Connecticut western news., 1894-11-29
SIEGE OF LUCKNOW.
REv. OR. rAlMAGE RELATES THRILL
 ING DEEDS OF HERolSM.


 ING DEEDS OF HERolsM. Accompanied by Soldier Who Survived That Awful Ordeal, the Eminent Divine Recalls the Terrible sepoy Rebcllion-A Great General and Devout Christian.
 BROOKLYN. Nov. 25.-Rev. Dr. Tal- mage today began his series of round the world sermons through the press, the first subject selected being Luck now, India. The text chosen was Deu- teronomy xx, 19, "when thou shalt besiege a city long time in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an ax against them."
 The awfulest thing in war is besiege- ment, for to the work of deadly weapons it adds hunger and starvation and plague. Besiegement is sometimes neo- essary, but my text commands mercy even in that. The fruit trees must be spared because they afford food for man. ''Thou shalt not destroy the trees there of by forcing an ax against them" But in my recent journey round the world I found at Lucknow, India, the remains of the most merciless besiegement of the ages, and proceed to tell you that story for four great reasons-to show you what a horrid thing war Is and to make you all advocates for peace. to show you what genuine Christian character is under bonn bardment, to put corona tion on Christian courage, and to show you how splendidly good people die.
 As our train glided into the dimly lighted station I asked the guard, "Is this Lucknow?s and he answered, Lucknow" at the pronunciation of which proper name strong emotions rushed through body, mind and soul.
 An Eyewitness.
 The word is a synonym of suffering. of cruelty, of heroism, of horror such as is suggested by hardly any other word We have for 85 years been reading of the agonies there endured and the dar- ing deeds there witnessed. It was my great desire to have some one who had witnessed the scenes transacted in Luck now in 1857 conduct us over the place. We found just the man. He was a young soldier at the time the greatest mutiny of the ages broke out, and he was put with others inside the residency, which was a cluster of buildir Ss making a fortress in which the representatives of the English government lived and which was to be the scene of an endur- ance and bombardment the story of which poetry and painting and history and secular and sacred eloquenoe have been trying to depict. Our escort not only had good memory of what had happened, but had talent enough to re- hearse the tragedy.
 In the early part of 1857 all over h. in rebellion against all foreigners and especially against the civil and nii- tary representatives of the English gov ernment.
 A half dozen causes are mentioned for the feeling of discontent and insur- rection that was evidenced throughout India. The most of these causes were mere pretexts. Creased cartridges were no doubt an exasperation. The grease ordered by the English government to be used on these cartridges was taken from COWS or pigs, and grease to the Hindoos is unclean, and to bite these cartridges at the loading of the guns would be an offense to the Hindoo's religion. The leaders of the Hindoos said that these greased cartridges were only part of an attempt by the English government to make the natives give up their religion; hence unbounded indignation was aroused.
 Another cause of the mutiny was that another large province of India had been annexed to the British empire, and thousands of officials in the employ of the king of that province were thrown out of position, and they were all ready for trouble making.
 Another cause was said to be the bad government exercised by some English officials in India.
 The simple fact was that the natives of India were a conquered race, and the English were the conquerors. For LOG years the British scepter had been way, ed over India, and the Indians wanted to break that scepter. There never ha6 been any love or sympathy between ths natives of India and the Europeans There is none now.
 Before the time of the great mutinJ the English government risked muot power in the hands of the natives. Tot many of them manned the forts. ToS many of them were in governments employ. And now the time had com, for wide outbreak. The natives hat persuaded themselves that they coulf send the English government flying and to accomplish it dagger and swori and firearms and mutilation and slaugh ter must do their worst
 Horrors of ths Siege.
 It was evident in Lucknow that tn natives were about to rise and put tt death all the Europeans they could lay their hands on, and into the residenc, the Christian population of Lucknov hastened for defense from the tigers il human form which were growling fo their victims. The occupants of tne resi- dency, or fort, were--military and non combatants, men, women and ohildreI in number about I, 692.
 suggest in one sentence some of tho chief woes to which they were subjected when say that these people were in th' residency five months without singl' change of clothing; some of the tim the heat at 120 and 1s0 degrees; tn place black with flies and all a-squirn with verrnin; firing of the enemy upoi them ceasing neither day nor night the hospital crowded with the dying smallpox, scurvy, cholera, adding thei work to that of shot and shell; womel brought up in all comfort and neve having known want crowded and sacri feed in a cellar where nine chfldrei were born; less and less food; no wate except that which was brought from we'll under the enemy's fire, so tha the water obtained was at the price O blood; the stench of the dead horse' addad to the s,ff3uyia of corDSas and al