The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-05-18

Mrs. LalrOs. n Native of Benares. In
dia, Now in New York City, Was
Saved From Death ON a Funeral


Pyre.
Mrs. Rance Lalros, woman between so
and 80, arrived in New York recently from
India, via Yokohama and San Francisco
with her husband. and settled down in the
Hindoo colony which has established itself
near the extreme end of West Thirty first
street in New York city.
Mrs Lalros' husband is a Eurasian from
Lahore and Christian, but the lady is a
stanch Hindoo who refuses to be converted
and has brought with her from her native
Benares a copper statuette of the goddess
SILVA, which she worshps at leisure while
her husband may be attending service in the
nearest Episcopalan church.
AS is the custom in India Rance Khud,
while still toddling child, was affianced to
the son of a friend and neighbor At the age
of II, just on the eve of the children's mar
riage the youth of IS, who to be the
bridegroom, died. and according to the ire
vocable laws of her caste she was doomed
to be burned on his funeral pyre on the
banks Of the sacred river Jumna, over from
the City Of Benares.
1T was little before the Sepoy mutiny
Of 1857 and l, the son of a European father
was guiding detachment of the First Ben
gal Cavalry through the jungle to Benares'
says her husband. while concealed in the
bush. waiting for sunrise. we saw the dead
youth carried down to the waters edge on
a bamboo stretcher, and judging from the
sort OF crowd that had assembled, we were
about to witness suffice
THE body was placed on pile of resin
Gus sandal wood logs.
Led by a relative, Rance walked slowly
down the bank to play her tragic part in the
ceremony, covered with a flowing robe Of
white. Brahmin priest stood at the head
of the body, 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 il
over her head. The Brahfnin next handed
her torch which, though to all appear
ances not lighted contained a spark of fire
within.
"Scon the waving of the torch caught a
current and ignted. The Brahmin now
amid profound silence, having ordered her
to apply the torch, Rance advanced toward
the pyre with lettering steps, and in a
moment the pile was in a blaze.
Now came RANGES time to sacrifice her
self, to perish then and there in the fierce
flames that were already stretching out their
tongues towards her flimsy robe,
she hesitated, she trembled, and by COM
mand OF the priest two men were about to
throw her on the blazing funeral pyre, when
the officer commanding the detachment, a
young man with a soft heart, ordered his
men to charge. They obeyed the order with
aiacrity, and not moment too soon. dis
persing the suffice party, which fled to it's
boats, leaving Rance fanting on the river
banks.
The colonel's wife took her under her
protection, and after the mutiny was sup
pressed she became my wife,
AS for me. said Mrs. Lalros with sad
smile. l remember nothing. dislked my
affianced in life, and did not want to have
anything to do with him in death They
drugged me with opium to give me nerve,
but l naturally revolted against the suttee'
Boston Globe.