Record

RefNoHSF/3/7/10
LevelItem
TitleLetter from William James Herschel, Camp, Shahabad, to 'Dearest Mother' [Margaret Brodie Herschel]
CreatorHerschel; Sir William James; second baronet (1833-1917); British developer of fingerprinting and judge
Date19 December 1859
DescriptionHer letter was so full of deaths that William thinks he must make haste if he is to see old faces again. However, his prospects depend upon the labour of the next three years. He hopes to leave India in January 1863 as a rising man, not a falling one. He notes the cooler weather. Hari Krishna Singh has been sentenced to be hanged. A murder was committed and the culprit ran to Calcutta [Kolkata] intending to emigrate to Mauritius. William sent a man by cart and railway to watch for him at the emigration office, where he was caught and brought back for hanging. The case went up to Sudder court, who confined themselves to remarking that William should have arrested the man's wife too. William had expected a slight compliment, as the arrest of a murderer outside his own village is a rarity. Johnny [John Herschel] has left for Roorkee and has passed his colloquial examination, although William has not seen it in the newspapers. He hopes she was not offended at his writing via [William] Waterfield and expresses anxiety about photographs sent in July.
Extent6p.
FormatManuscript
PhysicalDescriptionInk on paper
AccessStatusOpen
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