The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-08-28
RESCUED FROM
A FUNERAL PYRE'
Romantic Meeting Of an Amer
lean and His Future Bride.

he was a wiry northumberland
very little of Latin. Greek, mathemat-
les and such annoyances to young men
who go to college for fun. woke up one
June morning and found himself in
possession of diploma.
Bob determined to do some more
studying abroad He was a professed
woman hater, and before he left the
girls poked fun at him by betting him
box of cigars against hundred
yards Of brussels lace that he would
bring back wife with him. and one
little mink declared that she would be
black.
Six months after his departure Bob
was in India. He was dining one
evening with a party of Americans
and British officers when the subject
of the suffice or burning of widows
with the bodies of their husbands was
introduced.
That's stopped now" said a British
captain. "by a treaty with the British
government"
"Sahib," said an Indian servant,
there will be a suttee tomorrow morn
Ing at sunrise. The young widow of
the prince Of Pingpore will be burned
with her husband"
The servant. being questioned. said
that the prince was very old man.
who had married the wife when she
was twelve years old. she was now
fifteen. The party became much in
terested. but as there was no English
garrison near it did not seem that any
thing could be done to prevent this
outrage against civilization. Bracket
proposed that the party constitute
themselves posse to do so. The
Englishmen We're nard to move at first.
but eventually they chimed in with
alacrity. The party arose from the
table and, guided by the servant. went
to the place where the pyre had been
set up in the court of ruin. On the
pyre was the body of the old prince.
! 81 have q scheme" said Brackett-"a
| real out and out Yankee scheme. Well
! conceal ourselves in what is left of that
apartment on the other side of the wall
from the pyre. 1t isn't more than
thirty feet from the pyre to the room.
Suppose we dig a tunnel to point
beneath the pyre remove the material
from under where the widow will lie
and let her down and out before the
flames touch her."
Good" said every one and the Hin
du servant was dispatched for spades
and wheebarrow. With will they
! a oil ~ he, e.fr
men, and in three hours spade broke
through the ground and struck the
wood of the pyre. Then commenced
the more difficult work of locating the
required spot and removing that part
of the pyre directly under the spot
where the widow would lie. However
1t was at last accomplished. the
wooden platform being left supported
by pieces of timber that could be re
moved at will
In the morning there was great dill
of the funeral procession approaching
, A troop of Brahman priests. thei
/ shaved heads uncovered. carrying torch
es, followed by concourse of natives
came bowling into the court. In thei
y
of Anglo-Saxons had pushed the MOI
tar from chink in the wall, throug
which they watched the proceedings
At the foot of the pyre the widow wa
: stripped of all her clothing except
fine silken undergarment. To see tn
I young thing stand there, looking abon
g her with bewidered stlre. then a
. the pyre with a shudder. vas enoug
to move stoutef hearts than the Ems
= fish and Americans Bracket took on
: look through the peephole. then ,dashe
into the tunnel and to the bottom {
the pyre. where he stood ready. Whe
the widow assembled the pyre and la
down and cloud of smoke conceale
= the bodies. the signal was given by
British ofifo &c at the Iscephole. Reno
ing the support. Brackett lowered til
u living body. receiving 1T In his arm
The widow, frightened at this une
pected occurrence as well as the fame
. swooned and was easily carried throue
the tunnel to the ruined chamber.
1t was not till night that the part
u dressing the widow in-the costume
e their servant Bob Bracket sacrificin
e his beard to take the latter's plac
r dared to leave their place of concea
,r ment and return to their quarter
The widow. knowing that If found 81
- would be spurned by her people al
compelled to again go through Il
: dread ordeal to its completion, begg'
u her liberators TO take her out of Il
country. AS none Of them could
where he liked except Bracket.
was assigned the post of honor.
was op long journey ON a p. and
steamer to England. sitting with h
r. daily on deck. talking of her past Il
and telling her Of the western wor
that Bracket lost his heart The CO
's sequence was that when they reach
england the widow Of the Prince
Pingpore became Mrs. Bob Bracket
Sc On the arrival a few weeks later
n the steamer Lucanla at New 70
b. 3racketts girl friends, who had hea
10 Of his marriage with an indian. W.
i, on the dock awaiting him.
q - io0c q