Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-11-12

province Of De&kan. 1t was there that
band OF professional thu S, numbering
thirtT-two men. was captu ed and ex :
cu;ed in 1867. The vigorous search
after and prompt punishment of crimi-
uals was having a Que effect, and no.
case of poisoning or strangling hal
been known about Hyderabad for sew.
eral months. In fact these two classes
OF murdercrs were supposed to have be-
come extinct in that province. One
morning a ryot, or farmer, was found
dead on the public square, and it was
speedily discovered taat he had been
choked to death. The imprints proved
it to be the work Of a stranger The
thug used cord, wniie the stranger
used his fingers. His marks could not
be mistaken. He brought his thumbs
together on the Adams apple" while
the ends of the fingers got their pur-
chase just below the victims ears.
Sometimes the fingers clutched his ears
CT hair. The mark" was always plain
to be seen on the neck. Now and then
a victim was attacked from behind. In
such cases the strangers thumbs were
brought together on the back of the
neck, and his fingers were locked to-
gether over the ''apple."
Several suspects were arrested, but
nothing cane Of 1t. About twenty DAYS
after the first case "A woman was found
dead within three blocks of the public
square, and she had also fallen a victim
to the stranger. Not only had she been
choked to death, but her neck was
broken. The police were again aroused,
and bodies of cavalry secured the country
and brought in dozens of suspicious
characters, but as in the other case moth
ing could be proved, and all had to be
released. At the investigation almost
every suspect made the same reply as
follows:
enc, sahib, am ashamed to admit
that am not guilty OF this crime. We
are no longer Ineu, but slaves. no
longer have courage, but am coward
ana dare not lift my hand.
Ten days later the stranger couute
his third victim, and this time it was
European. Only at rare intervals before
the mutiny had European fallen vic
tim to the professionals of any class. It
seemed to be an understood thing with
all not to meddIe with them in any man.
ner. The victim in this case was a clerk
in the civil service department attached
to the Tax Collectors Office, | believe.
He had been i'll for Il week or two, and
was occupying room in a bungalow in
the heart of the town. Ten or a dozen
clerks kept bachelors half together,
and there were half dozen native SER
wants to take care of the place. This
clerk, whose name was Adams, had
native man for a nurse, but was almost
convalescent. One night at 10 o'clock
be sent his nurse with note to a bun
galow half a mile distant. The nurse
was absent about three quarters of an
hour, and upon his return he found
Adams dead. There was the mark on
his throat. aud there was no question
about his having been the victim of
professional, and probably of the same
fiend who had strangled the other two.
The police and the military now quite
lost their heads During the following
week there we're about 700 arrests,
some of them being made 200 miles
away. Nothing like detective work was
attempted, and as consequence every
suspect had to be discharged for want Of
any evidence against him. The authori-
ties seemed to go on TIE idea that if
sufficient number of people were ar
rested the guilty party would somehow
betray himself. Strong efforts were made
in three or four cases to convict on shady
testimony, but after a few weeks every
person who had been arrested was set at
liberty. Beng new to the country, and
having taken great interest in the work
of exterminatiug the professionals,
asked for information on every hand.
One day, in conversing with Major
Burke on the sub Jet, he explained:
SIN my time / have Inspected the
hands of at least a score of strangers
Their strength lies mostly in the wrist
aud fingers. Before graduating as pro.
fessionsls they practice OF dummies,
and resort to certain gymnastics to