The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-15 00:00:00

BINDOO MORALITY.

The Bombay papers received by the last mail
report a case of female infanticide, attended with
circumstances of such peculiar atrocity that it
becomes our painful duty to give it a place in these
columns. A woman named Muckty, a Marathi
llindoo, deposed before a coroner's inquest that she
was a widow cohabiting with a Purdesee named
Gungaram Chittoo. On the 29th July, on her way
to a wool warehouse where she was daily employed,
she stopped at the house of Suckoo, a midwife, the
door of which was opened to her by Gunnoo
Narayan, a lad standing in the verandah, and
evidently stationed there to keop away all Oa-
noxious intruders. Entering Vae house she ob-
served, as well as the darkness of the room would
permit, a woman lying 'in a mat, and on
the point of being delivere,d. Having obtained
some water to drink the witness wished to proceed
to her work, but was told by Suckoo to sit down
and stay where she wa',. Whether through inti-
midation or a womanly 'Love of gossip she did as she
was desired, and about, three in the afternoon the
sick woman, Rukma, gave birth to a female child.
The monster Suckoo then took up a razor, and hav-
ing first deliberately, cut off the left arm of the new-
born babe at the shoulder-blade, severed the head
from the trunk. T'ais horrible crime was perpetrated
in silence, whit], was only broken when Suckoo
told the wretcl',ed mother " not to cry out," for'she
" appeared to be in great pain." The marks of blood
on the mat were next removed by ashes being
sprinkled, over them, and the remains of the mur-
dered infant were placed in a basket and covered
over Toth a cloth. The door was then opened,
and riunnoo walked ;.n. "Is it done ?" he asked.
" Y es," replied Suekoo ; and she gave him the
br.sket, which he carried away with him, merely
'zemark-ing, " I'll take it to a room in my house
which is empty." This Gunnoo, it may be here
stated, has no occupation, but lives on the wages
of his sister's infamy. The witness further deposed
that she was so frightened at what she had seen
that she did not mention a word on the subject to
anyone until the police officer went to her house.
Govind Suttoo was next examined, and stated
that Gunnoo Narayan lived with him, and
had desired him on the day above named to
prepare dinner for five or six persons. In the
early part of the . day Gunnoo drank freely,
and became partially intoxicated, and a little
after three came in from the street with a
basket on his arm, covered with a blood-stained
cloth. The guests soon after assembled. There
were present the two women Suckoo and Muckty,
Gunnoo, Dowluttia, an intimate friend, and
Krishna Dunajee, the barber from whom the razor
had been purchased. The dinner occupied two or
three hours, for a good deal of liquor was drank,
and finally Gunnoo became quarrelsome, and
accused the witness of stealing some pots. A row
ensued and the police interfered. On his way to
the station-house Govind told the officer what he
had seen, and the remains of the child were accord-
ingly dug up in a room on the ground floor. A
verdict of wilful murder was of course returned
against Suckoo as the principal, and against
Rukma and Gunnoo as " being feloniously pre-
sent aiding and assisting." Strangely enough,
nothing is said about the woman Muckty, who was
also present both at the murder and at the subse-
quent debauch. The crime was clearly premedi-
dated, and was perpetrated with a "old-blooded de-
termination that could only proceed from an utter
disregard of human life. There is little dbubt that
all the persons present at the orgie were cognisant
of the circumstances, but not one of them would
ever have given notice to the police had it not been
for the drunken brawl between Gunnoo and Govind.
Truly a pleasant picture of civilisation, and not to
be matched in the very worst purlieus of London.
The mild Hindoo appears in his tree colours,
capable of any atrocity, and steeled against the
natural feelings of humanity.—Al/en's Indian Mail.