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I/MO IIUUOOBcleansed and arch parties, f to harbour gullies were ything which \ done. The ontinued for parent. The how an ever-l within two ktions by the emic had so ’ithdrawai of engaged. In ted in Poona lich is natur-st insanitaryi devastating ay, where for its suppres-1 authorities. lr. Hand was dit was given t. But though ' highly of the 3 which were ircumspection of the native to show thatr the manner ails and social ally outraged, s of Poona, s ever been a the liigh-clnss the Congress ditious of the il from here, from the very ie expedients le suppression was made not ey thomselves y the search No open resist-ut soon com-0 the Govern-ist outrageous ! employed onsaid, robbed ie modesty of nearly every Hess to relate, ns turned out of falsehoods. , rather, that2 Brahmins of vilifying Mr.»f exciting as ssible against1 abuse these *ats of a more it was even •nee that a later be taken ;o have been ions. Follow-papers came the principalThere can be little doubt but that Lieutenant Ayerst was shot by mistake. It was, probably, the intention of the assassins to kill Lieutenant Owen-Lewis, who was known to be a marked man, whereas Lieutenant Ayerst had had nothing to do with the plague operations. The mistake in identity was, no doubt, caused by the change in the position of the carriages. That the murders are the result of a widespread and carefully-planned conspiracy admits of little or no doubt. It is the probability of there being so many in the secret that makes it hopeful that the culprits and their instigators may bo traced. That something was going to happen appears to have been widely known. It is said that Mr. Rand was specially warned not to attend this particular reception. It is also said that as Genera] Nairne was driving out to attend the banquet, some hours before the murders were committed, his escort closed in round his carriage in a most unusual way, with a view, apparently, to protect him from some hidden but suspected danger. On hearing the news, Lord Sandhurst was greatly distressed, and, in conjunction with the members of his Council, immediately offered the large reward of twenty thousand rupees for the detection of the murderers. As to the identity of these latter, many rumours are afloat. Whoever may have actually fired the fatal shot, it is everywhere believed that the scoundrels who instigated the crime are men of high standing in the Hindu community. Read in the light of what has happened, the threats and abuse of certain prominent native agitators become peculiarly remarkable and significant. Even if they did not actually hire the assassins, these men—the men who loom largely in the meetings of the local Congress, the men whom Sir W. Wodder-burn and Mr. Caine delight to honour—must be held morally guilty of having instigated such terrible crimes. Before these lines reach you it is possible that some important arrests may have been made. At the moment of writing, however, nothing definite has been effected in the way of arrests. Some arms have been found close to the scene of the murder, and these may lead to an important clue. A largo number of the best detectives in the Bombay Police Force have been requisitioned for the purpose of endeavouring to find the criminals. But, perhaps, the large reward is the most likely means of finding the murderers. For so large a sum as twenty thousand rupees a native would not scruple to betray his - own father. The funeral of Lieutenant Ayerst took place on tho evening of the 23d inst., and was attended by all the military officers of the station, to the number of a hundred or more, from General Nairne, commanding the Bombay Army, downwards. The ceremony was deeply impressive. The service was read by the Bishop of Bombay, assisted by his Chaplain. The deceased officer was only twenty-seven years old, and joined the Indian Stall' Corps from the Devonshire Hegimont in 1895. He had been married for a few years, and, in addition to his young widow, leaves one child.
Newspaper Details
London Standard
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Jul 12, 1897
Page 2
Full Page
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Anonymous
CA 11 Jul 2017
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