Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-09-05

De certain ana SuuuSl
death in order that they might wear
one Of these bits Of bronze and be
come privileged - append the letters
'V- c." to their names; and Of these,
fifteen never lived to enjoy their hon
ors-they died to win.
When Queen Victoria instituted the
Order of the Victoria Cross by her
Royal Warrant Of January %, 1855. it
is more than likely that she was in
spiTed by tie immortal Charge Of the
Light Brigade at Balaklaya some two
years before. At any rate, she felt
that a new naval and military order
was necessary in order to distinguish
hose brave men Who, by their valor,
particularly signalized themselves du-
ring the Crimean war.
Nothing save the merit Of con-
spicuOus bravery gives claim for the
decoration, and it must be eyinced by
some signal act Of devotion or yalor
in the presence of the enemy"
It would be a hard matter to decide
which particular deed out Of the five
hundred and twenty-five was the no.
blest. In fact, in some instances the
cross was awarded for a series of gal
liant actions on the part of a single in
diyidual, each act worthy Of a " @. it.
self. This fact tends to cUmpIicate the
difficult if not impossible task Of max
ing a selection. True, some of the
deeds which won a cross have been
more spectacular than others. Thus
the lancers, hussars, and dragons
who earned a V. c. during the brief
but memorable Charge of the Light
Brigade at Balaklava will, in all prob
ability, be better known to posterity
than the civilian clerk Lucknow
Kavanagh, the brave Irishman who
earned a Victoria Cross by his Won
derful daring in leaving Lucknow with
dispatches and plans, picking his way
through a country infested by $4,000
vigilant, murderous Sepoy troopers,
that aid might be summoned to the
besieged city.
The Indian mutiny was in full
swing. Early in 1857 the mysterious
cbapatis of unIeavened bread had been
| passed from village to village, togeth-
er with the sinister message, Every
thing will become red" Misled by
treacherOus and designing native
princes, the Sepoys had turned upon
the English.
Fresh from Hongkong after the
news of the outbreak at Meerut, H. NJ
S. Shannon disembarked a body of
blueiackets at Calcutta and all haste
was made to the relief of the English
garrison at Cawnpore. Sir William
Peel, who had gained distinction and
a V. c. during the Crimean war, was
in command of the bIuejackets; and
among the latter was one William
Hall, a negro captain of the foretop
who had seen service in the Crimea.
Pulling their 24pounders over the
rough roads, the naval brigade joined
Havelock's relieving column, and ev-
cry nerve was strained to reach Gavin
pore in time. for it was known that
about six hundred Europeans were
cooped up in the city, including many
English women and children.
Cawnpore was reached upon the
18th of July, and a crushing blow
dealt the bloodthirsty hosts of the IN
speakabIe Mana Sahib. But the eff
fort was wasted in the main, for
scarcely twenty-four hours before,
while Havelock's column was within
days march, the massacre which star
tied the civilized world had been per
petrated. Four hundred-odd men had
surrendered, owing to the blunder of
a senile and weakened general. and
more than two hundred women and
| children had been left to the mercies
of the fiendish foe under Mana Sahib.
The men of the garrison had been
cruelty decoyed to their deaths-wan-
tOnly shot down in cold blood after
the surrender, several weeks before
the arrival of General Havelock and
his men. The women and children
had been triumphantly inspected by
Mana Sahib and then locked up in
| gloomy chamber. There they were
/ kept for some time, during which their
numbers were sweIIed by the arrival
of fresh prisoners to a total of two
! hundred and eighteen. The Mana bad
been in no hurry to slaughter them,
but the near ApprOach of the ayeng-
/ ing forces fastened his action, and on
the 18th Of July his edict went forth
for the massacre.
The Mana commanded the Sepoys to
shoot through the windows into the
closely packed masses of women, but
even his men, hardened as they were
to their leaders atrocities, could not
bring themselves to murder the wo-
men and children in cold blood. They
/ Contented themselves with firing a sin
gle voIley over their heads. But other
/ less scrupulOus instruments were
quickly found, and five brutal-looking
natives, each armed with a glittering
tulwar, entered the crowded chamber
and closed the door behind them.
To the listeners outside came the
sound of low wailings, of running
feet, and the dull thuds of the butch
ers' swords.
To picture the scene within the
room would battle the imagination of
Dante. The mind recOils from a scene
at once so hideous and appalling.
The next morning the bodies were
taken out, stripped, and thrown into a
we'll In many the spark Of life still
MADE UGLY FOR ARTS SAKE