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Other Countries / Re: Can you help to solve an Indian mystery?
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Deposition by RSC on the uprising. Captures quite a lot:
“I, Robert Smith Coombs, Indigo Planter, proprietor of the Gahmur Concern in the zillah Ghazeepore make oath and depose as follows: — The first intimation I received that it was the intention of the rebels to come to Gahmur was in an urzee from my Lallah at Rhonceban Factory written by him on the evening of the 30th of May and which reached me at midnight. He stated that the sepoys had that day murdered two men at the village of Rajpore in pergunnah Chowsa and that it was believed that they intended to proceed to Gahmur that night. On hearing this I roused up my own servants and those at a Railway bungalow nearby with a view of (sic) getting early information of the approach of the rebels. I also called in or rather gave notice to the villagers and mulicks of Gahmur whose houses were near my factory to be on the look out. The morning came but no rebels. On making enquiries I found that they had gone to Dewa. Their members were reported to be about 300. They remained at Dewal two days viz. the 31st of May and 1st of June. On the latter day I heard that it was their intention to come to Gahmur during the night on which I assembled the zemindars of the village to assist in protecting the place which they all promised to do to the utmost of their ability. They agreed to assemble at my bungalow that night to patrol and prevent the sepoys approaching. At about 9 PM. they all made their appearance at my house armed in different ways, numbering I should say a thousand or more. I distributed these men in different directions keeping a large number near my house. I slept that night by the advice of the villagers in the house of Kolessur Roy, a zemindar. The night passed off quietly and in the morning we heard that the sepoys instead of coming to Gahmur had marched on to Bhutowra where they remained all day. At about 10 A.M. on the 2nd of June a number of the same party, who had assembled the previous night, came to me and re¬ commended my leaving home as they did not consider it safe for me to remain giving as a reason that there was a difference of opinion amongst the zemindars the greater part of whom wished for the coming of the sepoys, and that they, the men who wished me to leave, being the weaker party could do little to protect me although they would do their utmost to save my property after I left knowing it to be so intimately connected with their own welfare. Amongst those who persuaded me to leave were Kolessur Roy a zemindar, Roy, Seoraj Roy, a Govt. Chuprassee, Bodee Roy a Hissadar, Baluk Roy a Hissadar, Debee Roy and several others. Most of these to the best of my belief afterwards joined the other party when the sepoys arrived at the place. After being told that it was no longer safe for me to remain I got a boat and left for Buxar at about 2 P. M. This is all I can depose from my own knowledge of what occurred. I left my factory in charge of a Bengalee Baboo and other servants cautioning all the people about that their village would be held responsible for any damage done to my property. This they seemed fully to understand. From my own personal knowledge I cannot say which of the numberdars or zemindars actually joined the rebels but my opinion is that on the sepoys coming to the village the greater part if not all joined with the sepoys in committing depredations on my property and that of the Railway. The following is what I heard from my own servants as to what occurred after my departure from Gahmur. The night of the 2nd passed off quietly, on the 3rd my Baboo left Gahmur with his family for Buxar considering that it was no longer safe for him to remain. All was well up to the time of his departure but that night the sepoys arrived and being joined by the village people who hailed their approach they set to work and pillaged and partially burnt my house and factory destroying everything that came in their way. The next night (4th) they completed the burning and destruction of my house and factory. On the morning of the 5th they proceeded to Sewrie, a village about 4 miles west of Gahmur from whence they sent a party to burn my factory at Bhuddowra which they partially effected*. I cannot name those of the number dars and zemindars who joined the sepoys in their depredations but to the best of my belief nearly all of them did so and some of them actually invi¬ ted the sepoys to come to Gahmur. I believe the following men behaved better than the rest and were less disposed to assist the mutineers: Gungun Sing, an old Soubadar, Kolessur Roy a Hissadar and a few others. On the morning of the 5th my factory at Rhoneeban, purgunnah Chowsa, was burnt and looted by the sepoys.”
