The Shasta courier., 1862-10-11
u LII ASIA COURIER.
Burning widows in India.


II burning widows with the dead bodies of
.ir husbands, callel suttee, has been aboi-
led by an order of the government; and.
can truly say, no intelligence was ever
,ore grateful to me than the news OF 50
.-aiseworthy an act on the part OF Lord VIII
am Bentick, who has gained more laurels
this order than any of his predecessors
I'VE done by any splendid victories or ad
lntageous political treaties. ~
Never shall l furget the awful shrieks of
spiring widows, which, in many instances.
i've met my ear. Sometimes | have be-
'sa.s I'D the poor aged matron, unable to as
'aas 1.-The pile, thrown upon it by the hard
earted Brahmins. with as little remorse as
-,'ley would have felt if they had been throw
ag up a log of wood, and with the same
oughness, too-whiist, at other times,
lavc beheld the youthful victims of supersi-
iion and Brahnlinical cupidity eagerly and
fearlessly ascend the funeral pile of her
deceased husband, and embrace the putrid
remains, quietly submitting to be bound
with fax, and to have load of dry wood
placed over her, till at length the fatal
torch being applied by the next of her kin,
the swift spreading flames have dispelled
her dreams of fanced bliss. The last suit
tee | witnessed was attended by the most
distressing circumstances the widow was
Young, and the mother of three children, two
b.sys and u girl.
1t was about seven o'clock in the morning
of one of of the hottest days in July,
that heard of the death Of man, and of
the determination of the widow to become /
suffice. | tly went to the house but
was refused admittance | returned home,
but went again in a.:short time, and then
found the body of the deceased husband be-
fore the dwelling house, and the widow sit
ting by it. She had taken the cloth from
her own shoulders and spread it over the
face of her husband SO that she was naked
from the waist upward. In her hand she
held branch Of a sacred tree with which
ste brushed off the flies from the dead body be-
side her. Immediately reasoned with her on
the sin and folly of her proposed se'fdestruc-
ton, pointing out the sinful nature of the
crime, and in forsaking the duties incum-
bent on mother, as well as the excrucia
ting pains she mast endure,if she persisted
in mounting the funeral pile.
When l asked her what she hoped to
obtain by this self-destructiod, che said
Tive million of years of happy lives Tor
transmigrations) for myself and husband
too" This declaration was eagerly caught
at by the host of Brahmins around, who,
with clamorous tongues, assured her this
would be the case at the same time advis-
This alvice she for some time strictly ad-
hered to and when spoke to her, instead
of answering she would frantically shout,
:. Hu. rubholl, Hurrubholl ~ However, af-
ter reasoning with the Brahmins, and pa
tiently and perseveringly putting questions to
her, she at length returned answers to them
and | found that her mind was most fully
bent on undergoing the. fiery ordeal She
was the most interesting native female, in
appearance, that | ever saw, and evinced a
courage all through the awful scene that |
seldom remember to have seen equaled.-
In consequence of the judge humanely de-
string to prevent her burning, the peruvian
na or order was not signed for two days,
during the whole of which time she was
obliged to remain without food, except
few grains of dried rice, presented by the
officiating Brahmin :; neither could she leave
the dead body of her husband, which, long
before the ceremony of burning took place,
was so putrid that the Brahmins,. who de-
lighted in the cruel work. were obliged to
keep at a good distance from it; ; yet tie
poor woman sat beside the CORPSE, tanning
away the flies the whole time, now and then
addressing some endearing words to it.
great deal of impatience was manifested on
the second day by all parties for the arrival
of the perwhanna and the brother of the
deceased set out for Allipore, a distance
of four miles, to expedite the business.
Through the haste and anxiety Of this mes
senger, he brought away the order without
the signature of the judge. What now was
to be done, puzzled them ALL The relatives
wished to burn the bodies. but this the
Daroga forbade. 1t was too late now
to wait on the judge that day, as the offices
was closed. Some advised that the dead
body should be burned, and the woman on
the same spot the next day; but the rela-
tives said that if the body was once burnt,
the woman's resolve might fail. so that it
was determined to postpone it until the NOR
row.
Thinking, under the distressing ercum-
stances in which she was now placed, anoth-
: or effort might succeed, called her two lit
tie boys, who were sitting at a distance, to
me, and taking one in each hand, went up
to her, saying, Can you, then, thus leave
your children without protector? Have
you no maternal feeling left? Can you for
sake the children to whom you have given
birth? Remember how you have nursed
and cherished them, and do not act so cruel,
so unnatural part towards them." Leaping
upon her feet, and lifting her eyes to heaven,
she exclaimed -. They are not nv children
am suttee--a holy woman. Take them
them away-take them away" The little
boys, evidently IN great distress of mind,
fell at my feet, and embracing my knees, ex.
claimed, Sahib, our father is dead, and if
mother dies what will become of us? Don't
bet her burn, sahb.' While thus sup, Iica
ting. an old man, who, L afterwards learned.
their fathers uncle, rushing forward,
caught hold Of each by the hair Of the head,
and dragging them from me, compelled them
to shout " Hurrubhol !" 1t was lamen-
table sight to behold them, with tears roll-
ing down their cheeks, thus employed
Early the next morning app cached the
fatal spot again. All nature seemed hushed
in silence; a refreshing dew had iuvigora-
ted the herbs and trees, and gentle breeze
played on the surface of the river Several
large vultnres were perched Oh the sam
NIT of the tree, beneath which the devoted
victim sat, whilst several large Pariah dogs
were prowling around, all attracted by the
aoisome effluvia arising from the putrd
corpse. The appearance of the woman was
greatly altered for the worse She seemed
to be quite intoxicated her eyes rolled, and
her manner was quite different from what it
was en- the preceding day. Her long dis
heveled hair finated in the breeze, and she re-
minded me of the fabled Heca,e In the
course of the night she had been allowed