The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-04-16


CHEST ?"
train brought it past our station, where
it rested for day and then moved
on. In a defile 10 miles to the north
of us it was ambushed by over thou
sand dacoits and suffered a severe
misfortune There was not only
heavy loss in killed and wounded, but
the treasure and a portion of the sup
plies were captured and run off.
The remnant of the train returned
to us and went into camp until re-en-
forcements could come up, and the
bullet headed, tyrannical Colonel Kem-
BILE, whose obstinacy and recklessness
had brought about the disaster, pro-
ceeded to make it redhot for every
body Any set Of men except British
soldiers would have mutinied and
taken his life. Raging over his de-
feat and feeling his helplessness. he or
dered out detachments and command
ed them to bring in every native they
could overhaul 1t was well populat-
ed country, with hundreds of loyal ma
tives to be picked up, but the colonel
proceeded to look upon each and every
one as guilty of having had hand
In the attack on the train. More than
a score were shot or hung offhand,
while others were whipped at the post
or ordered out of the district 1t was
a reign of terror for three weeks, and
the end was fitting one.
NY own detachment one day brought
in q mere boy whom we had found
covering in a thicket. do not believe
he had the slightest knowledge of the
ambush or took any part in it. He was
a timid lad, whose father had been one
of the first ones hung. and he was so
frightened that but little could be got
out of him. The colonel bulldozed and
browbeat him and finally ordered his
execution on the ground that he was
SOY. 1t was only when he knew that
he must die that the young fellow
braced up and showed his courage, and
as he was being led away to execution
he said to the colonel:
"Sahib Colonel, | am innocent, and
you will be punished for my death.
You may shoot me and bury my body,
but my spirit will follow you to the
grave"
Half an hour later he was dead, but
he was the last one to be executed.
That evening as the colonel entered the
officers mess tent for supper all of US
noticed that he had a queer, troubled
look on his face and that he cast fur
tive glances behind him. After a bit
he tried to be jocular, but the effort
was a tiilure He said something
about not feeling WELL but nobody dar-
ed quest, On him. At midnight that
night we got an explanation. The
colonel called the sentinel into his
tent, and with white face and trem-
bling voice and the perspiration stand
ing out Oh his forehead he said:
"Man, do you see that boy sitting on
the chest?'
81 see nobody, sir" replied the senti-
mel.
"He is there, tell you! He fol-
lowed me to mess and back, and he
has been here in plain sight all the
evening. Take him awayp'
"But there's nobody here, sir"
And there wasn't The sentinel cali
ed in two officers, who looked and
searched in vain and assured Colonel
Kemble that no boy was present. He
tried to turn it off with laugh, but In
less than "a hours every man in camp
knew that the colonel was haunted by
a specter He made a brave effort to
bluff 1t out, but it was useless. The
specter followed at his heels by day
and sat by his bedside at night, and
in a week the strong, aggressive man
was becoming a mental wreck. He
turned to us for pity and sympathy,
but we had little to give. He had been
brutal in his vengeance.
The surgeon looked upon the case
at first as some disorder of the brain,
but later on acknowledged that 1t was
something beyond his medicine. No
one else could see the specter. The
colonel would say that it sat beside
him or stood in the door, but there was
nothing for other eyes to rest upon.
He would draw his sword and cut and
slash and thrust at the specter but ne
could not harm it. BY the surgeons
advice the colonel returned to Goruck-
poor. 1t was reported as case Of
breaking down over mental anxiety,
but hundreds of people came to know
better. The specter followed him back,
followed him to the house of friend,
sat with him through every night and
logged at his heels through every hour
Of the day. He could no more shake
it off than he could change the color
of his eyes. He made the gamest sort
of fight, knowing that his future career
was at stake, and at length all men
came to pity him-pity him and avoid
him as one accursed. He was medically
treated, given brief fnrloughs, and