Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-09-28
NC Thura.


Many Of OUT readers are hardly awOre that there
is caste OF association Of men in India called
Thugs, whose sole occupation is homicide, Il is
their study, their delight, and their occupation,
and that some Information may be had we clip the
following from on exchanges
TnE TBUGs.-The disposition 10 destroy life Is
we'll known o. be one which not only acts inde-
pendenily ip the hum0n character, put is linbe TO
be Awakened and called into activity by great
number Of other ssnlimen,si such oS the extreme
thirst for gain, offended seli.loye, panic, terror,
and even strong sense Of justice, philanthropy.
aud other oil the superior sentiments OF our ma.
tuts. We are now about TO Introduce 10 the no,
iice Of our readers, remarkable tribe, who, from
generation 10 generation, carry on murders aS a
regular trade, pbIily under the influence Of the
love OF gold, but chilly In obedience 10 the selI-
t,menls Of higher, though equally abused char
hcter
The THUGS ote q Hindoo race who inieiI the
roads In India, for tile purpose OF Iobbing lTaYel-
eTB. The States NJ Bhopaul, Dude, GWalioE and
Bundelcund, end the OOmpanys possessions in
the Doab, ere their chei residences end the thor
OughlaTes which they chit1y haunt, are those Of
the Deeoan, Scindias, and HolkaPs county, down
10 The sea and the Delhi county. OSlensibly
they are simple oulnyator5 Of the grounds but for
eight months In the yeah they move IN gangs along
the roads, under various DISCUSSES aud prelex's'
muTdeFipR and TObbing every party whom they can
oyeEooweT without danger TO themselves. They
must have practsed this trade since the reign OF
Akbar the Great in the 10th century as Whatsoever
elm on one occasion executed 800 Of themtn one
nrovince. Indeed, the profession has rot only
become hereditary, and Of old sIanding, butts iu-
vested with all those inveteTate characteristics
which attend what is called caste in India. Tue
young are regularly brought up 10 IL and though
some ore OF course better qualified bylheE natural
character than Others, none are known TO show so
much TepuEnance 10 il, as TO abandon Il for any
more legitimate means OF living. ~
Though the Thugs ate indiaeTentlY OF the Mo-
hammedan and Hndoo religions, they unite in the
Grand supersliuons which chiefly prompt and sup
port their minds in lheiI accountable cUuIse. They
put an implicit confidence in onens. The part
ridge, the shsma, the dssb the jacknl, and other
ANIMALS, are supposed by them 10 lOIetel good OF
bad luck, according IS they appear OF ate heard on
the rtght oTlsf hand. Leaving their hOnles IN
bands, at the end oflhe rainy season, they direct
their steps 10 their hgh-pHesl, OF goroo generally
an old rhug--nO matter whether hindOo or Mus
sulman-who has retired from The trade, and lives
upon tile contributions Of bis descendants or dis
ciples, who look up TO him with great reverence
for advice aud Instructions and bend to his decis-
ION in all cases Of doubt or dispute. On this old
man they confer presents. he then consecTates
koddlee OF piokaxp, which they carly with Them on
oil occasions, aud 10 which they BsoTibe many var
tues, one Of which Is, that il can prevent the spin
its Of the murdered from Tslng from their graves,
which are dug with 1t. On this occasion, young
Thugs who have passed Though kind OF now
tAte, and acquired the necessary nidoT and hard
ness OF heart, are presented by the priest with the
r0mal or handkeTchieE--ihe inslfunIrn ut employs,
in stTangling their yictims--whloL, establishing
Them in The highest glade oil the profession, and in
sunnE larger proportion Of tile bOcty, is regarded
as on object Of the highesi ambition The priest
then tells the young Thug how many OF his family
have sigma ised themselves by the use OF the rOmIi
how much bis liieuds expect from his courage anu
conduct, and inploIes tie goddess Of Bowanee--
whom the Thugs Of all religions regard ns the at
btfess Of their destinieS-iO VOuchsaie her support
10 his laudable ambition and endeaVoEs to dislin'
Suish himself in her service. When we reflect OF
The base character oil the Hindoo priesthood, among
which II Is maxim that untIulh and ielse'swear.
