The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-08
INDIAN REBELS
F. TELL OF TRAGIC
RIDE To PRISON

First Complete Reports OF In
quiry Received by Nationalist
Bureau Here.
Threats to shoot dying prisoners
II they continued their cries for
water were made by British military
policemen in India, it was testified
at an investigation conducted into
the deaths in an unventilated box
car of sixty-four Moplah rebels:
Cable dispatches recently have told
of the finding of the bodies when
the train reached it's destination
after many hours' travel through
q country notorious as one OF the
hottest in the world. but the first
complete reports of the investlga-
ton to reach this country have been
obtained by the American commits
sion to promote self-goveTnment in
India.
Excerpts from Official Record.
It is from those reports, published
in the Bombay Chronicle OF December
2, the appended excerpts were taken:
*. v. Rama Lyer. goods super
visor at Shoranur lin southern India),
testified that the prisoners, when the
train reached that station, were ask
ing for water in distressing tones.
He told the constable that II neces-
sary he would give them water. but
the constable replied that the prison
ers had plenty of water at Tirur (seV.
eral hours back on the railroad) ana
IL necessary II would be given at
Olavakkot several hours away ana
added that II they made noise they
would not be given water at Olavak-
kot. They (the prisoners) said: our
tongues are dry; give some water
"Kadir Moideen, a platform vender,
Olavakkot, said that while vending on
the night in question he heard some
noise from inside the van. They were
shouting in distress, saying: You
sinners, give us water They also
said they could not breathe. When
asked why he did not give water he
(Moideen) said he was afraid OF the
! police.
:! "Kunju Neir, a refugee from Ernad
=, taluk, said several persons were
shouting that If they did not get wa
ter they would die"
Prisoners Tell Of Tragic Ride.
Several of the surviving prisoners
were examined in the prison at Coim-
batore, and their connected stories
give a narrowing picture Of the trag:
edy of that journey-the first land
for sixty-four the last many had made
by railroad. The following testimony
also N taken from the Bombay Chron-
icle:
"Psrakkal Ismail one Of the pris-
oners, said that at Tirur the prisoners
more than 100 were loaded into
van which had three compartments,
and they were SO crowded they could
not sit down. The first time the train
stopped" says the Chronicle report
of his testimony, the prisoners all
asked for water. They called out for
water, but there was no answer; they
were all thirsty. At the next station
the prisoners again called out and
some outsiders told them there was
no use calling out, as the doors would
only be closed at Podanur (which
would not be reached until several
hours later). The prisoners had called
out to say that many were fainting
and would die and It was enough II
| the doors were left open. Witness
must have tainted soon after for the
next thing he remembered was being
at Coimbatore and being attended to.
Use Sweat to Quench Thirst.
'TWitness also said that the prison
ers were perspiring profusely I'm the
van and they could not breathe and
some Of the prisoners were SO thirsty
s snas hms' It o out Of their Clothes.
There was no air coming through the
gauze-wire netting on the top Of the
van. They all had to stand in the
van; after two or three stations they
began to fall down and lay on top Of
each other. They did not fight with
each other"
1.-THE police in their testimony ad-
mitted that the wire screening of
the ventilator slips at the top of the
van had been freshly painted before
the prisoners were put in and the
paint had closed the mesh so that
little air could enter. That testi-
mony was cabled to this country
in November
Next witness, ". Mohomed Kutti,
another convict, deposed that there
was calling out on the part " the
prisoners at all stations right up to
Olavakkot. At one station some one
said there was no use in calling out.
The man who called out also said:
4" II the prisoners. per.
sisted in shouting they would be
shot At this witness tainted and
when he recovered 1t was on the plat.
form when water was poured on his
face.
% Die in One Compartment.
sixth prisoner, Sheik Haider, said
when there was no water forthcoming
at Shoranur witness called out to the
head constable as 'Dllows: Some of
the prisoners are dead, head con-
stable; please open the door, Head
constable said: Let the dead die, we
will take the rest! The sergeant Cook
was his name) also called out to the
witness in Tamil to keep quiet. At
Olavakkot also the prisoners cried
out for water. There were about thirty
prisoners In his compartments; Of this
the witness knew only three sur.
vivors.
Seventh prisoner. X. Kunhi Mar
coyar, said that he could remember all
that happened up to Shoranur. At
Shoranur his Karnavan (head OF fam
ily) was dying with his head on his