Daily Kennebec journal., 1874-12-04
thus born on the shoulders OF lot OF

and thus born on the shoulders OF lot OF
Brahmins.
The procession was formed and went
off. first a guard of Rajpoots, then men
carving the 5000 rupees, then another
guard. then some twenty or thirty torch
bearers with lighted torches, then some
men with lighted candles, then whole
crowd of Brahmins. in the midst OF which
was the body borne aloft on their Shout
ders Some of them sprinkled the body
with rose-leaves and flowers, others car
ried palm branches, two others, one on
each side, waved long yak tails about to
keep off the flies, just as would have been
done had the Maharana been alive; then
came the emblem of Royalty, the Indoo
.Soorui.r or sun. the red umbrella, and
other paraphernalia. The waiing as soon
as the body was brought out in sight of
the crowd was tremendous. The place of
cremation where all the royal tombs are
is a place some two miles outside the city
walls. The whole populace followed the
body there, and as soon as the ceremony
was over every man was clean shaved
beard, whiskers, mustache, and even the
hair of the head. All Rajpoots wear very
long flowing whiskers, which they are In
the habit of winding round their ears, ana
it must have been great grlel to many
man to cut them off. There is not man
in the country now with any hair on bis
face. and it gives them the funniest ap-
pearance possible. did not know many
of the officials when first saw them. 1t
was all certainly most extraordinary
sight, and one that may never see again.
The Maharana of Oodeypoor is the head
of all the Hindoos in India, the direct de-
scendant of their great Rama, and traced
his descent for more than 1900 years
back. forget the exact date at the pres
ent moment. After the procession had
started the Zenana women became more
quiet; one or two threatened to throw
themselves from a high window, to the
great terror of some of the chief mobiles.
who begged the Colonel to pitch tents
and awnings under the window to break
their fall-a request the Colonel refused
of course, as it would only have tempted
them to do it at once, whereas the hard
stones did not look inviting.
On Oct. IA Lieut.. Yate writes: Yes
terday eight of the principal sirdars or
mobiles of the State came to Col. Wright
with o request from the Queen mother that
Sohung Sing, the uncle OF the late Maha-
rama, and others might be arrested and
imprisoned in the palace dungeons, as h.
had killed the Maharana by witchcraft in
carnations, &c. 1t seems hardly credible
that in the present day charges OF that
sort should be seriously brought forward,
but it shows what queer people these
Rajpoots are to deal with. The intention
of the Queen mother if she could get
Sohung Sing and his confreres in the pal
= a.. l,,f l..
expiry of the twelve days OF mourning.
Had Col. Wright not been here on the
spot, it is allowed by all that there would
have been no end of bloodshed. All these
men accused of wtchcraft would have
been killed, and several suttees would
have taken place to certainty. and in all
probability there would have been Il reg
ular disturbance and free fight As it was,
Pusma Sale, one of the men accused of
witchcraft, was attacked on the way TO the
funeral, and only just escaped with his
life. Col. Wright had that morning let
him out of prison, and l fancy the old
mother, enraged at his escape from her
claws, instigated the assassination. The
old lady starved herself for four days after
her sons death, but then came round, as
she found it harder to die than she ex
pected-a most unfortunate thing for the
community at large. All the sirdars want
now to be allowed to spend seven lacs Of
rupees (f70.000) in aims giving &c. and
propose to give the rupees to every Brah-
min, man, woman. or child who will come
TO take them They say that was five times
that sum spent when the late Maharana's
predecessor died, and even more ought to
be spent now to make up for the slur cast
on the Maharana's name by Col. Wright
having prevented the performances of the
sacred rite of suttee.'"