१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

ROHILKHAND
Bareilly was shaking the English power to pieces, English
blood had already begun to flow at Shahjahanpur. This
latter town is about forty-seven miles from Bareilly, and
was the headquarters of the 28th infantry. The news
of Meerut reached Shahjahanpur on the 15th of May.
But since the Sepoys gave no indication whatever of their
plans to the authorities, the 31st of May dawned there like
other days, in peace and happiness. It being Sunday, the
English were in church ; but before their prayer was half-
finished, the Sepoys ran towards the church ! When the
chaplain came out to see what the matter was, his hand
was cut off and the massacre began. The city magistrate,
Ricketts, fell while running. Labadoor was killed in the
church itself. Only one batch of the Sepoys had come
to the church while the other had been sent to the English
cantonment. The latter had already started killing and
burning. The assistant magistrate ran into the verandah
for life, but was killed. Doctor Bowling began to address
a few words to the Sepoys. The Sepoys, also, were listen-
ing to his words, but, unfortunately, he called them, in
the course of his speech, “seditious.” In reply to this
“charge,” a bullet came whizzing and he dropped dead.
The Revolutionaries who had gone to the church had only
swords and sticks with them ; so, now, they returned to
the lines to take their rifles. In the meanwhile, some
Englishmen, together with the women and children, with
the help of some Sikh Sepoys and the native cooks and
servants, ran to the house of a neighbouring Raja for
safety. But the Raja explained to them his helplessness
and asked them to “move on.” The fugitives then went
away towards Mahmadi. Thus, before the evening of
the 31st of May, Shahjahanpur also became free.
To the north-west of Bareilly, at a distance of about forty-
eight miles, is the district town of Moradabad. Here was
stationed the 29th infantry regiment and half a battalion
of native artillery. A fine opportunity came to test their
loyalty, after the news from Meerut had gone there. The
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