Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-08-20
Mistsllansous 8saaias.
FOUGHT THE SEPoYS.
Recolections of Great Uprising In
India

tn0las
P. ]. Quealey. an employee Of the
postoffice. is probably the only man
in the United States who was In the
Sepoy mutiny in India fifty years ago.
Mr.. Quealey was hardly more than a
boy at the time, although he was In
the queens service and shouldered a
gun in more than one campaign. In
the mutiny Of 1850 he was in a garri-
son at Monu, in Central India. In this
small garrison there were but hand
full Of soldiers. For months hints of
the mutiny among the Sepoys had
reached the garrison, but 1t was
scarcely credited that the East In
dians would actually rebel
The Sepoys were Indian soldiers and
among the most valued Of her majes-
tvs soldiers. They were considered
loyal and faithful to their queen until
the mutiny showed their inborn hatred
for the East India company. When 1t
was known that they were on the
brink Of a massacre orders were Civ
en- to all white women and children
to gather at the garrison.
I'VE held the garrison for weeks"
said Mr.. Quealey, speaking Of the mu-
tiny. "On one occasion he held it
against four regiments Of the Sepoys
and twenty out Of our forty men were
killed. We had many women and
children n the garrison and their
lives deperded upon our ability to
hold those cursed Indians at bay. We
knew too we'll the horrible torture,I
and the terrible fate in store for those
poor women and children.
1T would take days to tell Of the
frightful suspense. You have read of
the uprising in China, when men, wo-
men and children were herded togeth-
er, with the yellow devils crazy to get
at them. 1t was but replica Of that
awful Indian mutiny. We knew that
1t would take many days for help to
come from Bombay and we stood at
our posts days and nights. We man.
aged to keep them off until even our
spirits tagged and we felt that worse
than death stared us in the face.
The women were brave and cheer
ed us on while we stood at every loop
hole ready to send a shot into the
heads Of those grim, yelling brown
fiends. Many Of the native servants
remained with their mistresses, but
they were not to be trusted and we
had to guard against foes from with
in the garrison as we'll as without.
Twenty of our men were gone.
Imagine the situation! A mere hand
full Of worn-out, half-starved soldiers
Drawing four regiments Of tricky
scoundrels. And then one day they
vanished when they heard the sound
Of the men sent to our relief.
1.-The sight Of those columns was
the prettiest thing I ever saw. The
women broke down and wept with
thankfulness and I will not deny that
some of the men brushed away a tear
or two at the thought of the helpless
women and the innocent babes that
were saved.
1.-The rest is not a pretty story. Told
away from those terrible scenes, It Is
less pretty story. But those were
grim days Of warfare and terror.
There were many whispered tales Of
horror, and we had many a black
score to pay back.
$50 was one of the men that stood
by the guns when the Sepoy prisoners
were led to the cannon's mouth and
tied there to be blown away. I do
not like to think Of it now. But then
we stood filled with a fierce Joy at the
sight, remembering the deeds they
had done.
II recall the bravery Of an old Sc
poy and his son, and somehow I like
to think Of their attitude in the face Of
death. They were tied together, and
when the boy, mere stripping, heard
the sounds, and saw the men blown
into strings and Jumps Of flesh from
the cannon's mouth, his face drew and
he whimpered. When 1t came their
turn, the father drew himself up
proudly and walked alone to the can
mons mouth. 1.-The son turned away
his head and shrank back into heap.
The father turned and spoke to him
with a tone Of contempt in his voice
that brought the boy up standing.
The old Sepoy went on to the cannon's
mouth, staring straight before him,
his black eyes blazing with hatred for
the white man, and his grim mouth
fixed in a sneer Of naughty insolence.
His last word was an admonition to
the son to remain brave and not give
way before the white man.
"The boy Strengthened without a
culver and walked to the cannon as
unbendingly as did his father, only
the boyish terror in his brown eyes
betrayed his state Of mind.
"And that was how we rid ourselves
of the Sepoy mutineers. We blew
them from the mouth Of the cannon.
And the insides Of a man are not nice
sight"
Mr. Quealey was one Of the pioneers
of Omaha, coming here over thirty
years ago, and engaging in the manu-
facture Of soap and tallow. He he's
lived in his present home on South
Twenty-seventh street, spacious res
idence, for eighteen years, and is very
popular among his fellow-employees
in the stoffice.-Omaha World-Her-
aid