The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-12
TORTURED BY Cinnamon
Treatment of Englishmen Captured
Several Years Age.
The Story of n British Troops uhfof-
the Imperial Empire blade Under
the Supposed Protection of Flag
of Truce.

last Chinese war, have brought back to me
those Iong-psst scenes in which my iegi-
ment, Fanes Horse, took part. One OF the
officers. Lieutenant Anderson. achieved
very nournful notorieCy, as he was taken
prisoner and tortured to death by the Chi
nese. He Joined Fane's Horse with a great
character. He had been chosen en- the
death of Hodson, of Hodson's Horse, TO put
his accounts into order. and had succeeded
in doing so ere he Joined our corps. He
turned his talents to use for the beneht OF
Fane's Horse, and in recognition OF hls
services our commanding officer, Captain
Fame. gave him command of a detachment
of the regiment that was TO go to the
Chinese headquarters.
THE strength of the detachment was
about twenty troopers of Fanes Horse ana
six or eight men of the Kings Dragon
Guards. The troopers that formed the ue-
tachmeut were not specially picked men,
but we're very good specimens OF their
class, the majority being Sikhs, though
some were Hindostanee Mussulmans, ana
a few Pathans and Afghans.
The non-commissioned officer of the de-
tachment deserves mention Will can
him Habeeboola Khan; he was Pun1auDi
Mussulman, about forty-1ye years olu anu
81 height about five feet one inch, with
X,
dier from his boyhood, and in those trou-
bled times had seen much service, and al
though he was pay sergeant he eould 1eith-
or read nor write. He had relation VINO
did the needful for him, but the actuai
management Habeeboola did In very
frst-rate way for himself.
He commanded respect, as he was known
20 be a frst-eiass swordsman, good shot,
and man of very great determination.
who vould stand no nonsense. AS PROOF
of his value to the regiment, will tell the
following story: / was quartermaster OF
,he regiment. SO all arrangements as 10
food. water ETC.. for men and horses hau
to be made by me. Habeeboola hrst caine
10 INV notice by pointing out to me that
the saltwater ereek-on the banks .,
which we were encamped, having p'en U.s.
landed IN China-for some uni,no"h leaso.
ran fresh water for alD'ost nan an Houi az
the last Of the ebS anu Inc III "a
food tide. --,a. 400,
q, us as we depended on the ships for the
water for our horses. AS ours-Fane
Horse-yas the Junior regiment, We were
watered last, after the artillery, the KING
Dragon Guards. Probyn's Horse, ana the
ponies attached to those regiments had mad
their turn Consequently, our allowance OF
water was not nearly equal TO what we re
uuired. BY Habeebola's advice, we aug
ont mud in the creek for frontage oil
about twenty feet for each troop, ana hiied
in the hollow thus made with straw and
reeds for the horses to stand on. So at the
next low tide all our horses got well wa
tered. This happened TO be in the middle
of the night and was not moment too
soon as many OF our horses from want oil
water could do little more than walk. Pro-
byn's Horse soon heard OF what we mac
done and followed our example so success
fully that at the fight at Sinko, which tooB
place two or three days later, both regl-
ments of irregular cavalry were quite III
for work.
But to return TO the story of Lieutenant
Anderson. When his detachment. which
was the escort of certain officers detailed
TO visit the Chinese Commandments
among whom was the late Lord Loeb
reached the Chinese Army they were fol-
lowed by a number of French savants, and
such like seekers after knowledge, VINO
had come without any permission belne
asked or obtained, taking 1t for granted
that they. too. would be protected by the
flag OF truce under which the officers VS.
tied the Chinese. On arrival at the Chi
nese camp the men of the Kings DTagoun
Guards were taken to some other part o.
the aeld, and the troopers OF Fa7e's Horse
found themselves Isolated with Il e French
savants, with no one near them but the
enemy.
Habeeboola. being an Asiatic, and know
ing the ways of Asiatics, kept his eyes
open. and saw that the handful of trooper;
were being slowly and quietly surrounded
by the Tartar cavalry. He rode up tc
Lieutenant Andersen, and said in an I'M
dertone: "Sahib, these Chinese are goine
20 act treacherously to us. II you give
the order there Is yet time for us TO cut
~ - n
of us in Ehis way may escape" Anderson
in reply, pointed 10 the sayants, who were
either on foot or mounted on ponies, and
of course were unarmed, and said, But
what abut these?"
''saflib, are they here by order, on duty
or at their own risk?'
at their own risk"
Then. Sahib, let them follow US, If theI
choose. at their own risk; 1t is not part
on rduty to protect them
But Anderson answered that he coul
not leave them to be certainly murdered
besides which, being on escort duty II wa
his duty to remain. Habeebools said
more Murmuring 1T is fate" he dre'
back. to await the certain death that b
saw coming.
The detachment was taken to the rear Q
the Chinese Army, the men were oveTpow
cred and tied tightly with ropes, thei
ankles being fastened firmly to thei
wrists by a short piece Of rope. Thi
causes a constant strain on both ankle an
wrist, and is a favorite form Of tortur
among the Chinese. They were the
thrown into carts and jolted off at tro
TO the mountains near Pekin.
Habeeboola, by desperate exertion OF hi
muscles. managed to throw himself out @
lhe cart in which he was; but as ill-luc
would have 1t, he was discovered by on
OF the guard who was tagging behind. A
the carts were stopped. Habeeboola wa
ruelly hogged and flung back into the car
he had managed to get out of. An hoG
Dr. so before dawn, trusting to darkness
ne again threw himself out, but the Chi
aese soldiers were now on the watch ia
anything OF the sort, and soon discovere
his body on the white road; this time hi
logging was so severe that he did not SUI
hive 1t very long, and SO brave soldie
md a man OF an uncomfortable spirit wa
lone to death.
The rest Of the prisoners were taken
fort, and put into dungeon in whic
hey found the men Of the Kings Dragoo
Guards tied up in the same way as then
telyes. The torture was such that the Ell
ropeans first of all. one after another, b.
.ame mad. until death put an end 10 the
misery. The last to succumb was Andel
ION, who at Addiseombe had been a wei
Known athlete.
He had with him as his orderly an o.
Eikh. between fifty and sixty years of ag
whom he had chosen because he had
his day been a grand soldier, though
Fad long since become weak and stiff fro
age On foot the man was almost useles
= but on horseback he could last again
many younger man. This man. seer
that the torture was having its effect
Anderson and that he too, would 20 o.