Ho was a corporal in the
Thirty-eighth Foot, and with some twenty
others, was captured by the mutineers in an
engagement forced by that arch-fiend Nana
Sahib, son of the Porshwa of Poona. Those
who fell into the hands of that cruel, treach
erous and relentless monster could hope for no
mercy, for Nana Sahib kuew no mercy. The
day before the engagement the small force to
which Mr. Hawkins belonged had done exe
cution on some three-score Sepoys, captured
red-handed, their weapons still dripping with
the. blood of helpless women and children.
Courtsmartial for such were dispensed with
by General Sir Hugh Rose, afterwards Lord
Strathnairn, and the mutineers had been
placed at the muzzles of field pieces and blown
away. No worse death could be given to a Se
poy, although it is a painless end, but the na
tives objected to it because of the wide spread
ing scattering of the remains, and the impossi
bility, as they thought, of collecting fragments
to make a decent exhibit on resurrection
day. The summary execution of these
men had so maddened tlio mutineers
that when reinforced they made a sortie, re
sulting in the capture of Corporal Hawkins
and a section of his company, In their thirst
for revenge, the Sepoys began cutting and
slashing the prisoners to death at once, until
halted by the dread Nana, who wished to re
serve them for a loss expeditious ending.
