Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-08-25 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

MASSACRE BY • AFGHAN TRIBESMEN. Particulars have been received of the massacre of a Jirga in Shinwari country. It appears that four artillerymen from the Afghan Camp, which had been moved to a village called Achin, had occasion to enter the Pekha Glen to get some corn ground, and there they outraged a Shinwari woman and drew upon themselves an attack from the Pekham villagers. Three of the men were killed outright, and the fourth, who was badly wounded, managed to save his life by taking refuge in a mud fort, where he was given an asylum. On the following, day Gholam Hyder sent a Jima to demand the surrender of the men who had killed his soldiers. The Pekhawals had fled with their families, and had called upon the Sanghu Khel, a section of the Shinwaris, to protect them. The Jirga, composed of some 40 men of local importance, and 100 smaller notabilities, were received in the usual way, and negotiations proceeded for two or three days, no idea of treachery being entertained, but in the Jirga was one Syed Ali, of Dell Sarak, who had killed the son of a Pekhawal, named Shahmir. The latter seems to have thought it a good opportunity to take his revenge, and while the Jirga were quietly eating their food he cut down Syed Ali. This was the signal for a general attack, and some hundreds of Pekhawals and S'anglin Khels, lying in ambush, fired u•sm their visitors and then rushed to close quarters. Twenty-one out of 40 men of importance were killed, aid about 30 of the smaller fry shared a similar f at!, many others being wounded. Among those k iled were seven men whom Gholain Hyder p‘rticularly trusted. The Shinwaris allowed the s trv!vors to leave the Glen, but plundered most of them. Mahoroed Shah, formerly Khan of Lalpura, was among those who escaped. Gholarn Hyder next day marched his troops up the Pekha Glen, burning the villages on the way, and some severe fighting took place, the losses on both sides being heavy. He did not, however, venture to ascend the slopes of the &fed Koh where the Shinwaria were assembled in force.  An inquest was held on Friday on the body of the newly-born female child of Ruth Newman, a domestic servant at the Falcon Hotel, London, which was found in a railway carriage on the underground r tilway. On a doctor stating that in his opinion the child was not stillborn but had been strangled, te jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Newman.  At Warrington on Friday, George Martin, of Liverpool, was fined £5 and £2 costs for ex posing tor sale unsound American cla.less. The defendant announced a sale of cheese, and on the Nuisance Inspector inspecting it he found that 50 whole cheeses were unfit for food. It was therefore seized and destroyed. The medical officer said the cheese was in an advanced stage of decomposition.  Three West Elia gentlemen having been summoned before Mr. Hannay, at Marlbmough-street,for furious riding in Rotten-row, the leurned magistrate came to the conclusion that there had been "some riding at a rather furious rate," but considering that the row was not so crowded as during the height of the season, and that there was therefore less danger, he imposed the =Wasted fine of 10s. on each of the defendants.