El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-04

and read on a tablet the following:
The marble pavement below this spot
was placed here by
Lord Calrzon, Vioeroy and Governor
General of India. in 1901,
To mark the site of the prison in Old
Fort William, known as the Black Hole,
In which 146 British inhabitants of Cal
cutta were confined on the night OF the
goth June. 1856, and from which
only % came ont alive.
The pavement marks the exact di-
mansions of the prison and near it is
an obelisk erected by one of the sur
vivors
The Black Hole IS a monument of one
of the most terrible tragedies Of the
Unrest of India $50 years ago. The
nabob, or native Sller ordered the in
generation of these victims and then
drank himself off to sleep. The 146
British who We're thrown in were large
" officials. They were driven at the
point of the sword into dungeon 20
feet square. 1t was in the heat of the
tropical summer, and the airhOles were
small. In a short time they gasped for
breath. They cried for mercv and tried
TO break down the door. Then they of
fered brides to their jailers. but the only
answer was that the nabOb was asleep.
and he would be angry If awakened.
The dying then fought for places at
the windows, and raved and PRAYED and
swOre, while their iailers held lights at
the bars and laughed When the day
broke the nabob, having slept off his
spell. ordered the door to be opened. OF
the 146 all but % were dead, and the
living were 50 far gone that they were
barely able to stagger from the charnel
house. Today that tragedy is remen-
bered with horror.
And still how closely the sublime
tramples upon the heels of the ridicul
Gus! Only last week a traveller was
talking with the viceroy about the sights
of Calcutta, when his excellencv asked
him if he had seen the famous Black
Hole. Indeed. | have" replied the Wis
itor. Il am living in it. It was room
105 at the Grand hotel
At the Hotels.
! can sympathize with that visitor, for
l live IN the same hotel 1t is said
TO be the best in town, but it has nu-
merOus black holes. Just now it is
crowded, and it IS almost impossible TO
get rooms An American admiral who
came here last week failed to do so,
and had to 90 to a cheap boarding house,
where he is now living. l got in only
by cabling in advance from s,urma.
There are several big hotels in Calcutta
They are rambling three story buildings
which cover acres. and have all sorts of
Inconvenience. Ny room, for instance,
Is locked with a paddock which snaps
with a spring. There is only one KEY 10
the paddock, and when | left this after
noon the key remained inside the room.
| could not get it until I reported TO
the manager, and the servants then had
to climb up the walls and through the
window to open the door. I have an
electric bell, supposedly to call the hotel
servants. | have rung it again and
again, and one day l propped my UNI
brella against the button and left it
there fOr an hour. I could hear the bell
ringing. but there was no response. So
in self defence I have had TO hire a
personal servant Of my own to lie on
the floor outside the door at night. and
to wait upon me DURING the daytime.
am paying him inst SO cents a day,
and he feeds himself
Hiring a Servant
1 hired this servant two days after
landed in Calcutta Indeed, was forced
t. do so, not only on account of my
need of him. but rather of his need for
me- The moment our ship came to an
Choir in the harbor a score of would-be
servants rushed aboard and attached
themselves to the passengers. OF these
two settled upon me as their prey. and
each determined to Guido the other I
supposed them servants of the Grand
hotel, and handed over my bag. As soon
as L was settled each claimed that he
had brought my baggage, and that this
was an implied agreement to take him
as my boy Both had sheaves of let
tiers of introduction, and each seemed
equally good One was a straight, dark
faced Hindoo of 80, and the other a
turbanned MOhammedan of 40 or so.
The H1ndoo's name was Humid Lal, and
the follower of the prophet called him
self Wall Mohammed I took a day to
decide. during which time each logged
my footsteps 1 could not ask for any
thing, but both jumped TO get it, and
when L attempted TO Slip out TO inquire
about them I found both on guard.
ready to follow me. II I asked the