Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-03-28

low Scrcaillcu Ut tne UOp Ol MS VOICE dU eucu |
stroke Of the lash, and / could hear him
grooming most piteously as they led him
away.
The magistrate excused thispode of pun
ishment by saying that some exemplary !
else the fair would soon become full of dis
order. If the man had been brought before
him elsewhere he would have sent him to
prison for six monthss. The crime of steal
inga brass cup seems very trifing no doubt
TO the reader, but It must be remembered
that one of these cups makes up nearly half
of common natives possessions, SO that to
him it is very serious loss. This whole
trial, with the punishment included, did not
occupy twenty minutes.
The next case called was that of a mean |
looking Mahomedan, who was accused of
having stolen another mans wife. The be- |
reaved husband was the first witness He
was sworn in the same way as the Hindoo
witnesses, with the exception of slight
changein the formula. Before God om-
nipresentI will speak the truth" said the
old man, and then went on to say that he
had taken the prisoner into his house two
years before, and that he had been as a father
to him, and now he had rewarded him by
running away with his wife, and leaving his
little children motherless, &c. The old
man burst into tears when speaking of his
neglected children, and his story evidently
gained for him the sympathy of the whole
crowd, including the magistrate. A number
of witnesses deposed that the prisoner and
the old mans wife had lived year in their
| village. The woman herself was called last.
She took the oath very solemnly, and then
proceeded to tell string of lies which would
make even lawyer turn pale. Such reck-
less perjury would seem incredible in any
other country than India, but here it is
nothing strange at ALL
Mdgistrate-Did you live in village
with this man?
| Woman-No, Sahib, these men have wit
messed falsely. never lived in that village
at all.
Magistrate-Where have you been living
since you left your husband2
Woman-Your Highness, | have been
living all the time at a village on the Ganges
in the Bijnoun Zillah
Magistrafe-What is the name of the vii
lage?
Woman-Indced, Sahib, have forgot
ten now.
| Magistrute-How long did you live there?
Woman--Six months, Sahib.
| Magistrate-When did you leave thatvi
lage?
Woman-Two weeks ago, your Lordship.
Magitute-And yet you don't know the
name of the village? How is this?
Wonpan-Indeed don't know, Sahib
can't name it now-I have entirely forgot
ten; but ! did live there, know that.
The magistrate laughed little at the wo
mans loose statements, and last of all asked
, the prisoner to tell his story. He denied
the charge an toto and told enough of self
evident lies to convict himself, even had nc
|, evidence been offered The magistrate care
lessly told his clerk to put him down for {
I, years Imprisonment, and then jumping ur
he ordered the whole crowd of natives who
had gathered round to be driven away. Thi
trial was dispatched in quick time-perhap
e not more than fifteen minutes.
The crowd having been dispersed, som,
thirty-five or forty head men of the yillag,
were brought in, who wished to have tn,
price of their rice fixed by the magistrate, 5,
that they could not be cheated in selling it
These poor people are so little better thar
children that they cannot fix the price O
i. their own crops without suffering all man
ner Of impOsitions from the unprinciplet
buyers. BY getting the magistrate to Fl,
v the price they are able to collect that price
5 no atterwhat bargain may have been made
q The buyers and the sellers both had thei
representatives present. The magistrate
told each party to name a price, and h,
would then act as mediator between them
5 The villagers proposed thirty five pounds fo
I a rupee (half dollar, saying they could no
sell their rice any cheaper. The buyers OIL
the other hand proposed serenity pounds 70
the rupee, and they most earnestly protestet
y that they could not give more. The magis
n trate pulled his mustache few minutes
= and then jumping up announced that fo
the coming year rice should be sold ut tn,
: rate of forty pounds for rupee. Both par
+ ties rose up and declared themselves salts
: fed, although they had just before stoutl,
o. asserted that any change from their pro
: : posal was impossible.
After the crowd had gone I asked m
: friend how he managed to decide his case
II with such hard swearing as his evidence
He said he hardly ever considered the eyi
dence reliable, but that he liked to have i
so as to be better able to judge of the gen
y eral character of the parties and of the cas-
a in dispute. "One can always get an idea,
a he said, of the general drift of the case
i and then the only way is to try and arrang
a the matter according to ones own ideas. -
q The oath he pronounced humbug. II
q said one-half Of his witnesses did not .hay
the slightest idea of its meaning, and man
? of them thought that they only promised /
; tell the truth before the magistrdte. In tn
Hindoostan language the same words az
? employed to represent the Deity and " You
Lordship."
1t does not make any difference, however
i whether they understand the nature of a
: oath or not. None of them, or at least
7 very few Of them, can be believed whel
unler oath or at any other time They ar
: the most inveterate liars perhaps in tn
r whole world, and they do not care to dis
8 tinguish between lie in court and lie il
\ the bazaar. In Bengal, during the past year
a number of influential natives have beer
g transported for perjury, but in other part
3 of India have never heard of single maj
being punished for this offense except on,
: or two men in Lucknow, who were prose
Q cuted for political purposes.
So far as l have become acquainted witt
' India magistrates, they seem to be impartial
ank really anxious to make the people happ.
: and prosperous. Some of them are blunt il
their manner and execute justice in the mos
Q summary style, but believe they general,
aim to mete out fair Justice to oil. They
have little ceremony about their proceed
D ings, and they never waste any time in look
in, M, the law in the case but generally