The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-08 00:00:00

INDIAN POLICE CONFESSIONS.

---
In a ease at the late criminal sessions of her Ma-
jesty's supreme court (mays the Ra Weer), thecae's's& for
the prisoners made strong remarks against the preliminary
police investigation in getting up the prosecution. This has
led to some &acumen among our local contemporaries, is
which the practice of extorting confessions by threat or
physical torture was severely condemned. That this pew
tine penile to a considerable extent in the )(dual, only
the ignorant can pretend to question. That it ix resorted to
under the Dow of the supreme court, in spite of au efficient
her and • free press, scenic prepestsrem Neverthcleas,
the fact is notorious. 'Mr. Craw-fuel. the senior magistrate.
baa publicly come forward to assert that not one case of
torture by the police of the island de proved during the
period he presided. Mr. Crawford may be right a. far
as he goes, yet the general impression has been that
the police are not scrupulous either in creating evidence, or
in making prisoner, confess the imputed guilt. A person
on suspicion is arrested and closeted with policemen, where
his friends ma neither me him nor hear his voice. When
he comma out, err rehired on bail, a woeful tale is told ;
but there are no marks on the body, no wane.' who does
not belong to the police force, to give evidence to the treat-
ment received by the prisoner. We know we shall be asked
for profs. We can give an example. A girl, who bad ou
her ornaments, was missed ; suspicion was directed on an
old woman, and she was arrested. By the magical persis-
ted of some of the police myrmidons, she confound her
guilt of murdering the girl for the ornaments. The
culprit, it is maid, even pointed out the place
where the dead body had been thrown. The
magistrate (Mr. Leeks) was Doting down the deposi.
thins, when lo ! the murdered child appears full of health,
without any injury to her limbs. We can cite other cases,
but we know that we have no other evidence apart from
the complaint of the persons injured. We might, however,
mentiou one. A rich Parsee finds a portion of his jewellery
diaappe,r ; a servant is suspected and police are sent for.
Moon after the supposed culprit is shut up in a room, bela-
boured cruelly and made to confess. In this case, the in-
jured party was really the culprit, and a good portion of the
stolen property was recovered It has been urged in some
quarter., though not openly published, that strong and ar-
bitrary measures are sometimes necessary. It is pointed
out for example that the talim gaup which had grown to
be a peat, could nut have been put down, bad
not uncoustitutional measures been resorted to
at a time when the injured weld.' not dare to give
evidence in a police court. We menet sabered* to this.
The talini gaup had grown formidable to the honest poor,
on account of the notoriously inefficient and corrupt police
in the tune of Mr. Furjett • predecessor. A vigilant and
honest police, we are persuaded, is strong enough to put
down any organised gang, without infringing in any way on
the eights of a citizen. When a crime is committed, the
!asides; mils, et Isoc pease em W% know that, fading to
trace the crime, and detect the culprita, they would be die-
mined the service. They pitch upon the suspected, and
make a short work of the affair by extorting confession.
That the innocent and the guilty equally suffer, we have no
doubt. The increased watehfulDeas of the press, and the
dread of the supreme court, will, we hope, pat an end to
the. practice. The firm step in the right &Detain would
be a strict prohibition of closetiug prisoners with policemen.

Droi.l24E or BANoos.—The Right Rev. Dr.
Campbell, Bishop of Bangor, will commence the primary
visitation of his diorese at Dolgelly, on Friday nest. In the
coons of his tour his lordship will visit the towns of Car.
nano°, Bangor, Avoo, end Ruthin.

At a lueeting of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Council
on Weinenday last, it was reaolvel to invite the National
Assonation at Social Science to hold its conference in that
town in 1861.

The borer Chronicle remarks that the mortality
among bees has already become serious, many stocks having
actually died from starvation. Last year, it says, the sur-
plus produce from one hive in this town was 5211i5., leaving
the hive well stored with provisions for the winter, and at
the present time it is still tenanted hr a numerous family
that have not been able to collect honey anything like equal
to their consumption during the summer months.

The Loudon and Middlesex, and the Surrey
Arch geological Societies are, it apposra, trying to make
mrangements for a eerie of evening meetings-to be held
once a mouth—during the winter. It is supposed that
" much Lewitt would result from frequent meetings of the
members, for the immedute recording of archeological
discoveries in Middlesex and Surrey, and the isorsedkte
vicinity, the exhibition of antiquities, the reeling of notices
and papers, and tho discussion of such subjects^
BOARD 011 TR•DIC, WHITEH/LL, SEPT. 7,—The
Bight Hon. the Lunt. of the Conimitteo of Privy Council
fee Trade and Plantations have received a copy Of a notice
Mien Ism Majesty's Consul at Malmo stating that, in come-
gnsoos the re•appearunce of cholera mochas at that city,
dual bilL of health will be lama, to vessels leaving the port.
Gazette.

A GENTLEMAN 102 YEARS •Ir At:E.—Mr. James
Holland. horAr-dealer. Cardiff, purchased a fine horse of an
old gentleman named Mr. Dillon, while at the late fair et
Castleslenont, in Ireland. The old gentlenum alluded
to was ire years of age. Mr. Holland lied not the slightest
idea at the time that the gentleman he bought the horse of
was of such en advanced ago ; in fart, Mr. Holland
thought, from bin hale awl intelligent appearance, that he
W. 15 .w.arrOy more than neventy.nvo or eighty years of
aeo. ; however, Mr. Holland was ley several
per..ns in the course of the day which he swot at the
fair. all eagerly inquiriug aboiii the aged gentleman who
had brought his own horse (or sale to the fair. The whole
eir:urnstances were afterwards inserted in the Irish
pipers. Mr. Dillon iuformesl Mr. Holland that ho knew
Monmouthshire, having been there mauv years ago. Yrom
the paragraph in the Irish paper, Mr. Holland learned
that Mr. Dillon was now on the estate of the I.:ail of Be..
borough, and that he (Mr. Dillon) was 102 yesn of so.
EN was seccenminied by two of his *crenate at the fair in
question, and when Mr. Holland not mto be
• little put oullTri the hi
TOOIIII4III of several hmoeslealers
Ibis own countrymen) deprecistiog the merits of his limit,
iu onler to lower the price of the animal ; but the old
gentleman would not have it, and therefore turned rand
to Mr. Holland, and said sharply, "The Eugh.liman shall
have him," and he struck the bargain at onee. Upon Mr.
Holland tendering ...lOW bank notes in ps. mesa, Mr. Dillon
put lus hand in his waistcoat pocket, and put on his spec.
melt.. jocosely observing, "I am obliool to use 'epees'
now." He renmillool wenf time in iainve,ation ou various
matters with Mr. Holland, after Irbil. he left the fair,
where lie was evalcutly the object of considerahle interest.
l!" rvl jf recce,..

(.111111ANY AND ITALY.—L.ttt•rr mate that Pro-
fewer I.ignati., tilting city. hay been at Harlin for 'rune
,4y. pant. hit not lung ainee a Turin journal announced
Shad the Mariliu;an goveninteut intewlcd to ...ad joung
deppuuty into I ; ermaay for the 1,,,r!...c .4 removing i*ur pre-
judice-a
which rni.t in that country agaitiat Italian unity.
It in sow known that .l. L'runna Lax „one to Berlin na
m,•fon of that nature. Ire ia saki liu well .In■l tied r
t.,k, having Gcrnuny, and being well ad-
with the language.