The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-09-21

courted what seemed tC
be certain and sudden
Eoesath in order that they might veal
One of these bits of bronze and be
come privileged to append the letters
" c." to their names; and of these
Hffeen never lived to enjoy their hon
sors-they died to win.
When Queen Victoria instituted the
Order of the Victoria Cross by her
Royal Warrant of January 20, 1856, II
N more than likely that she was in
Apired by the immortal Charge Of the
Light Brigade at Balaklava some two
years before. At any rate, she felt
What a new naval and military order
vas necessary in order to distinguish
thnse brave men who, by their valor,
particularly signalized themselves du-
ring the Crimean war.
Nothing save "the merit of con-
aspicu0us< bravery gives claim for the
decoration, and It must be evinced by
some signal act of devotion or valor
In the presence of the enemy"
II would be hard matter to decide
which particular deed out of the five
hundred and twenty-five was the no
btest- In fact, In some instances the
cross was awarded for series of gal
fznt actions on the part of a single In
e<2fvidual, each act worthy of av. c. it.
-selL This fact tends to complicate the
d1mcult If not impossible task of max
ing selection. True, some of the
saeeds which won cross have been
more spectacular than others. Thus
the lancers, hussars, and dragons
who earned 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"
RAvanagh, the brave freshman who
: earned Victoria Cross by his won
aerful daring in leaving Lucknow with
dispatches and plans, picking his way
through country infested by 10000
vigiiant. murderous Sepoy troopers,
that aid might be summoned to the
: besieged city.
The Indian mutiny was in full
swing Early in 1857 the mysterious
chzpatis of unleavened bread had been
passed from village to village. togeth-
er with the sinister message, Every
thing will become red" Misled by
neacherous and designing native
princes, the Sepoys had turned upon
the English
Fresh from Hongkong after the
news of the outbreak at Meerut, H. Nj.
g. Shannon disembarked a body of !
niuejackets at Calcutta and all haste |
vas made to the relief of the English |
garrison at Cawnpore. Sir William |
Feel, who had gained distinction and |
. " C. during the Cripean war. was
I'm command Of the bluejackets; and
smOng the latter was one William
Hall, a negro captain of the foretop
who had seen service In the Crimea.
HnNing their 24-pounders over the
rough roads. the naval brigade Joined
Bzvelock's relieving column, and ey-
erJ nerve was strained to reach Gavin
Pure In time, for IT was known that
about six hundred Europeans were
cnoped 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 un-
speakable Mana Sahib. But the ef-
fort was wasted in the main, for
scarcely twenty-four hours before,
while Havelock's column was within a
days march. the massacre which star
tied the civilized world had been per-
petTated. Four hundred-odd men had
surrendered. owing to the blunder of
n senile and weak-kneed general, and
more than two hundred women and
children had been left to the mercies
n the fiendish foe under Mana Sahib.
The men of the garrison had been
xruefiy decoyed to their deaths-wan-
xOnly shot down in cold blood after
the surrender, several weeks before
the arrival of General Havelock and
Bis men. The women and children
had been triumphantly inspected by
Mama Sahib and then locked up in a
gloomy chamber. There they were
Kept for some time. during which their
numbers were swelled by the arrival
q fresh prisoners to a total of two
hundred and eighteen The Mana had
been In no hurry to slaughter them,
Bat the near approach OF the aveng-
kns forces FASTENED his action. and on
the 18th of July his edict went forth
DIR the massacre.
The Mana commanded the Sepoys to
eh0ot through the windows into the
closely packed masses OF women. but
even his men, hardened as they were
ID their leaders atrocities, could not :
bring themselves to murder the wo-
men and children in cold blood. They
-onfented themselves with firing a SIM
xle voiley over their heads But other !
less scrupalous instruments were
quickly found, and five brutallooking
each armed with glittering {
kulwar. entered the crowded chamber
and closed the door behind them.
- To the listeners o,tsile caua tho ,