highland
pipers played, and I said, What is all
this excitement?' Then we came up and
saw that Havelock was in, and Outram
was in, and the regiments were pouring
in"
"Show Us where they came in," ex-
claimed, for knew that they did not
enter through the gate of the residency,
that being banked up inside to keep the
murderers out. "Here it is, answered
my escort. 'Here it is-the embrasure
through which they came.'
We walked up to the spot. It is now
a broken down pile Of bricks dozen
yards from the gate. Long grass now,
but then blood spattered, bullet scar
red opening in the wall
As we stood there, although the scene
was 81 years ago, I saw them come in
-Hayelock pale and sick, but trium-
phant, and Outram, whom all the eques-
trian statues in Calcutta and Europe
cannot too grandly present.
DeHverance at Last.
"What then happened?' I said to my
escort. "Oh," he said, THAT is impos-
sible to tell The earth was removed
from the gate, and soon all the army Of
relief entered, and some Of us laughed,
and some cried, and some prayed, and
some danced. Highlanders so dust COW
cred and enough blood and wounds on
their faces to make them unrecogniza-
bic snatched the babes out Of their
mothers arms and kissed them and
passed the babies along for other SOL
diers to kiss, and the wounded men
crawled out of the hospital to join in
the cheering, and it was wild jubilee
until, the first excitement passed, the
story of how many Of the advancing ar
my had been slain on the way began to
have fearful effect, and the story Of suf-
fering that had been endured inside the
fort, and the announcement to children
that they were fatherless, and to wives
that they were widows, submerged the
shouts of Joy with wailing Of agony.
''But were you not embarrassed by
the arrival Of Ravelock and /, 400 men
who brought no food with them"' BE
answered: "Of course we were put on
smaller rations Immediately in order
that they might share with Us, but we
knew that the coming of this REINFORCE
ment would help as to hold the place
until further relief should come. Had
not this first belief arrived as it did in
day or two at most and perhaps in
any hour the besiesers would have bro
ken in, and our end would have come.
The sepoys had dug six mines under
the residency and would soon have ex-
ploded all. "
After we had obtained a few bullets
that had been picked out Of the wall
and piece Of a bombsceil we walked
y