The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-09-25

some historians nave seen fit to call Eng |
lands crOwning act of shame, the blow
ing of sepoy rebels from the muzzles of
cannon in the East Indies
He has lively recollections of the historic
episode, but exhibits little feeling when
talking about it,
'At such times civilized men are not in
their right mind, >" said he to Sun re-
porter In the time of a battle could see
all my own lying dead about me and not
shed tear. No, my boy, men arc not
themselves at such times They're just
crazy"
Tom Iierney was born at Enniskillon,
County Fermanagh, ireland, in 1883, ard
it was there nat he enlisted in the army
in 1S49. He was big lump Of boy Of
10 at the time, and, although the recruit
ing officer enrolled him, he could not Get
him sworn in, and they took him along
without the cath. In the barracks and on
the parade ground at Brentford, in Essex,
they made a soldier Of him, and a good
one too, The growing boy ripencd into a
soldierly broad shouldered and erect man.
He was 515 feet tall when he enlisted, and
barrack life in England added over six
inches to his stature before he was 81 years
old. The hard life of soldier began in
1866, when he embarked with his comrades
at Grayesend to do duty in the Second
Bombay European Light infantry
Toms first engagement was at Bushire,
where the British troops disemhOrkcd and
assaulted an earthwork known rs the
Dutch fort. 1t was taken after hot fight
md FOL
of the city of Bushire. Tom was in the
thick of the fighting but escaped without
scratch, though General Outram was said
to have received IL flesh wounds
His campaign in Persia was brief. They
went into the interior and were cut off
from supplies by an armed force that out
numbered the Europeans nearly ten to one
An attack was ordered, and the enemy fled
After occupying the enemy's camp for a
day forced march of 30 miles was made,
and at dawn next day the English soldiers
surprised the Persians in their camp and
put them to rout. For distinguished
bravery in this fight Tom got the Persian
medal, with its ribbon, slide and clasp.
1t Was soon after this battle that five
compalies Of the Second were ordered back
to Bombay, There were serious threats of
an uprising Of the sepoy soldiers in Bonn
bay, and the troops got back to their bar
racks just in time. As soon as they were
quartered the sepoys expected them to fall
to drinking, and they plotted to murder
them all in their beds. A native who learn
ed of their plot carried the information to
the commanding officer, who commune
Gated with his staff and line officers, and u
plan was arranged to thwart the plot of
the bloodthristy natives. Only the SER
geants were told Of the arrangement and
they were instructed to keep their clothes
on and listen for the signal
1T was queer signal the sepoys were
to have" said Tom "Thcy have what
they call gurra instead of bell to sound
the hours, and it was arranged that, if CIV
erything was right for the slaughter, the
gurra was to strike only II again at 10
O'Clock, and that then the devils were to
! get their muskets and sneak out Of their
quarters and into ours Not shot was to
be fired, but the barefooted heathens were
to creep in and line up and oil stab at once
with their bayonets, each taking a sleeping
man. When IL o'clock came, the corporals
and sergeants went around tickling each
mans foot and saying; Wake up and get
into your things The bazaar is aflre /
said to my chum: Get up quick, Mickey.
| 1t is no bazaar fire we're called up for.
Tumble outP 1 smelled trouble, you see.
In three minutes we were all out on the
! parade grounds with our guns loaded. The
| guTra struck II while we were dressing,
and when we formed, with the officers at
their posts, we could see the white breaches
of the sepoys around their barracks. They
sneaked back again when they heard the
drums, and we had a regular dress parade.
The sepoys knew that their plot had
been betrayed and that punishment would
follow quick enough. There were five OF
six of them to every one of us, and they
concluded to show fight We remained on
duty all night. In the morning the rebels
were all gathered together with their guns,
and it looked like fight for sure, but the
general marched us down, and we formed
in line. The artillery was loaded with
grape and canister, and all our guns were
loaded, but we went through the motion
of loading again, and then the genera
called upon the sepoys to pile arms and
surrender He called upon them twice, anC
then ordered us to aim.
"Then he shouted again, 'Sepoys, fol
the third and last time, order you to lay
down your arms and dispense to YOU
quartersP Then one after the other of thu
cowardly devils dropped his gun ant
skulked away. We marched up and tool
charge of the guns. Fifty of them wert
loaded, and it was no trouble to find thu
owners of them, as each weapon had it,
number. The owners were quietly pu
under arrest, and Is others, who were sale
to be ringlenders, were taken into custod,
at the same time The next day they haC
a drumhead court martial and were al
sentenced to death. saw Is men hangeC
from one gallows that day and 30 NOR
tied to the muzzles of cannon and blown
to pieces. They were not tied tight to TIN
muzzles of the guns, as all the picture
show them, but each man was tied with
piece of rope around his waist that CAV
him a foot of leeway, but he could not &c
out of range. Some were blown in half
and others were flung up in the air ant
came down dead 1t did not affect IN
much. was hardened by the knowledg
: that every one of them would serve IN
worse if he had the chance 1t was dirt,
sight, though-one which 1 never though
to see and want never to see again. -
1t was not long after the sepoy muffin.
was ouelled that Tom was discharged afta