Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-26
The Prisoner of Ninety-six Victims.

From the London Times, Nov. IT,
To those who believe that the practice of
Thuggee has been completely put down in In
dia, the story Of Sharfu, whose career of crime
has just terminated by his being sentenced to
transportation for life. will come as an unpleas-
ant revelation. Sharfu was the son OF a butcher
in 4 small village in the Punjab, and when vet
boy he developed a marked taste, not only for
gambling. but even for card sharping At the
age OF Is. having quarreled with his father he
eft his native village and attached himself to a
party OF horse dealers. He then Joined the Ba-
reilly police. bat was shortly afterward sem
fenced to fifteen months imprisonment for in
Turing his wife, the daughter of Thakur whom
he had abducted. In the Bareiy Jail he came
into contact with Tikka Ram. the head of q
band OF prisoners in the northwest provinces
On their recovering their liberty they resumed
operations together. making their headquarters
in the town of Agra. After six years work of
undetected crime. of which the details have not
been revealed. the two fell out and Sharfu
joined the police force again, only however to
be dismissed in 4 few months
1t was after this occurrence that he resumed
his operations as professional pOisOner on his
own account. His mode of working was SIM
pie. Disgusting himself as wel-to-do native
of Dude, he used to waylay and enter into con-
versation with those natives of the province
who happened to be returning with their saw
ings. His fayOrite scene Of operation was on the
Grand Trunk road. Once he had struck up
cOmpanionship with these unsuspecting tray
elers 1t was an easy matter 70 take food with
them, and Sharfu rarely failed to intro
duce the opium or 0tat,na needed to drug his
victims, whom he speedily relieved OF their
savings. Most of these unWary persons re-
covered when pursuit was useless, but many
of them died. His operations between
the years 1867 and 1872 were particularly nu.
merous and successful and official reports
recognized the extent to which Thuggee pre-
vailed in the Punab during that period. In
July. 1881. his secret was revealed by Tikka
Rams wife, with whom he had been living for
fourteen years. and he had only just sufficient
warning to make hurried retreat into RajpoO-
tana. There he renewed his old practices, and
placed his services at the disposal of those who
had incOnvenient relatives to get rid Of and
who would pay handsomely for the dangerous
work He long bafiled the pursuit of the of
lcials, and 1t was not until the present year
that he was discovered, through the instru-
mentality of Tikka Ram, undergoing a short
term of imprisonment in Agra jail under diff
ferent name
Brought up for trial at Loodiana, he admitted
his guilt in ninety-sX cases of murder or drug
ging, and was sentenced to death. which was
afterwards modified to transportation for life
Sharfu's long impUnity shows the great diff
Guilty OF detecting crime in India, at the same
time that it reveals the extensive organization
which criminals have formed In the Punab at
all events. Much light has recently been
thrown by DR.. Letner on the drgot which
thieves In the Punjab have framed for their own
use and of which government officials arc abso.
lutely ignorant.