The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-12-18
500 INDIANS SLAIN
BY BRITISH TROOPS
London Gets Report of the
Slaughter of Civilians
SOLDIERS FIRE INTO CROWD
Killing in India Is Revealed by Com
mission Appointed to Investigate
Recent Outbreak Of Natives
Rule Assumed by Army.

London, Dec. 15.--A blood-curdling
story of massacre has been revealed
by the British commission Investigate
ing the recent riots in India. t
shows a British general deliberately or
dering so troops to attack a crowd of
5000 civilians and to fire until their
ammunition was exhausted. The com
mand was obeyed to the letter.
Five hundred persons were killed
and 1900 wounded. 1t was the blood
lest slaughter of citizens by western
troops in modern history.
The evidence shows this act was
approved by the British lieutenant
governor. News of the affair has
just reached London from India with
the reports of the government com
missions hearings at Lahore. The
slaughter took place at Armitsar last
April and was ordered to put down
the riots there which were part Of
general uprising that threatened to
engulf the whole surrounding dis
tricts and spread all over India.
Military Assumes Huie.
General Dyer testified before the
commission that he arrived at Armit-
sar on April II. Although martial law
was not declared he took over the
administration from the deputy COM
missioner. He was informed that the
situation was grave In many districts,
in I nh nd nriA
the alleged sedltious meetings cease
Immediately. On April 49, according
to his testimony, General Dyer in
formed crowds at Armitsar that meet
ings were forbidden and that as
semblages were ordered to be fired
on without warning
Later he was informed of q big
meeting which he judged to be not
merely a disorderly meeting but open
rebellion. He marched % British
rifles, % Indian rifles and 40 Gurkhas
armed with knives to the scene and
discovered an agtator harangulng n
crowd of 5000. Continuing his testi-
mony, General Dyer said:
uNBlNNNu my illtll anu NAliliH DO
seconds ordered them to fire. The
firing continued about ten minutes. My
object was to dispense the crowd, and
little firing would haveNbeen insult
dclent to achieve that object"
No Warning to Crowd.
The general admitted he had not
warned The crowd, and, asked what
reason he had for supposlng the
crowd would not dispense without fir
ing being necessary, he replied:
81 think 1t quite possible that could
have dispersed the crowd without fir
Ing, but they would have come back
to laugh and l should have made
fool Of myself. My view was that the
situation at Armltsar was serious. |
looked at the crowd OF rebels and con-
sidered It my duty to fire, and fire
we'll"
Lord Hunter chairman Of The com
mission, asked the general:
WAS there any other course open"
General Dyer replied:
"No, sir looked upon II is my
duty--a horrible duty"
General Dyer asserted that 1850
rounds were fired. and between 400
and 500 persons were killed and about
1900 wounded. The soldiers he tes-
tilted, continued firing until they had
run out Of ammunition. He said he
had made up his mind that IL orders
were defied he would shoot straight
away, and mat he had felt he "had to
do something very strong"
Justice Rankin, a member OF the
commission, asked "Was II not
form of frlghtfulnessT
General Dyer replied he figured II
was best to "shoot well and strongly.
so nobody would have to shoot again"
He said there was no middle course"
Sought "WIde impression"
Asked II his idea had been to strike
terror into the hearts OF the lnhnbl-
tants, he answered he had found
they had disobeyed his orders and he
meant to punish them and give them a
lesson. From military standpoint,
he said, the demonstration of force
was bound to make a wide impression
throughout PunJab.
One OF the commissioners then read
telegram from Lahore (seat of the
British lieutenant goyernor) to Gen.
eral Dyer. 1t read:
"Your action correct. Lieutenant
governor nDprOvps