The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-02-15
WITCHES IN BOMBAY.
A Respectable Lady Charged with Hav-
ing an EVIL Spirit.

~
ing an EVIL Spirit.
A curious case was lately tried by Mr..
Hamilton, and the Bombay Gazette
gives the facts. A respectable lady OF
the Dasa Oswal caste fell sick and grad
ually declined. In short time it began
to be rumored that she was seized by
an evil spirit and her affectionate and
dutiful husband cast about for the means
of exercising the unwelcome guest. He
appeared to have found what he wanted
in an old Brahmap. After the usual delay
the scene was arranged and the caste in
vited to witness the expulsion of the
troubled spirit. In a low, dark room in
the stiffness of the night the company
assembled to the number of two hundred
men and women of the first families of
the Dasa Oswal caste. On low stool
covered with cloth were laid flowers,
wheat and rice. cracked cocoanut
was there in it's shell, and near by were
burning coal, from which the smoke of
incense curled, while the dim light of n
small oil lamp made the darkness Wis
ible. The sick woman lay in the door
way of her room, and an old hag, intro
! duced as part of the stage properties,
sat shivering under the clothes heaped
on her. In due time and in response to
the invocations of the Brahman, the
clang of the cymbals, and in the thick
ening smoke, her shivering became in
tense as she cried with loud voice: 81
am the devil" And, in answer to ques-
tions, gave the thrilling information
that Ratanbai, the sick woman, was
bewitched. Ratanbai was brought in
and Brahman, waving his sacred and
dirty cloth over the head of the foul
| fend, bade her be silent and be gone,
and the old hag shuffled herself under
the coverings and was heard of no more.
The attention of the company was now
| directed to the sick Ratanbai. The
Brahman, passing before her, suddenly
stopped and threw her flower. Rattan
bal gradually drew herself up, and,
with her long, loose hair hanging about
her and shivering violently, explained
that she was Bhamalbai, lady of the
same caste, and not supposed to be par
ticularly friendly to her After many
questions the restless spirit confessed
that she troubled Ratanbai because she
promised to give her mangoes to eat and
bal then earnestly entreated the spirit
| to come and eat her mangoes, and kind
ly explained to the company that she
knew the lady and where to find her,
Ratanbai, growing exhausted, now fell
back in faint, but the company de-
manded another manifestation of the
spirit, and instigated the Brahman to
rouse her and go on with his work. The
fainting woman was made to sit up,
the gods were invoked. "Bubble, bub-
/ bic, toll and trouble" The flower was
! thrown. Again the fit and again the
shakes, and Ratanbai now explained
that she was Sundarbai, another respect
able and popular woman of the same
caste. This time she would answer to
J none but her husband, and to him she eX-
planned that when he was manager of a
marriage feast he had put food before
every body except the jealous Sundar
| bal. She had not fed on the boiled milk
! and wedding cake, and she had seized
! Ratanbai to avenge the slight. The
sorrowful husband begged forgiveness;
! it was an oversight for which he had al
ready apologized, and anXiously asked
what amends he could make and what
would induce the spirit to cease from
| troubling and to leave his wife at rest.
But the spirit was not to be appeased
| she demanded a dress, and when that
was promised refused it, and wanted
nothing, the natural state of
! spirits! Then with a moan she said:
II am going" And she went. The
magistrate, curious to know something
about this belief, inquired of a witness,
and his answers were: "A witch is n
ghost-and "A ghost is the spirit of dead
person. Sundarbai is alive, and there
fore she can't be witch. Women,
however, believe that witch might be
u living person, but we don't; many
women were present at the ceremony"
These beliefs, it is evident, are shared
by men who are shrewd and otherwise
sensible.