Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-12-02
TRIAL BY ORDEAL.
A Remarkable Story From India
About Catching a Thief.


The Times of India publishes good
story of trial by ordeal. The narrator of
it some years ago had charge of postal
division on the western coast, parts of
which had seldom, if ever, been visited
by European officer. The people were
for the most part simple folk and very
superstitious. One morning the narrator
received information that considerable
sum of money, forming part of the con-
tents of the mail from head to sub
Office, had been stolen on the road. The
whole affair was 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 resource it was determined to
resort to trial by ordeal, and for this
purpose an aged Brahmin, who was sup
posed to possess occult powers and to be
in daily communion with the gods, was
consulted, and readily undertook to dis
cover the thief. All the runners, a
goodly array of sturdy Mahratta peas
ants, were summoned to the office, and
under the guidance of cheyla or dis
ciple of the old Brahmin, we all pro-
ceeded to a small deserted temple of
Mahadeo, 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 abandoned, and was
almost buried among weeds and tangled
brushwood.
The hour selected was about 6 p. m,
and the long twilight shadows gave the
place weird, uncanny look. The old
Brahmin was awaiting us, and, as we
approached, appeared to be busy NUT
tering nominations. The runners all
seemed to be more or less under the spell
of the hour, but the look of real fright
on Rama's face was quite distinct. The
Brahmin, having finished his incanta-
tions, arose, and, addressing the men,
said: "You are about to face the gods
to the innocent the trial will be nothing,
but to the guilty much. In the temple
magic wand has been placed on the
altar Each of you must go in by turns,
take up the wand and turn round three
times, repeating the name of Mahadee
the wand will stick to the hand of the
guilty One.n BY this time it was nearly
dark. | glanced in through the door oil
the temple. A solitary oil buttee threw
a fitful light on the altar, on which al
ordinary bamboo stick about two feet
long opposed among grains of unoookec
rice and cut lines, the whole sprinkled
with red powder. A curtain was drawn
across the door, and the men entered
one at time AS each one appeared thu
Brahim seized his hands and raised then
to his forehead, and then allowed him t.
pass on and join his fellows. Coming t.
Rama he went through the same panto
mine, but, instead of allowing him tt
pass on, babe him stand aside. Whel
the last man had gone through the ordeal
the Brahmin turned to Rama and salt
quietly: Tell the Sahib how you stol
| the money"
To my utter amazement continue
the writer Rama fell on his knees, con
fessed that he was the thief, and Offered
to show where he had hidden the bal
ance of the money. He had succeeded
in opening the mail bag without seri
ouslY disturbing the seals; the Post
master had not really examined them
and so their having been manipulate
had escaped notice Needless to say
the Brahmin was rewarded, and poo
Rama was sent to repent at leisure in tn
district Jail. Now the natural questio
is Chow was it done" Very simply
The temple, the lonely glen, the III
canny hour, the incantations, all wer
merely accessories to appeal to tn
superstitions of the ignorant peasants
The 'magic wand was thickly smeare
with strongly scented ssndalwood OF
Rama's guilty conscience prevented hil
from touching it, as he firmly believe
the wand would stick to his hands, an
his, of course, was the only hand tina
did not smell of the OIL