The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-02-15
HOW SHE ESCAPED
THE SUTTEE.
H JEROME OF A ROMANTIC STORY
SAVED BY A HAIRS BREADTH.

"a -" oman Now in New York Who Came
Near Being Burned on the Fun. ra, P,ra
Oh Her BetTOthed Ia India. Saved bv
| Her Present Husband.
New YORK Feb. 12.-Mrs. Lalros
woman between so and So, arrived in
New York recently from India. vim
Yokohama and San Francisco, with her
husband and settled down in the Him
doc colony, which has established it,
self near the extreme end of West
Thirty -irst street in New York city.
Mrs. LalIos' husband is a Eurasan
from Lahore and a Christian, but the
lady is staunch Hindoo, who refuses to
be converted, and has brought with her
from her native Benares copper stat
uette of the goddess SILVA, which she
worships at leisure while her husband
may be attending service in the nearest
Episcopal church. They tolerate each
other and live happilyltogether with
their three beautiful daughters, two of
VIII ON are of their fathers creed. while
the third, the youngest, is devout
worshiper of SILVA and Ganeesha.
Mrs. Lalros herself was a beautiful
woman once upon time, yet it is not
her personal appearance but her history
that is SO interesting, for she was about
becoming victim to the terrible suffice
of her caste when rescued by the man
who afterward became her husband.
AS is the custom in India. Rance
| ahud, while still toddling child. was
affianced to the son of friend and
neighbor. At the age of II, Just on the
eve of the chldren's marriage the vontb
of Is, who was to be the bridegroom
died, and, according to the irrevocable
flaws of her caste, she was doomed to be
| buried on his funeral pyre on the banks
of the sacred River Jumna, over from
the city of Benares. AS Lalros had
muc to do with what followed. it is
just as we'll he should tell the story:
'lt was little before the Sepov
mutiny of 1857 and L, the son of a Euro
pean father, was guiding detachment
OF the First Bengal Cavalry through the
jungle to Benares. While concealed in
the bush waiting for sunrise we saw
the dead youth carried down TO the VIA
ter's edge on bamboo stretcher. and
Judg ng fro m the sort of crowd that had
assembled we were about TO witness a
sut ee. The body was covered over with
| green silk robe for he was a high
class Brahrnin-and placed on pile of
resinous sandal wood logs. Then the
cloth was removed, the bier placed on
the pyre With the feet towards the
Jumna, six logs were laid on the BODY
and all was ready for the widow.
LED by relative Rance walked
slowly down the bank to play her tragic
part in the ceremony, covered with a
flowing r"be of white. A Brahmin pries+
stood at the head Of the body-the scene
is before me now as if it were but yes~
terday-and he directed the proceedings
in the coolest manner possible. Taking
the rod presented her by the Brahmin
in her right hand Rance walked three
times round the bier and waved it over
her head. The Brahmin next handed
her torch which, though to all appear
ance not lighted, contained a spark of
fire within. Very soon the waving of
the torch caught current and ignited.
[ could not see the girls face all this
time, but | could see that her form
shook like an aspen leaf.
1.-The Brahmin, amid profound silence.
having ordered her to apply the torch,
Rance now advanced towards the pyre
with totteling steps, and in a moment
the pile was in a blaze. Now cane
RANGES time to sacrifice herself. to per-
ish then and there in the fierce flames
that were already stretching out their
tongues towards her fimsy robe.
"She hesitated, she trembled, and bv
command of the priest two men were
about to throw her on the blazink fun
eral Dyre, when the officer commading
the detachment, young man with a
soft heart, ordered his men to charge,
They o0eyed the order with aIacritv
and not a moment too 5000, dispensing
the suffice party, which fed to it's boats.
leaving Rance fainting on the river
banks. In taking this step the officer
really disobeyed orders. Fortunately
we found what we had come for. We
saw that the rebels were terrifying Be-
mares. As for Rance, the coonel's wife
took her under her protection, aud after
the mutiuy was suppressed she became
my wife"
"As for me" said Mrs. Lalros, with
a sad smile, 81 remember nothing.
distilled my affianced in life and did not
want to have anything to do with him IN
death. They plugged me with Opium to
give me nerve, but naturally revoIted
against the suffice. Still, many of nv
acquaintance underwent that fate with.
out murmur, but am not comnosed
Of the materials that make a martyr .
Horrible agony is caused by piles.
burns and skin diseases. These are
Immediately relieved and quickly