Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-06-14

412 were hanged, 1869 were trans
ported, "a died In Jail, 81 were impris-
oned for life at hard labor; 90 received
shorter terms, IL escaped, 32 were re-
leased after trial, 100 were awaiting
sentence, and 1856 had not been brought
to trial; 483 had turned approvers. Be-
sides these there were 1900 notorious
Thugs at large, whose names aud rec
ords were known to the government,
and how many thousands more, who
could sayp The aggregate of crime
committed during period Of several
centuries by so many thousands of asso-
ciated murderers may be family imag-
ined. Ameer Ali, the approver detailed
to assist Captain Taylor, had been di-
rectly concerned in 719 murders, and
his story confirmed in all particulars,
eff / had not been in prison for twelve
years." he said, II would have made it
| 1000" Only a limited number of APP
| provers were received-just enough to
convict each band, and the others were
sent to the gallows relentlessly, fate
that awaited an informer who held back
anything or deceived the agents, so that
soon there was race for the privilege
l-of informing and a panic everywhere
in the profession. The Thugs were
colonized in trade settlement at Jub-
bulpore, where technical instruction
was afforded to them and their children,
and where their descendants still. are
under government supervision until
they have learned trade, when they
can depart If so minded. But the
Thugs themselves are there for life, and
only two or three of the original colo
nists remain.
Other variations of Thuggism were
found as investigation was pushed.
There were Thugs who piled their
stroying their fares, and Thugs who
killed parents TO steal their children for
slaves and dancing-girls. But strangu-
lation has been stamped out. The
latest case reported was in 1852, and
for many years no gang has taken to
the road. Dacoitee. another normal
crime OF equal ierceness and atrocity,
prevalent in all parts of India, and in
some cases hereditary, has been dealt
with with nearly as much success Three
years ago there was, however, q good
deal of trouble in the Deccan with
one band organized by an enterprising
Brahmin, who paid his robbers by the
month and added commission, bat it
was put down. Poisoning travellers Is
another crime with which the Thuggee
Department deals, and successfully.
Writing in 1873, Colonel Meadows Tay-
lor recorded occasional isolated cases
of strangulation among the Sikhs of the
Punjab. According to Colonel Honder-
sons report, already alluded to, of Pun
iab professional Phansigars. there were
14S remaining at large on the LIST of JAN
uary, 1881, and of Hindustani profess
sional Phansigars 1873, besides some
fifty or sixty professional prisoners.
These, however, were all registered
and under surveillance and among them
there is no one under the age OF fifty.
All of these were registered rs profess
sional Thugs before the year 1852 for
crimes perpetrated during the previous
twenty years. At the present time
there is no living witness against
any of them, although the confessions
OF their accomplices are on record. The
cases OF Thuggee reported in the year
1880 were twenty-one in number and
were all poisoning cases, but only five
persons to whom poison was admins
tered died. Seven of the poisonings
were committed by one person, an es-
capped approver, who has been captured
and transported. The amount of prop
erty plundered was only valued az us
rupees. What change from the palmy
days when Thugs took the road in bands
of 300 strong, and companies of trav-
elerS forty or fifty in number were
wiped out in few seconds without so
much as n motion in defense, or death
cry!
The Thugs united worship with muir
der. They claimed to be chosen agents
of Bhowani or Kali, to please whom and
to honor whose shrines they took to
the road. They worked in bands under
jemadars and subadare, regularly pro-
NOTED and had their gooroos or teach
ers of the fate and its mysteries. There
were three classes of Thugs, the learners
who were spies and set to Turing travel
crs into the tolls; the strangers, who
killed them and the grave-diggers, who
selected the scene of operation and
disposed of the bodies. The sporting
instnct-the desire to hunt down and
destroy something living which exists
in almost every human being-must
have been keonly aroused, for what no.
bier game could be found, and what sport
was moro exciting than mans stalking,
II was not difficult to understand the
fascination that murder came to have
for the votarics of Bhowani, combining
rs it did, sporting, religion and bust
ness all in one brief act long meditatcd
carefully led up TO. The oath of secrecy
and fidelity was taken on the Koran
and the sacred pick-axe, the symbol of
the profession, by the neophyte after
he had bathcd and dressed in suit Of
new and unbleached clothing and had
been accepted by the assembled breth-
rem, when he was given small piece
of coarse sugar-the consecrated goor
of which, as q sacrament, all the
'pussa" Thugs partook after each OPP
Grafton. They sat facing to the west,
the chief placing the pickaxc, the sugar
and piece of silver on blanket on
which he sat, and after consecrating
the Jumps by praying and sprinkling
the pickaxe with water, and putting q
piece of sugar and some water into a
small hole dug beside the blanket, Civ
ing one to each of tho party. The
party only went out when the omens
We're favorable, and hundred men
have returned home when o hare
CHANGED to cross their pathway. Maim-
ed and leprous persons, musicians,
dancing-men, fakirs, washermen, men,
dioants, sweepers, oil-men, blaoksmiths,
carpenters, Bhats and Sikhs were not |
acceptable victims, but naturally this
rule was open to exceptions when
q large party was to be de-
stroyed or the exempt traveller hap
pened on the Thugs at work. Women |
and old men were not desirable bunij
and Europeans were carefully avoided |
for prudential reasons. The victims
having been met, and having joined |
company, all that could be done to |
discover their condition and circum-
stances and to allay their suspicious was
done. For many days, for long |
grims accompanied their buuii until |
Tho f;v,no covx,o fov tbo oo,,v, Co;ae LoI /