The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1871-12-22

I Caste In India
/ The Calcutta correspondent OF the
| London TYmsS gives the following ae-
count OF the recent outbreak of prison
ers at Bareilly Jail, an occurrence o which
ranks in importance with the assassina-
I ton of Chief-Justice Norman
''The outbreak occurred on the night
Of the 9th of September, and a commits
sion of inquiry, which was Immediately
afterwards appointed, received instrae-
| tions to report ON The conduct OF DF.
Fades, superintendent Of the jail, who
| had n short time previously removed the
| Juneos, or Brahminical threads from the
prisoners. The commission reports that
the oct of DR.. Fades vas 9ikely 10 eanse
/ the worst possible results, aud that ID
was unprecedented, no prisoner having
up TO that time been deprived Of his pre-
cious thread, the badge Of hS dignity as
descendant from the gods The his
( tory of the outbreak, therefore. dates
! from the deprivation OF threads. The
Brahminical thread is simple skein
OF cotton, composed of thin threads fas.
/ tened together in threes. / believe the
mia imB1n number of distinct threads
ought to be six, each three Of which are
termed dhoondee. The threes may be
multiplied nj pleasure Tie skein hangs
I from the left shoulder. and falls ~ low
as the palm Of the right hand when the
arm il stretched ny the Brahminical side,
I 70 take away q Bnhmin's thread h 30
/ break his caste. DIR. Fades found, as
many persons have found before him,
/ that this bit of common cotton thread
was to the prisoner the passport to a
I great many privileges. No warder would
report prisoner who wore the sacred
thread, be the prisoners behavior what
il might DIR. Fades had power by tho
/ Jail rules 10 remOve the clothing Of the
I prisoners, and what, he argued, was tins
thread 6at clothing. The threads were
removed. Every Brahmin prisoner was
degraded, was no longer Of the material
that first issued from Brnhma's head
/ when the different castes and races OF the
world were made. Henceiorth any
varder might say OF the degraded Brah-
min what the prison rules demanded.
/ The degraded prisoners refused their
food. DIR. Fades paraded them, and
I hogged refractory cook, after which the
men ate their food, and the victory over
caste seemed complete Probably DIR.
Fades went to bed that night convinced
that he had secured q place in the his
tory of India. Alas for human schemes
and resolves The Hindoos were imme-
diately played upon by some Mohamme-
dan prisoners, and to such good pur-
pose that an attempt 10 break open the
jail was decided upon. Two Mohamme-
dams devised plan for cutting away q
rivct from one OF the barrnck doors
Thread, emery and glass we're procured
the first two, il in feared. by the eoA-
nivance OF some subordinate official OF
the Jail. AT III o'clock in the night, the
rivet, previously fled through, was
knocked away, and forty-seven Of The
prisoners rushed into the yard. There
was only one gate between them and
full freedom. To this gate fierce rush
was made, the prisoners aFming them
selves with portions Of looms which
were stored in the outer yard aud knock
ing down several sentries on the way.
But before the gate could be broken
open thirteen men OF the police Euard,
I brave Jemadars. were at their heels,
and desperate hand-to-hand fight en-
sued. So well did the watchmen man
age that not man escaped at that point,
and the nature OF the fight may be
! judged from the fact that Of thirty seven
wounded prisoners twenty, one we're dis
abled by clubs and only sixteen by gun
shots. On the approach OF help from
the prison officers The prisoners ran TO n
corner Of the yard and tried 10 escape
by standing on each others shoulders
Several were shot down here by the pn-
lice, who by this time were in some
force on both sides of the wall. Seven
Of the prisoners escaped, but four were
recaptured. Those inside fought furi-
ously, and Mt last, after several fierce
salIies ON the police, they were fred
upon. They then ran along tho wall,
but made two more stands the moment
the police overlook them, and In each
case they had to be fred on before they
gave ground. After this they were all
/ aarYrYynI