The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-11
STEALING FROM JUGaERNAUT.
Wonderful story of the Theft of
Jewels From midas Great God.

Letter TO The Times Of India.
The true and tragic tale which | am
sbout TO relate was told 70 me many years
ago bv a -uisned officer of the Madras
army. The facts have never appeared in
any newspaper, nor are they to be found in
any of the police records of the presidency.
For obvious reasons the names have been
altered. but to this day by the camphres of
the great festival, held every year is told
with bated breath and listened TO with
rant attention the terrible tale of the jewels
of Juggernaut ana OF the vengeance Oh Gne
great god.
MANY years ago." said my friend. II
ras chartered at FuZarahad, an important
mil tarv station about $50 miles from the
Madras coast. There was a large ! lumber
of troops there of all descriptions, and GER
tainlv for half the year the life we all led
YVES gay and high enough. $500.
unfortunately, at tie tineI was there
gambling and betting were much in vogue
and many mon plunged and came to grief
over their debts Of honor. of all that CAV
company nobody was more popular and
better liked by both men and women than
Young FItzroy; but, unfortunately, he lost
money at the races, tried to recover himself
at the Whist table, but failed, got into the
hands of the Marware IS and got deeper and
DEEPER into the miro of debt. You
GO Id see by his careworn and troubled eX
preston of face that the poor young fellow
was in a real bad way. ] was not sur
prised, then, when one day he came to me
n d said: Major, I'm done for. I'm
utterly broke. cant get any mere money
in the bazaar and they'll run me In unless |
can get away for a bit. | must get to
England and see if can raise the;wind there,
hut goodness knows, said the young fellow
bitterly, how can dare ask my poor old
govern T. Major continued he, L must
gel away; it's simply killing me. You
we're a great friend of my father anu pr "a
ised to hel me. 7 wish had stuck to your
ADVICE but it's too late now. Will you
come away with me9 Give out that we
have taken ten days leave for some shoot
ing and see me down to the coast. If | go
cff alone shall be slipped by ths5e cursed
MarwareeS.' ......
After some hesitation I agreed. He
sent in his application for leave to Europe
on private affairs, AMI gave out that
was going on a ten-da s. shooting expedi-
fongaS, we had started on our long and
wear ing journey to the coast, where my
poor young FREUD hoped to pick up
81 amer to take him to Europe. On the
seco d day out we met crowds of people
tramping along--men, women and children
and the next day still greater crowds. In
reply to our inquiries we were told that
val of Jug2erGaut, held at Puri, now
ouiy some three days journey from where
we were. The tolgawalah kept us inter
este1 with a graphic description of the
festival and of tho great & ID, which was
especially remarka able for the wonderful
Jewels it possesse1-two emerald eyes of
lnestimable va u, It's lips formed of the
finest rUbieS in the world, and necklace of
priceless pearls.
The sun was sinking as at last we
nesred the town of Puri, and We could see
fhe pinnacles Of the temples risa above the
frees which surrounded the place Half
rlle the other SIDE of the town stood the
Travellers Bungalow, where we intended
putting up for the Night. During the last
twenty-four hours my young companion
had kept silence, and was m ,ody and
almost sullen whenever ! tried to rouse
hin. a more uncomfortable meal never
ate than the dinner which was served up to
us that evening, ard was quite thankful
when she poor lad said he was dead beat
and would go off to Ted. Ny own room
was on the other side of the bungalow and
! took my pipe and sat smoking In the YER
Ruda. The moon was just rising, when
thought ] saw the figure of a European
stealing along the wall of the compound.
Strange, | thought and wondered what
other European could be here at the sans
time. An idea struck me, and | went across
TO my companions room There was no
body III it, the bed was undisturbei. |
threw down my pipe aud rushed out into
the moonlight.
"a few seconds later / was out in the
roa1, and turned ins-inctively in the direc-
# the town. Running down the road l
too1 came to a sandy lane which went out
SIDE the village walls in the direction of the
temples, their pinnacles standing out clear
ard distinct i 4 the moonlight. In rhe dis
I thn1Yc-hN I fho 81
poor lad, bu, soon the turnings and twist
ings of the lane with it's thick cactus hedges
on each side shut him out from my view.
in a few minutes ! was close by the big
temple com pound. Running up to the wall
locked over, and this is what l saw: An
enotm MS courtyard of paved stone, on
which ere living number of priests, their
#hEe garments wra ped round their hea ls
and bodies. Il the background was placed
Re aple after temple, hut in the centre stood
ore solitary SHRINE raised on tnrea separate
flights of steps, aud inside | could see the
greal' black god raised on three other smaller
flights of colored marble steps. The moon
beams shone directly on the god and lit up
the FnerRid eyes and ruby lips, while the
pearl necklace glowed on his huge black
bosctn Not a SQUAD was to be heard ex-
Cept ome distant informing o the other
end Of the town. The festival WIS over
and Puri had lapsed into solemn silence. To
my unutterable horror | saw my compan-
ION walking right across the urtvard.
Not living creature moved until a
paIlah dog rose up from rear the wall, gave
one howl, and then SUNK away and
crouched down again. Sti no one stirred.
NV tongue Glove 20 the roof of my mouth.
dared not shout even if | could have
raised nv voice. A CHASTITY hor or took
mold OF me as the idea struck me that in his
madness my poor friend intended to save
ms honor by the greater dishonor of robbing
the idol Specifies | saw him unit step
after step, and the next moment ] saw him
enter the sacred shrine across the threshold
lch no other foot but that of the Brah-
nun has ever passed. Nine steps led up to
y Q god-one, two, three, four, five, six
ne paused. tried to shout, but no
sound would come He raised his
ma d as II 10 tear Off he pearl necklace. II
was st!ll above his reach. His OF the |
touched the seventh. Ca | ever forget the
Nght In the moonlight flashed out two
arms covered with a hundred--nay 200
aa2gers and clasped the da ing youth to
me BLACK gods breast At the same
!nolnen: the sound Of a gong broke the still
pe,s or the night, and in one moment the
priests had cast OFF their coverings and were
Iusnlng to the shrine. Two minutes later
Cd the amazed and Mortified priests carry
ing out the lifeless body of the dishonorei
"'ghsnman, nd [ turned ard fed"