The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-01-04
po1soNnR OF luNrrY.srx VICTIMS.


To those who believe that the practice
of Ihuggee has been completely put
down in India, the story of Sharfu, whose
career of crime has just terminated by his
being sentenced to transportation for life,
will come as an unpleagant revelation.
Sharfu was the son of butcher in
small village in the Punjab, and when
yet a boy he developed marked taste
not only for gambling, but even for card
sharping At the age of 1S, having quar-
relied with his father, he left his native
village and attached himself to party of
horse dealers. He then joined the Bareilly
police, but was shortly afterward SEN
t'nced to fifteen months imprisonment
Z iniuring his wife, the daughter of
Thakur whom he had abducted In the
Barelly jail he came into contact with
Tikka Ram, thc head of band of pois.
onors in the northwest provinces. On
th-ir recovering their liberty they re
sumed operations together, making theiI
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 few months
It was after this occurrence that he re-
sumed his operations as professional
poisoner on his own account His mode
of working was simple. Disgusting him
self "a we'l.to-do native of Dude, he
used to waylay and enter into converse
ton with those natives of the province
who happened to be returning with their
savings. His favorite scene of operation
was on the Grand Trunk road. Once he
had struck up companionship with
these unsuspecting travellers it was an
easy matter to take food with them, and
Sharfu rarely failed to introduce the
opium or dhdt a needed to drug his vic.
Tins, whom he speedily relieved of their
savings. Most of these unwary persons
recovered when pursuit was useless, but
many of them, died. His operations be,
tween the years 1867 and 1872 were par
ticularly numerous and successful anc
official reports recognized the extent tc
which Thuggee prevailed in the Punjat
during that period. In July, 1881, his
secret was revealed by Tikka Rams wife,
with whom he had been living for four
teen years and he had only Just sufIi-
.io tn ,,,n1.x L,,,r
into Rajpootana, There he renewed his
old practices, and placed his services at
the disposal of those who had inconven-
lent relatives to get rid Of and who would
pay handsomely for the dangerous work
He long bailled the pursuit Of the officials,
and it was not until the present year that
he was discovered, through the instrll-
mentality of TiSka Ram, undergoing a
short term of imprisonment in Agra jail
under different name.
Brought up for trial at Loodiana, he
admitted his guilt in ninety-six cases of
murder or drugging, and was sentenced
to death, which was afterward modified to
transportation for life. Sharfu's long
impunity shows the great difficulty of
detecting crime in India, at the same time
that it reveals the extensive organization
which criminals have formed in the Pun
iab at all events. Much light has recently
beeu thrown by DR.. Leitner ON the argot
which thieves in the Puniab have framed
for their own use and of which Govern
ment officials are absolutely ignorant.