The Republic - pages from History: 1857 Revolution – A Customs Babu's Report
ON the First War of Independence, an unnamed Customs babu had given a Statement.
I am a native of Bengal and was attached to the writers' establishment of the Jhansie Customs Collector's office.
On the 5th of June last at about 3 p.m., while we were in attendance at the office, we were alarmed by the report of musketry fired in the direction of the magazine; instantly two peons and a duffadar of the Customs establishment, who had been sent by Mr. Carshore to pay in 1,500 rupees of the Customs collections in the Deputy Commissioner's treasury, returned to our office panic stricken, and stated that they had been informed by certain sepoys that the revenue treasury was in imminent danger of being plundered by a gang of robbers. Our office was ordered to be closed directly, and the peons on the establishment were called in to hold themselves in readiness within the office compound for any contingency which might occur. Mr. Wilton was next seen dashing in from the military lines, and urging Mr. Carshore to fly from the place with his family, intimating at the same time that the regiments had mutinied and all was over. Accompanied by Mr. Wilton, Mr. Carshore drove with his family in a buggy to the dak bungalow where they arrived in safety. Myself and other amlahs then quitted the office compound, leaving the peons in charge of the office, and took our stand on an adjoining road to witness what was going on. Seeing nothing where we stood, we determined to cut into the town by striking across the parade ground, but we had not advanced many steps in our intended direction, before we were accosted by a sepoy from a distance to the effect that we should keep ourselves out of the way, as some men of the 12th Native Infantry had broken into open mutiny and taken possession of the magazine. We, however, pushed on regardless of consequences, till we came up to a spot where the officers of the 14th Irregular Cavalry with a party of sowars belonging to that regiment were haranguing the men of the 12th Native Infantry, who had not already mutinied, to continue true to their colours, and we then cut into the town. On our way, however, we observed a party of sepoys running towards the cutcherries of Messrs. Skene and Gordon intent upon mischief; but as those officers and all other Christian residents with the exception of officers attached to the regiments had been timely escorted by a party of the 14th Irregular Cavalry into the fort, the sepoys were in this instance foiled in their attempt to massacre the Christian population of Jhansie. When all the Christian residents, with the aforesaid exception, had taken shelter in the fort, the town gates were closed by order of Captain Scene who had directed that no one should be permitted to enter the town except with the privity of the head of the police.