The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-04-19

The Commissioner Of Police Of Mad
ras has received the following curious |
native petition, which was numerously |
signed: respected Strive, the I'M
dersigned inhabitants of Numgumba- |
KUN, beg to bring to your notice the
existence Of what we sorely feel an UNI
mItigated public nuisance and pray for
its immediate removal. Amid thick,
dark, shady grove, only about one hun
dred yards from the Agra harem, and
not a half furlong from the public road
there is Kali temple which, from the
peculiar nature of its situation, has
been marked out as an advantageous
place of soothsaying and exorcism.
Here once a week land now twice or
thIlce, as he chooses) a soothsayer man
ages to gather about him number of
people of both sexes and various castles
by his powers, of which we need hardly
say anything, Of soothsaying, casting
out devils, &c. Not to SPEAK of the
superstitious practices that take place,
we feel such meetings grossly reprehen.
sible and extremely Objectionable on the
following grounds, which, however, are
! but few among many. That the
; place Astounding as it does with snake
holes Is a very dangerous one for people
to resort to in the night, the usual time
, when he begins business being IL or
) IL P. M; that it has been found to be a
resort for wicked persons with necessar-
+, lily bad designs; that it being the dead
of the night when the seance COM
mences land it continues the whole
q night and some hours IN the morning),
> his dread howlings and jarring drums
= disturb our nights sleep and startle
d young children in bed; add to these the
L general behavior on the occasion, which
J is an outrage upon the public sentiment
. of refinement and morals. On these
e grounds we petitioned the Commits
n sioner last year, and, on inspection by
le the inspector, he was pleased to order
u that the soothsaying should stop at IL
II z. NJ, which order, however, we grieve
,e to say, came to be relaxed as soon as il
ir was passed. We beg to further state
ry that public meeting was held in thu
ne reading room premises for concertInl
i ie measures to put stop to the soothsayinl
n and exorcism nuisance, and that this
at petition is only the outcome of a reso
ne luton adopted therein. p. San in
us stance omitted in the body of the peti
~ ton we beg to mention here-the i'll
,st treatment Of an adult girl of abou
twenty years. This girl, it is given GU
10, was possessed by a devil. She wa
IA cured, but period of strict regime
IT. must be allowed to make sure of tn
'is effectuaI cure eight days of sever
md confinement in an entirely Isolate
he room, alone and unaccompanied; thre
les times bath, nine vessels of water eaC
ly. time, during which she was TO CON
IN round the temple with a vess
ion each time; perfect waking all day
nee a regimen extremely impossible al
er- very irrational. The girl observe
use all, but whenever she was oppresst
I IL by sleep she INDUCED a little
iiao a talk with her nelghbor. On the FL
or day night which was the last day Of Il
sh. term, a woman who had also come
Ito. the temple, and who is supposed, som
rst. times permitted, to act for the SCOT
NIX sayer, suddenly pulled this almost ems
i hnt lated girl by the hair and shaking
you violently Nthe locks Oh ner mar 81
firmly grasped by the others arm
screamed that the devil had not left
girl, and pretending TO torture the de
ork- inflicted excruciating pain upon the g
the Thus the devil was chastised out of I
eller girl. In a few heuIs more, Madu
&C. Viram came boldly forth and the c
n an was summoned before the sOOthsay
And now his Awful Majesty. What y,
misty father spends so much money for y
cism your mother exerts and almost exhau
va her energy in drawing water for .
and from the well; took so much trOu
,ter,s to cast the devil out from you, a
IN to lily girl, you don't think Of all t
after but thoughtlessly wander about
anne. chat away with your neighbour
zone. girl appealed piteously to the man
!, nor the man, surelyI Keep away my
paid that is so heavy on my eyelids, an
,rt in will not do it, so audaclous to tai
Dol at mel Hold out your hand, will y
4 fair The girl shrank back but the man pit
. pur- her by the hair by cane with an a
,iples, at the end, and he was assisted by
rough Push of the mother from the back,
irving using all words which no ear can
}, the and no tongue can utter, thrashed
NTH a most mercilessly till her limbs bee
Alloys black. 1t is a notorious fact and
have well known to require labor of pI
tation 1t being so important, it is hoped
I'd joe you viii not disdain for it the n
Fo T which it deserves from your hands