River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-01-03
THE BOMBAY FIEND."
Diabolical Work of a Native of
India IN 1853.
An Assassin Who Manifested a Liking
for the Right Ears OF EngIishmen-
The MANY Wild Theories Adj
vaneed-Caught at Last.

An hssa>-th VINO Manifested Liking
for the Right Ears OF EngIishmen-
The MANY wild TheOrie, Adj
vaneed-Caught at Last.
The series OF crimes committed by
the so-caIled ''Whitechapel Fiend' in
district OF London. is a plagiarism on
the work of the Bombay Fiend." The
only difference is that one killed only
men. and Englishmen at that, and the
other kills only women. and women Of
doubtful regulations It was in 1853
that the Bombay fiend pursued his
bloody work, and during his career l
was a resident Of that city and saw
most Of his victims after death. As
all were English. and all Of them army
or civil officers. and as the last mutter-
ings Of the mutiny had not yet been
stamped out. the British Government
took care to suppress the particulars
Of this fiend's work as much as pOssi-
bic. While "A thousand men were
quietly searching for him the press
was forbidden 10 give him any nOtOrie-
~. as it was believed the criminal was
a native, and 10 particularize would be
TO make hero OF him and induce
others TO follow in his bloody footsteps.
The first murder occurred in March.
1855, and the victim was an English
Captain Of infantry. He was leaving
a club house at ten o'clock at night.
and 10 reach the street he had to pass
between two stores by an alleyway
seven or eight feet wide and twenty
feet long. This way was lighted by a
single lamp.
People were coming and going every
two or three minutes. and il was a
public thgrOughfare in which a woman
would La-e felt perfectly safe from viO-
lence. Five minutes after the Captain
left the club house an alarm was raised
that he had been murdered. A score
81 Us rushed cut to find him dead in
the alleyway. lie had been stabbed to
the heart, and his right ear had been
cut of. Tir body had not been de-
spoiled, and the general verdict was
that it was "a case of revenge. There
was a great stir over this. the first Of
the series, and many natives were ar
rested on suspicion. The British were
carrying things with a high hand then.
and some Of the parties arrested were
tortured 70 extort q confession. Ii was
given out that one had confessed and
been executed. but this statement was
only 20 affect the native population.
Not one Of the suspects had word To
say To help clear up the mystery
On the eleventh night after the Cap
tain's murder a Lieutenant of dragons
was found dead at the front door Of the
bungalow of "a friend ON whom he was
about to call. It was only twenty feet
from the gate TO the steps, and the
path leading up was Of sand II was
only Just after dark, with many people
moving about. and yet lao one had been
alarmed The officer had not been
dead five minutes when found As in
the other case. he had been stabbed To
the heart and the right ear cut of and
carried away This satisfied every
body that an assassin was abroad. and
the excitement was intense. IL was
the policy of the Government to sup
press the facts a far as possible, but
they soon became known In every
European in the city. ana every man
was on his guard from that time on.
Those who had been IN India longest
reasoned that these murders were the
work 81 fauatic-a religious fanatic.
At that date. and even for ter years
later, religious fanatics were to be
found in every community. They made
vows 10 do this or that for the glory
of their God, and il was a rare thing
for one Of them 10 abandon his
work. | have met natives who had
vowed never To walk in a straight line;
others who had vowed TO sleep stand
ing; others who kept one eye shut. one
arm raised. or had vowed not to speak.
II the assassin had vowed to take the
lives of certain number Of English
men he was more tO be dreaded than a
band 81 robbers Nothing but his capt
IRE would prevent him from fulfilling
that vow. and the fact Of his commit
ting two murders in prominent places
and leaving no clew 10 his identity
proved that he was "a crafty fellow
There was the usual cry against the
police force. but one who stopped tO
consider for a moment realized how
helpless the officers were. \ dozen
arrests were made and threats. prom
Uses and torture used 10 secure point
er. but the poor fellows knew nothing
and. therefore. had nothing To give up.
On the evening 81 the fifteenth day
after the second murder a third oc-
Cured An artillery Captain. who had
been through all the mutiny. aud who
had only that day bOastcd that be could
take care of himself uuCer all circum-
stances. had called at the bungalow Of
his brother. who was in the civil serv-
lee Not finding him al home the Cap
tain had taken a turn in the garden
with his ciga. The three. native
household servants had noticed him
walking mp and down. hut after a
few minutes one of them saw him
lying on the ground. The three ran
our. and il WAS - find him dead The
garden was about a quarter Of an acre
III NAEt I. anu WIS surrounded nE q
brick wall nine feet high. The assas-
lin had come and gone like shadow.
nut he had done his work a we'll a. in
the other c1se~- The one thrust had
been sufficient. ant the right ear had
been cut OF was one Of the first
called III when the alarm was raised.
/ took torch and examined the wall,
and al the rear OF the garden ! found
where pole had been slanted up
against the wall 20 assist climber.
The man had lifted the pole over to
help him down. and found the prints Of
his sandals in the soft earth. Il was
settled. 10 my satisfaction. at least.
that the assassin was native, although
at this point the police brought for
ward the theory that the person was a
European. probably disguised as . ma
tive. The arrest Of a dozen sailors aud
vagabonds followed. while all the ma
tives in Jail were turned loose l
never knew whether the police believ-
ed in the new theory. or whether Il
was advised by the government, but
circumstances went 10 prove that the
latter was the case The arrest aud