Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-01-02
A RlCE-CHEWING ORDEAL
HOW NATIVE THIEVES ARE CON-
vICTED OF CRIME.
The Novel Way Employed by HindoOs
in Calcutta.


the Indian method of discovering a
thief by the ordeal of chewing dried
rice. We once saw it tried, and tried
with success. 1t happened more than
forty years ago; but as the custom of
employing this ordeal has almost dis
appeared with the advance of civiliza-
ton and education in British India, we
may be allowed to tell what we remem-
Der of it.
Four of MS were living together in
Calcutta, "chumming,' as it was called
out there. We were Young men under
20 years of age, recently arrived from
England, with fair earnings or salaries,
and good prospects in our several pro-
fessions. We lived in Unrestricted
house, in large compound or garden,
in the fashionable quarter of Calcutta.
Among us we had a large rctinue of
servants = altogether about ten men
apiecc-so that the whole domestic es-
adjustment numbered some forty per-
sons
One day there was an alarm that my
friend George Christians gold watch
was missing Search for it was made
in vain, and we reluctantly arrived at
the conclusion that it had been stolen.
We had domestic court of inquiry,
with the aid of the moonshees or ma
tive tutors who used to come to teach
us the languages; but it was difficult
to fix even suspicion on any one.
From the arrangement of our rooms in
the house ii seemed probable that one
of Christians own servants must have
been the thief. But he Indignantly re-
pudiated the idea. He said that his
servants were the best in the house
and would never have robbed him, as
he was so kind and liberal to them.
We may observe that all of us were
very confident of the integrity of our
own private servants, as is the custom
of most young men in India, until they
have gained experience. We were al
most jealous of one another as to which
kept the best servants. We arrayed
them in smart livcries, with silver
badges in their tnrbans and colored
waist bands. Ny friend Christian had
one remarkably good-looking khidmud-
gar, or table servant, named Abdul,
whom he considered the show servant
of our establishment, and he valued
him accordingly.
As our domestic court of inquiry
failed to detect the thief or recover the |
property one of our moonshees sug-
gested that we should apply TO the Cal
cutta police for the services of the ma
tive official who was then retained in
the employ of the government for con-
Quoting the process of detecting thieves |
by the ordeal of rice-chewing. 1t must |
be remembered thGt the Calcutta police |
itself was at the lowest stage of eff
,iency. 1t was feebly differed and
badly manned. For the detection of |
especially in cases like ours,
where d0mestics were suspected, they |
rusled to the services Of professor of
magic.
The Pundit-as we shall call the
Drofessor-with two or three police
men escorting him, arrived at our
house about IL O'Clock one morning.
All our servants had been warned of
he impending ordeal, and the lodge
Keeper had been ordered to allow no
me to go outside. The Pundit was a
all and stout man, arrayed in muslin,
md evidently possessed with great
dea Of his own importance.
According to his request the servants
we're all seated in two long rows on
he ground in one of the long verandas
# our house, and we took up our
position so as TO be able to superintend
he operation. The Pundit's attend
nts then produced some pieces of
-reen plantain leaf, and small por-
ion was placed in each mans hands, to
erve as plate on to which he was to
iect the dried rice after he had sue
cssfully chewed it.
The Pundit then went round with
owl of pounded rice, like flour, and
With wooden spoon poured quantity
f this rice flour into the open mouth
+ each servant. The order was given
hat each man was, within five minutes
Y the watch, to chew the rice -four and
iect it, in state of pulp, on the
lantain leaf before him.
Most of the men set to work with q ,
ill, though few were rather fright
ned at first; but long before the five
linutes had elapsed almost every man
ad got through the process, and held ,
hat might be called "the evidence of !
is innocence in his hands. But why ,
re SO many eyes turned toward one ,
ian, who sits back as if anxious to :
void observation? We also look, and Z
lcre is Christians favorite khidmud- {
ar, Abdul, with hin face almost con- =
ulsed, and trying in vain to get the d
ce flour out of his mouth. His lips {
re dry and his glI.nds refuse to mois- i
N the rice flour. At last the Pundit's q
yes glare at him, and, pointing at him
18th his long, bony finger, he says '
,lemnly: 'sThere is the thief" a
The victim quails and grovels on the
Dor before him; his handsome face I
ecomes li'-N with terror, and at last
, family appeals to his master for Ii