The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-05
TRIAL BY ORDEAL.
Remarkable story from India About
Catching a Postal Thief.

The narrator of the following story, some
years ago. had charge of postal division
on the western coast, parts of which had
seldom ever been visited by an European
officer. The people were, for the most part.
simple country folk and very superstitious.
One morning the narrator received informa-
ton that a considerable sum of money.
forming part of the contents of the mail
from a head to a suboffice had been stolen
the road. The whole affair wrapped
in mystery.
The only clew the police had been able
to obtain was that one runner, whom we
shall call Rama, had. since the theft. paid
OFF certain debts in the village which had
long pressed upon him. but there were no
other suspicious circumstances and the man
had ten years good service. AS a last re-
source, 1t was decided TO resort to trial by
ordeal. and for this purpose an aged Brah-
min who was supposed to possess occult
powers and TO be in daily communion with
the gods, was consulted, land readily I'M
dertook to discover the thief. All the run
ners-as goodly array of sturdy Mahratta
peasants were summoned to the Office.
and, under the guidance of a cheyla, or
disciple, of the old Brahmin. we all pro-
ceeded to n small deserted temple of Maha-
dec. situated at some distance from the
village
1t was desolate spot and bore an evil
reputation The temple owing to some act
of Dissertation in the past. had been aban-
doned, and was almost buried among weeds
and tangled brushwood
The hour selected was about %. m, and
the long twilight shadows gave the place a
weird, uncanny look. The old Brahmin
was awaiting us, and as we approached APP
peared to be busy muttering incantations.
The runners all seemed to be more or less
under the spell of the hour but the look
of real fright in Rama's face was quite dis
tinct. The Brahmin. having finished his
incantations, rose, and, addressing the men,
said:
innocent the trial will be nothing, but to
= the guilty much. In the temple a magic
wand has been placed on the altar. Each
OF you must go in by turns, take up the
wand and turn around three times repeat
ing the name of Mahateo; the wand will
stick to the hand of the guilty one" By
this time it was nearly dark. / glanced in
through the door of the temple. A solitary
oil buttee threw a fit1ul light on the altar,
two feet long repoSed among grains of I'M
cooked rice and nut lines, the whole
sprinkled with red powder
curtain was drawn across the door
and the men entered one at a time AS
each one appeared the Brahmin seized his
hands and raised them to his forehead and
then allowed him to pass and join his
fellows. Coming to Rama he went through
the same pantomime, but instead of al
lowing his to pass on bade him stand aside.
When the last man had gone through the
ordeal the Brahmin turned to Rama and
said quietly:
Tell the sahib how you stole the money -
To my utter amaZement, continues the
writer, Rama fell on his knees. confessed
that he was the thief and offered to show
where he had hidden the balance of the
money. He had succeeded in opening the
mail bag without seriously disturbing the
seals me postmaster had not really ex-
amined them, and their having been
manipulated escaped notice. Needless to
say, the Brahmin was rewarded and poor
Rama was sent to repent at leisure in the
district Jail.
Now the natural question is: How was
it done?'' Very simply. The temple the
lonely glen, the uncanny hour. the incanta-
tons. all were mere accessories to appeal
to the superstitionS of the ignorant peas
ants. The magic wand was thickly
smeared with strongly scented sandalwood
oil. Rama's guilty conscience prevented
him from touching it, he firmly believed
the wand would stick to his hands, and his.
of course was the only hand that did not
smell of the oil.