The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-10-16

The old infantry musket-called the
Brown Bess-had been condemned,
and an improved frearm, with rifled
barrels, adopted in it's place. Lubrica-
ton Of the cartridges was necessary in
loading this weapon. Intense excite
ment was caused among the Sepoys by
the spreading of the story that the new
Cartridges were creased with the fat of
the detested swine of the Mohammedan
and of the venerated COW of the Hindoo.
As the Sepoys bit off the ends of their
cartridges this idea was abominable to
them. The report was originally pro-
mulgated in the military station Of
Dum-Dum, eight miles from Calcutta.
A low caste Lascar in the canton
ment asked high caste Sepoy for q
drink Of water from his lotah. The
Brahmin refused, on the score of caste.
The Lascar tauntingly replied that
caste would soon be abolished, as Sc
poys were to be contaminated by cart
ridges smeared with beef fat and hogs
lard.
In an incredibly short time every
Sepoy had heard about the creased
cartridges. Animosities had already
been aroused by recent government
measures to curb polygamy and re-
move the restraint on remarriage of
widows. Although official denials of
the grease story were made, they
proved without effect. A native regi-
ment at Berhampore refused to take
the blank ammunition provided for q
parade, asserting that the paper Of the
cartridges had been creased. The
regiment was disbanded and the great
mutiny followed. At the outset, tele-
graph stations were burned, burning
arrows shot into the matched roofs of
the officers bungalows, and calls to
natives were spread broadcast, urging
them to resist the sacrilegious en-
croachments of the British.
So little concert and arrangement
were there that while the revolt was
general in one portion of the great,
struggling contonment and Sepoys
were butchering their officers, in an
other section they were saluting them
as though nothing had happened.
Wives, left without protection while
their husbands were striving to do
their duty as soldiers, were cut to
pieces in their burning homes, often
after their little ones had persisted be-
fore their eyes. A few delicate Eng
lish ladies were led to places of safety,
with dark horse cloths over them to
conceal their white garments in the
glare ofthe burning station, and passed
night Of sleepless horror in ruined
temple or under trees.
Dawn found the English bungalows
Quilted and destroyed. Mangled
corpses Uttered the wayside. The
Sepoys had departed. More than
1000 of them had made their way to
Delhi. The bodies were collected
and laid out in the theatre, where q
mimic tragedy was to have been per-
formed that evening. Many of those
who had participated in the massacre
we're in the bazaars of the town, but
little effort was made to punish any
of them.
The mutineers from Meerut, aided
by the Sepoys already in Delhi, began
9 massacre of the Europeans in the
Mogul's sapital. The bank was at
tackled and plundered. Mr.. Beres-
ford, manager Of the bank, took re-
fuge with his wife and family on the
roof of one of the outbuildings. For
some time they stood at bay, he with
q sword in his hand, his courageous
helpmate with a spear. They de-
Tended the gorge of the staircase, until
the assailants, seeing no hope ofclear-
ing the passage, retired to scale the
walls in the rear Of the house. It is
related by an eyewitness that one man
fell dead, pierced by the lady's spear.
Lucy welo OVeipOWeren ana Killed,
and the bank was Quilted from floor to
roof.
The revolt spread rapidly. News
was taken from station to station that
the sepoys had conquered he'Eng-
lish at Meerut and proclaimed the
Mogul Emperor at Delhi. There was
desperate fighting on every side, par
ticularly in the northwest provinces.
Cawnpore fell into the hands of the
mutineers, and General Havelock
pushed on to recover this important
position. The cruelties of the Mana
Sahib and his followers had created a
thrill of awe in the hearts of the
Europeans. Stories of plumber and
rapine came from every quarter.
Havelock found the air through which
he had to pass in towns tainted from
suspended bodies upon which the
loathsome pig of the country feasted
--all was desolation.
When the Mana Sahib heard that
Havelock was near at hand he gave
word that all his prisoners should be