Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-01-02
A PROFESSIONAL POISONER.
Tho Career or Noted Criminal OF the
East Indies.


East indies.
10 those who believe that the prac-
tice of thuggee has been completely
put down in India, the story Of Sharfu,
or Sharlfuddln, whose career Of crime
has just terminated by his being sen.
fenced to transportation for life, will
come as an unpleasant revelation. Shav.
tu was the son Of a butcher in a small
village in the Punjab, and when yet a
boy he developed a marked taste, not
only for gambling, but even for card.
sharping. At the age of Is, having
quarrelel with his father, he left his
native village and attached himself to
party OF horse dealers. He then
joined tho Bareilly police, but he was
shortly afterward sentenced to Is
months Imprisonment for injurlng his
wife, the daughter Of Thakur whom
he had abducted. In the Bareilly
Jail he came in contact with Tikka
Ram, the head Of band of prisoners
in the northwest province. On their
recovering their liberty they resumed
operations together, making their head.
quarters in the town of Agra. After
six years work Of undetected crime,
of which the details have not been re-
veaIed, tho two fell out, and Sharfu
Joined the police force again. only,
however to be dismissed in few
months. 1t was after this occurrence
that he resumed his operations as
professional poisoner on his own ac-
count His mode Of working was sim
pie. Disgusting himself as a well-to.do
native of Dude, he used to waylay and
enter into conversation with those ma
tives of the province who happened to
be returning with their savings. His
lavorite scene Of operation was on the
Grand Trunk road Once he had
struck up the companionship with
these unsuspecting travellers it was
an easy matter to take food with
them, and Sharfu rarely failed to in
troduce the opium or dhatn1a need
ed to drug his victims, whom he speed.
lly relieved of their savings Most Of
these unwary persons recovered when
pursuit was useless, but many Of them
died. His operations between the
years 1867 and 1872 were particularly
numerous and successful; and official
reports recognized the extent to which
thuggee prevailed in Punjab 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 bad only Just
warning to make hurried
retreat into Rajpootana. There he
renewed his old practice, 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 baf-
fled the pursuit of the officials, and it
was not until the present year that he
was discovered, through the instru-
mentality of Rikka Ram, undergoing a
short term of imprisonment in Agra
Jail under q different name Brought
up for trial at Loodiana, he admitted
his guilt of ninety-siX cases of murder
or drugging, and was sentenced to
death, which was afterwards modified to
transportation for life. Sharlu's long
shows the great difficulty Of
detecting crime in India, at the same
time that it reveals the extensive or
eanizat.on which criminals have form
ed, in the Punjab at all events. Much
light has recently been thrown by DR.,
le4tner on the argot which thieves
in the Punjab have framed for their
own use, and Of which government Of
dcia!s are absolutely ignorant.