From, Freedom Struggle in Uttar Pradesh (Vol. 4) pp. 117-119.
“I, Robert Smith Coombs, Indigo Planter, proprietor of the Gahmur Concern in the zillah Ghazeepore make oath and depose as follows: — The first intimation I received that it was the intention of the rebels to come to Gahmur was in an urzee from my Lallah at Rhonceban Factory written by him on the evening of the 30th of May and which reached me at midnight. He stated that the sepoys had that day murdered two men at the village of Rajpore in pergunnah Chowsa and that it was believed that they intended to proceed to Gahmur that night. On hearing this I roused up my own servants and those at a Railway bungalow nearby with a view of (sic) getting early information of the approach of the rebels. I also called in or rather gave notice to the villagers and mulicks of Gahmur whose houses were near my factory to be on the look out. The morning came but no rebels. On making enquiries I found that they had gone to Dewa. Their members were reported to be about 300. They remained at Dewal two days viz. the 31st of May and 1st of June. On the latter day I heard that it was their intention to come to Gahmur during the night on which I assembled the zemindars of the village to assist in protecting the place which they all promised to do to the utmost of their ability. They agreed to assemble at my bungalow that night to patrol and prevent the sepoys approaching. At about 9 PM. they all made their appearance at my house armed in different ways, numbering I should say a thousand or more. I distributed these men in different directions keeping a large number near my house. I slept that night by the advice of the villagers in the house of Kolessur Roy, a zemindar. The night passed off quietly and in the morning we heard that the sepoys instead of coming to Gahmur had marched on to Bhutowra where they remained all day. At about 10 A.M. on the 2nd of June a number of the same party, who had assembled the previous night, came to me and re¬ commended my leaving home as they did not consider it safe for me to remain giving as a reason that there was a difference of opinion amongst the zemindars the greater part of whom wished for the coming of the sepoys, and that they, the men who wished me to leave, being the weaker party could do little to protect me although they would do their utmost to save my property after I left knowing it to be so intimately connected with their own welfare. Amongst those who persuaded me to leave were Kolessur Roy a zemindar, Roy, Seoraj Roy, a Govt. Chuprassee, Bodee Roy a Hissadar, Baluk Roy a Hissadar, Debee Roy and several others. Most of these to the best of my belief afterwards joined the other party when the sepoys arrived at the place. After being told that it was no longer safe for me to remain I got a boat and left for Buxar at about 2 P. M. This is all I can depose from my own knowledge of what occurred. I left my factory in charge of a Bengalee Baboo and other servants cautioning all the people about that their village would be held responsible for any damage done to my property. This they seemed fully to understand. From my own personal knowledge I cannot say which of the numberdars or zemindars actually joined the rebels but my opinion is that on the sepoys coming to the village the greater part if not all joined with the sepoys in committing depredations on my property and that of the Railway. The following is what I heard from my own servants as to what occurred after my departure from Gahmur. The night of the 2nd passed off quietly, on the 3rd my Baboo left Gahmur with his family for Buxar considering that it was no longer safe for him to remain. All was well up to the time of his departure but that night the sepoys arrived and being joined by the village people who hailed their approach they set to work and pillaged and partially burnt my house and factory destroying everything that came in their way. The next night (4th) they completed the burning and destruction of my house and factory. On the morning of the 5th they proceeded to Sewrie, a village about 4 miles west of Gahmur from whence they sent a party to burn my factory at Bhuddowra which they partially effected*. I cannot name those of the number dars and zemindars who joined the sepoys in their depredations but to the best of my belief nearly all of them did so and some of them actually invi¬ ted the sepoys to come to Gahmur. I believe the following men behaved better than the rest and were less disposed to assist the mutineers: Gungun Sing, an old Soubadar, Kolessur Roy a Hissadar and a few others. On the morning of the 5th my factory at Rhoneeban, purgunnah Chowsa, was burnt and looted by the sepoys.”
From, Freedom Struggle in Uttar Pradesh (Vol. 4) pp. 117-119.