Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-05-29
EXPERIMENTAL MARRIAGE.
The way Tt IL Practiced In . Britlsh
Penal Colony.

The way Tt IL Practiced In = Britlsh
Penal Colony.
The Andaman islands are used as q
penal settlement for Indian and Bur
mese convicts, who, with the exception
of a very limited aboriginal race scat
tered over the group, form the bulk of
the population, says correspondent of
the London Truth. The isolated situa-
ton of the settlement in the bay of
Bengal, the absence of communication
by cable, the small military force main
tanned, and the fact that about fifteen
thousand convicts are here resident,
render it necessary to endow the chief
commissioner with more than the or
binary powers extended to governors.
Hence the chief commissioner of the
Andamans, who is also superintendent
of the convict settlement at Port Blair
by virtue of the almost autocratic au-
thority vested in him, enjoys a despot-
ism wellnigh incredible under the
British flag.
Such powers being concentrated in
single individual, 1t may well be inn
agined that from time to time some
rather startling revelations leak out.
only. propose, however, to refer for the
present to our marriage customs, which
have novelty, If nothing else, to recon-
mend them. The chief commissioner
as superintendent of the settlement in
convict matrimonial matters is supreme.
He is hcenser, registrar. parson and
witnesses rolled into one. Tho greater
part of the life convicts, who are good
characters, are 'self-supporters'
is, men out on ticketof-leave In
the settlement. These men are
allowed to marry. The convict women,
on the other hand, are always kept un-
der close supervision in the female con-
vict jail. When the ''self-supporter" Is
troubled with hymeneal aspirations he
visits the female Jail and informs the
overseer. The latter individual orders a
parade Of those women of good charac-
ter who have completed four years in the
island. The would-be benedict then
passes along tho ranks with view of
selecting likely helpmate. As might
be expected, very eager are the faces
and loving the chances bestowed upon
him as he does so. While the over
seer's head is turned the women engage
in every variety of pantomimic efforts
to display their qualifications for the
post. Should the overseer absent him
SNAA Az n AAOAShb, bAkC NoNNLCo
elor, though he be not octogenarian, is
assailed on all sides with view to his
conquest. Such phrases as "Here, take
hairl" "She's cross eyedl' do not
make matters easier for him. At
length, having suited himself, he takes
by the hand the lady of his choice and
leads her from the ranks. The couple
IRE then allowed half an hour to dis
cuss matters, after which, If they
agree, their names are sent to the
head Office. A day or two later they at
tend at the commissioners, and are
there put through an examination as to
the state of their affections and their
inclination to marry; but no awkward
questions are ever raised concerning
possible existing husbands or wives be-
yond the seas.
And now comes the climax. Suppos-
ing satisfactory answers have been
given as to their mutual sentiments,
the lady is handed over to the man
not to become his wife for better or
worse, but for n seven days trial. Dur
ing these seven days she lives with him,
and the relationship of the pair is that
of n married couple. At the expiration
of the term of approval, If both are
agreeable, they return to the chief COM
missioner's Office and are married by
that gentleman. If, on the other hand,
either of them does not approve of the
other the man is left to go his way,
while the woman returns to her old
routine of work in sthe female Jail.
The worst feature of the system is the
fact that, as might be anticipated. chill
dren are occasionally born of these pro-
stationary unions. To such infants the
state assumes the responsibilities of
stepfather. Born llegitimate, with the
cognizance and sanction of the authori-
ties, reared in convict Jail among the
worst class of women, all of whom are
life convicts, and, finally, without a rel
ative or friend on the face of the
earth, thrown into the world to make
their own living, the position of these
children is not pleasant to contem-
Ia4A