ing are mehtoTous deeds when they tend 10 their
own advantage, we shall not wonder that any
should 10 found to employ tlelT influence and that
Of their religion, 10 urging human bsingstO signal
ise themselves by acts Of m1EdeE
Having performed their vsHous supeTslilious
rites, the Thugs proceed 10 rendezvous at some
Duce previously appointed, where the gangs make
iheiF fAa arrangements lor the season, Que Of the
most lmpoEtanl OF which is 10 fix on their pliVate
sisnals They then break into parties Of IRON 20
ioI6O aud begin to patrol the roads, usually ap.
p,nTng as q collection OF lTaveleTa, who have
combined for mutual protection against maTnu-
JeFg, One OF lheE customs is, never TO shave OF
eat PairR I'LL ihey hive killed their first traveller.
There Il Seldom any display oil courage amOng the
THUGS. All their muldeig are effected IN cun'
ming and insiduOus manner, so as TO avoid dam
ger. Some OF the younger memb.ls, WHO are mol
considered IS having sufficient hrd'brsaiisdnst',
ISthey call Il, even TO witness a muTdeI' ore en-
bloytd o. scouts 10 ascertain the approach Of tEvY-
elleU, theiE strength, their weapons, the direction
In which they are going, and tie voluablts which
they carry. n They conceive themselves 10 be
match fvr the party one OF two OF the most
smooth spoken among them are sent 10 JOIN II, and
make way, peThsps, for junction between u and
the lsTger body Of Thugs IL they succeed IN lul.
ling the suspicious of the party, they will proceed
M company loT a considerable way TIL, coming To
aconvenent place, they propose grand TsPasl'
the EXPENSES OF which they are willing TO bear.
After dinner, twoo or three will play The guilori
~ lille the rest sit around, smoking and talking =
Atlehgth, the private sgnslis gwen each ttavel-
Ell caught round the neck by handkerchief
which the wretch who threw IL twists as haid es
he can, while two Of hil companions hold The
hands Of tho victim. II any struggle takes place,
kick throws the unhappy traveller on the ground
where the work Of death IS completed. They
then select the most secret place In the neghboI-
hood for the inleImenl OF the bOdleSi sometimes
thick mango grove, and hot un(TequenIlY The beds
Of Iivulels. Parties Of two, four, and nearly aS
biah 90 twenty, nTe thus disposed OF. As lEeasutt
a often carried iIom place 10 place IN lndiO, the
ThuRS sometimes secure an immense booty. An
ihsiSnce Of ileiT obtaining G10O0 in gold and jew
els occurred few Yeas ago. They display TIC
erraslest cauliousness in the selection Of theiI
yIoIinsi aud ia every circumstance OF their afro
clous ttade. The government runners are seldom
attacked by them, because tleiI late could not la
TO become a subject Of inquiry. For the same
reason and from their dread OF resistance, they
rarely make up to Europeans. In 1928, tolmi-
d6ble gang deberaled about ptiaeking two Blit
ism officers, who weTo passing the dawk, and final
iy negalyed the proposal, for these IeosonS ls1r
because such gentlemen seldom carry yaluableS
with them ia dawk lHpsj I'd, Because they al
ways carry pistols; Sd, Because their destruction
would become matter Of publicity. The Iced
ing maxim Of the Thugs is that dead men tell no
lief, and for this reason, murder invariably pre-
cedes robbery. On one occasion, Tsaldeb q
woman, and fourteen other persons, were murder
ed by a party, al ChapaTa, on their way from Hy-
delbad: before the murder was completed, four
moor travellers came up, and these, though pre-
sentinq no temptation In the way uf booty, were
sltAOQied also, in order 10 prevent discovery. Two
ofths poor men weTegoing one way aud two an