The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-18
Trial BY ORD EAL.
A Remarkable Story from India A"'"'
Catching - Postal Thief

The Tines OF India publishes a gooa
story Of trial by ordeal. The narrator =,
II some years ago had charge OF POS'".
division on the western coast p@i' W
which has seldom. If ever. been Visi'eu ~
a European officer. The people were ~.
the most part simple country folk ana
stoeretfttous. one morning the hdt'"toi
received information that c0hslaefap'0
sum OF money forming part OF the Co'
tents Of the mail from mead 10 . So
office had been stolen on the roau' Inv
whole affair was wrapped IN nystei
The only clew the police had been dDie -
obtain was that one runner Whoih
shall call Rama. had since the inert pau
off certain debts I'm the village wnlcn haU
49, been rrtssed upon him, but there
were no other suspicious circumstance
and the man had ten years good service
40 n last resort fl was determined 10 re-
sort 10 trial by ordeal, and for TINS pun
nose an aged Brahmin who was suppVSeN
10 possess occult powers ana 10 DC III
daily communion with the gods' "aS -
~,i,ed and readily undertook TO discover
Inc thief. All the runnefs-a goodiy ar
,av Of sturdy Mahratta peasantS-"eic
s',yomoned TO the Office and under the
Guidance cf a cheyia or disciple OF the on
Prahrnin we all proceeded TO a small ue
eerted temple Of Mahadeo. situated AT
some distance from the village II "aS
desolate spot and bore an evil repulation'
The temple, owing 10 some act Of dese,
Grafton I'm The past, had been aDahuonsu
and was almost buried among the "eeuS
and tangled brushwood. :,
The hour selected was about j. ~
and the long twilight shadows gave tn ,I
place weird. uncanny look. me o.
Brahmin was awaiting us, and as we az
preached appeared 20 be busy mutterlhs
4, cantations 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 Bran
min. having finished his incaniauohS' rose
and addressing the men, said
"You are about to face the gods 10 nv
innocent the trial will be nothing, Dul ~
the guilty. much. In the temple lnaeiS
wand has been placed on the altar hdC"
Of YOU must 90 in by turns, take up the
wand. and turn round three times re-
beating the name OF Mahadeo; the wanu
will stick TO the hand Of the sullly one
BY this time it was nearly "aA'
glanced in through the door OF the TEN,
ple. A solitary oil buttee threw httui
Hoht ON the altar. on which an ordinary
bamboo stick about two feet long reposeu
among grains of uncOoked rice ana cut
lines. the whole sprinkled with red pow
der. A curtain was drawn across the
door, and the men entered one at ume,
As each one appeared the Brahmln selZeu
his hands and raised them to his fore
lead and then allowed MIN TO pass on
and ioin his fellows. Coming TO Rama
he went through the same pantomime
but instead of allowing him to pass OF
bade him stand aside. When the las
man had gone through the ordeal TN
Brahmin turned to Rama ana sa'
quietly: "TelI the sahib how you stole TN
money
To 1ny utter amazement. continues tl
writer Rama fell on nis knees, contesse'
| that he was the thief, and offered L
81 ow where he pad hidden the balance @
! the money, He had succ aeded in openin
the mail bag without seriously disturb
| ing the seals. The postmaster mad 40
! really examined them, and so their haV
| ing been manipulated had escaped NOTICE
| Needless 30 say. the Brahmin was &c
warded and poor Rama was sent to r.
4 pent at leisure in the district jail. Nol
| the natural question IS: How was
| done?" Very simply The temple, tn
! lonely glen, the uncanny hour the lncai
| tations. all We're merely accessories I
| appeal TO the supesutons OF the lgn1
| rant peasants. The magic wand wa
! thickiy smeared with strongly scente
| sandaiwood oil Ramas guilty conscienc
| prevented him from touching 1t, as !
| firmly believed the wand would stick
his hands. and his. Of course, was N
only hand that did not smell OF the OIL