The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-29
TORTURED BY DACoITS
HORRIBLE SUFFERING ENDURED BY
BRITISH ARMY SURGEON.
First Nailed to "A Tree, Then Hung Up
by Thumbs with Companions on the
Banks of the Irrawaddy.

IneepdW surrendered as state prisoner 10
General Prendergast and was shortly after
ward sent on to Madras. That arch-fiend
and schemer, Soofayah-Lat, Theebaw's
wife. accompanied her husband in his exile,
no doubt to his intense disgust, after hav-
ing been cunning enough to parcel out most
OF the very valuable crown jewels among
her relatives. These were nearly all re-
covered by Mr.. Bernard, who was made
commissioner of the upper Burmah, and are
now to be seen in the jewel room at the
Tower of London. At this time the whole
of upper Burmah was in an intensely law
less condition, no mans life being safe from
the wandering bands of dacoits, or banditti.
The bohs, or chiefs of the different tribes,
levied blackmai on all the villages in their
district, and on a refusal to pay generally
RACED the village to the ground and put to
death most of the inhabitants. So terror
stricken were the people they sent their
head men to place the matter before the
English general and he decided that as the
country had been annexed it was time to
attempt its pacification; so on the Sth of De-
cember we were ordered to resume our
march to the north.
On the 4th of January, 1885, we entered
the town of Bhamo. the most northery
town of any consequence on the Irrawaddy,
but not until twenty-seven of our poor fell
lows had been sent to the land of spirits.
There were plenty of half breed Chinese,
Shans, Kachins and other ruffians gathered
together in the town, and altogether they
made pretty good fight of it. But they
could not stand the big rockets being fired
through their stockades, and when a shell
went screaming over their heads they bolt
cd rnaff i've
charged through the breach which had
been made in the stockade the Burmans
stood their ground, even the women, and
these last inflicted many an ugly wound
men as they were busily engaged
giving the coup de grace to an adversary:
At last, however, it was all over, and
audience with the senior officer in COM
mand in the hope of being able to make
terms The only terms were. of course.
the absolute submission of the Burmese
army and the complete surrender of the
town, with its adjacent Notifications. This
they at last agreed to. as they were power
a good grace. For some days afterward
there were constant little emeutes at night
time and we lost considerable number of
men in suppressing these outbreaks
SENTRIES STABBED IN THE BACK.
Our sentries were brought in, night after
night, having been stabbed in the back or
decapitated by the enemy, until at last four
this happening. Such heavy guard duty
told severely on the troops, and the dreaded
enteric fever began to make it's appearance
among them with appalling frequency.
Deaths from this awful scourge were of
daily occurrence, and at last, as chief med
ical officer in charge, I decided to move
nine conVaIeScent cases to the town of
Shweego Myo, about thirty miles from
Bhamo, trusting that the hill climate would
hasten their recovery.
We started on a Saturday morning-how
we'll do recollect it-aS the sun was rising
and casting his beams on the gilded spires
of the pagodas and monasteries. As we
passed down to the wharf we met long
file of phoongyees, or Buddhist monks, who
had been to the river to perform their
both loud and deep, as they no doubt did
not know that / understood their language.
At heart they were all dacoits. and so far
as their appearance went they would have
done credit to any rogue's gallery in the
world. AS we embarked one of the big
country boats 1 heard their abbott consgn
US to the tender merces of the great We oh
Malone of che terrible spirit powers or
ogres whom they worship Looking back
on 1t ALL am half inclined to believe that
the Nat did hear the abbott's prayer, for it
was not long before he began to look after
US in his own peculiar way
We dropped anchor in the stream ON Sat-
urday night, intending to reach Shweego
Myo by II O'Clock on Sunday morning. 1t
was the old, old story. Man proposed-but
the Nat disposed of this time. We got
under weigh at about oclock on Sunday
morning, and were about six miles from
our destination when, as we rounded a
small promontory which jutted out into the
river we were covered by about one hun
dred Burmese rifles and promptly ordered
to come ashore. This l at first refused to
do, and 1t was not until two of our boat
men had been shot dead and l saw a big
from the other side of the promontory that
l gave the helmSman the order to steer the
boat inshore. When we arrived within talk
ing distance of the shore a bob, or chief
of the Burmese dacoits. came down to the
waters edge and asked me who was and
who gave me permission to bring white
devils down the river in boat. tried to
parley with him, but it was of no use We
were ordered to come ashore as quickly as
possible if we did not wish to be shot to
pieces in the boat. Many time during the
day did wish that had chosen the boh's
alternative, both on my own account and
on account of the sick men of whom 1 had
charge.
TO INTERVIEW THE BOIL
The boat drew too much water to come
close into the shore, so 1 was obliged to
jump into the water and wade ashore to
interview the bob. 1 exhausted all my pow
ers of persuasion in trying to induce him
to allow the sick men to remain in the boat,
but it was to no purpose. Some Burmese
waded into the river, boarded the boat and
dragged the sick men ashore, and were by
no means gentle in the dragging process.
At last they were all ashore and the Bur-
mans crowded round us like flies round
honey pot, some of them demanding the
mems accouterments, others clamoring for
their clothes The bob at once relieved me
of my sword and revolver and strutted
about with them, thinking himself field
marshal at the very least. All this time /
was on tenter hooks as to what our fate
was to be. The men, sick as they We're.
store for them and kept up a pantomirne
of gesticulation with the Burmans. / knew
that we would not be allowed to escape
Scot free, even If we delivered up all the
arms and stores we had with us but
thought that we would probably be kept as
hostages for some of the chiefs in the hands
of the British. We were certainly detained
but not as hostages.
The Bob and the head men now drew
away to some distance from their men and
appeared to be holding a council among
themselves as to what was to be done with
their prisoners. This council lasted about
half an hour, and at the end of that time
two men advanced toward me and ordered
me to strip. Most unwllingly / Invested
satisfy them, and l had to give them every
article of clothing which 1 was wearing.
Some more men then came up and fastened
my hands and arms behind my back with
rawhide ropes and then dragged me up to
the place where the Bob was squatting on
the ground. He then informed me that he
had decided to make an example of the
prisoners and myself-an example which he
hoped would be a warning to any and all
other Englishmen who came prowling about
the country where the illustrious Bob was
chief The men then escorted me TO a very
- 49,