The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-31
THE GREAT INDIAN ,iuTINr.
A Tourist Goes over the Ground OF
the Terrible Massacre.

tie Terrible Massacre.
Prom the Baltimore sun.
/ There IS 10 bloodler chapter In the hts
/ tory OF this century than that recording
I the heartrending scenes OF the Indian mu-
tiny OF ISL During the last week, as !
visited the places I'D Cawnp0re. Delhi and
I Lucknow, which have been made historic
I by the bold uprising Of the natives of In
I dia, by the fearful slaughter and suffering
/ OF English women and children. and by
the heroic bravery OF British sOldiery. I
I have experienced mingled feeling of hor-
ror, sadness and appreciation. While max
ing these studies I have had by my side
most Of the time an old soldier who was
I wounded three times during the mutiny,
who followed Havel0ck and Outram in
their nozzle charges and sieges, ana
whose eloquent recital OF these thrilling
events added no Lttle 10 the interest clio
tied by these localities. After mucn con
trOVersy on the subject the weight OF
testimony seems 10 support the opinion
lnat the origin OF the OutDreak can pc
found in both political and religious ten
denotes that had been growing in power
for years before IL actually burst forth.
Long before 1857 IL was known that the
MOhammedans were dissatisfied with the
subordinate position, and their increasing
idleness and immoral conduct rendered
them insOlent and fractions. This restless
feeling was famed into "a flame when the
royal family was dismissed from their res
l1ence IN the fortress AZ Delhi by the Eng
llsh government, and especially when,
through the influence of Lord Hastings
the kingdom of Dude was annexed TO the
British possessions. But the Mohamme-
dams, on account OF their numerical infe-
riOrity, could do nothing as long as the
Hindoo soldiers remained true to Eng
land. The willy MOhammedans, aided by
cOncatenatiOn Of circumstances, were
enabled to overcome this difficulty. 1t was
sedulOusly reported that the British gov
eminent had determined to force all of
its subjects to embrace Christianity, and
IN order TO accomplish this end a plan
had been devised by which the. whole Of
the Hindu Sepoys would become detlled and
break their caste. AS it was well known
that no Hindu could remain clean and
touch with lips the grease Of animals, the
MOhammedans emissaries declared that
the government had adopted the device
Of Issuing cartridges creased with pigs
and bullocks, fat for the Enfield rifles, the
ENDS OF which must be bitten of be
fore they could be used. When a Hindu
touched the unclcan thing with his lips
and teeth of course he would be an out
cast, and there could be no other re-
course for him except to join the religion
of his masters.
The leaders Of these two great classes
OF natives We're soon united in their pur-
poses regiment after regiment rebelled;
fort after fort was besieged; and the
spirit of the inSurgent spread rapidly
throughout Northern India Abe King of
Delhi was proclaimed sovereign of the
whole country the stores of firearms and
ammunition were seized; English officers
We're shot down by the native soldiers
while a drill; the residences of foreigners
We're broken into and plundered as quick
~ as they could be reached: neither sex
nor age was spared, and within twenty
four hours from the time when the first
gun was fired a frightful massacre was
being perpetrated in fifteen or twenty
villages and cities. My old friend, Capt.
Lee, who received a terrible saber cash
while fighting on the streets of CawnpOre,
pointed out the scenes Of the struggle
at this place and described the disaster
that befel the British arms early in the
Sir Hugh Wheeler intrenched himself in
the barracks with a force of about 800
soldiers, who We're protecting 800 women
and children, the families of officers and
civilians. Ine insurgents were com
manded by Mana Sahib, who nurtured a
deadly hatred against the government for
declining to recognize in him the success
or of a late ruler to whom he was con-
nected by adoption, and wearied by the
desperate resistance of the men in the
| barracks he offered to give TO all a safe
passage to Allahabad if a surrender was
made. The terms of the perhdious enemy
were accepted.
Unarmed men, with hundreds of helpless
women and children, marched to the river
bank and just as they were about to en-
bark masked battery opened tre on them
the murderous shots killing $50 out of the
500. This apparent success seemed only to
inhame the demon Mana. The $50 prison
ers were brought into his presence. The
men We're tortured and slowly put to
DEATH and the others, after undergoing
| the most horrible ordeal, were butchered
| by saYages and their bodies cast into
well. Marochettrs beautiful monument
raised over this we'll is a pure white mar
BILE figure of an angel, with folded wings
and palm-laden hands with its eyes sadly
cast downward toward the spot where the
dead and dying were buried.
Although the mutiny broke out in the
early summer. Havelock and Outram did
not succeed in forcing their way into
Lucknow until the 18th of September, when
they came to the relief of the British resi-
| dency. During these months a handful
| of men held the place against thousands
| of native soldiers. Many within the walls
| died from wounds and exhaustion, while
| several officers, among them Sir Henry
Lawrence fell before the shot of the en-
envy.
| Women, as Is always the case under sim
| liar circumstances, acted with transcend
| ent heroism, and when at last succor came
| tears of men, women and children mingled
| in thanksgiving. AS l walked through the
! hushed chambers of the residency, Tenny-
! sons Defense of Lucknow came to
mind, and in leaving, as / looked back
upon the, broken and shot-scarred walls l
! recalled the words of the angelic chorus
! over the birth of one greater than Tenny-
| son.