The Sun. — 1870-11-15 (London, England)

PARTICULARS OF MR. HAYWA RD'S DEATH.  The following interesting memorandum regarding Mr. Hayward's death has been supplied to Indian Public Opinion from an official source :—" It is to be feared that no doubt can now remain that Mr. George W. Hayward, who was endeavouring to explore the Pamir Steppes and the country north of Pashawur in the intesest of the Royal Geographical Society of London, has been murdered in Chitral by Mir Wall, the nephew (sister's son) of Aman Malik, chief of Chitral, the valley north of Swat and Bajour and west of Gilghit. No particulars of the murder have been received of sufficient probability to warrant their publication till receipt of further intelligence, but it is reported that Mr. Hayward and his six servants were surprised and all killed, while his munshi was wounded. The life of the latter was spared, but he was compelled, under threat of immediate' death, to write a letter to Kashmir, stating that his party had been passed through Chitral in safety and were on their way to Yarkand. The murderer, Mir Wall appears to be now in an asylum at Chitral, from the admission of his uncle Aman Malik, who writes to the effect that after the murder, Mir Wall fled, in the first place. to Badakshan, from whence the ruler Mir Muhmud Shah, sent him back captive to Aman Malik, who, not wishing to be the means of destroying his sister's son, allowed him to escape to Afghanistan, whence he returned, and is now at Chitral. If this account be true, the chief of Chitral is affording an asylum to the murderer, whom the Maharajah of Kashmir has demanded to be surrendered with all his accomplices. It is impossible to pronounce upon the motives which have led ignorant and fanatical savages to commit this crime. The reason, in all probability, was the hope of plunder, and disappointment at not receiving from Mr. Hayward the presents which they considered they had a right to expect. These Mr. Hayward was not in a position to give them ; for his means were small, and he had to borrow money to enable him to leave Srinagar. Disappointment and avarice may be accepted as sufficient reasons for the crime. In addition to these, Mr. Hayward been long resident at Srinagar ; he had been treated by the Maharajah with great consideration, and had been escorted by Kashmir troops to the frontier. The people of Chitral have long entertained a bitter enmity to the Kashmir authorities, and they may have suspected that Mr. Hayward was in reality in their in terest or a spy to discover the points at which they would be most exposed to attack. But this can be only conjecture. It is at any rate certain that the murderers were bitter enemies of the Maharajah of Kashmir, and may have hoped to embroil him with the British Government by the murder of an English traveller in territories which nominally are subject to his influence. Mr. Hayward, from private letters written previous to leaving Srinagar, seems to have had some presentiment of the dangers that awaited him, although he regarded them far more lightly than the Kashmir authorities, who urged him repeatedly to abandon the expedition in which his life would not be safe. Mr. Hayward was, however a man of great determination, and resolved to persevere, although he wrote that he was proceeding at his own risk and responsibility, and was aware that beyond the Gilghitt frontier the Maharajah of Kashmir would be absolutely unable to protect him. Further details when received will be communicated."