The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-12-29
TRIAL sy ORDEAL.
Remarkable story From india About
Catching q Postal Thief.

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Cat ching q Postal Thief.
The narrasor of the following story
some years ago had charge OF a postal
division on the western coast, parts OF
which had seldom been visited by a
European officer. The people We're for
the most part simple country folk and
very superstitious. One morning the
narrator received information that a
considerable sum of money, forming part
of the contents of the mail from a head
to a subofice, had been stolen on the
road. The whole affair was Mrer.i in
mystery.
The only clew the police h. be. abb
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 10 years good service. As
a last resource it was determined to re-
sort to trial by ordeal and for this pur-
pose an aged Brahman, 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-agood-
ly array of sturdy Mahratta peasants
were summoned to the Office, and under
the guidance of a cheyla, or disciple, Of
the old Brahman we all proceeded to a
small deserted temple of Mahadeo, stu
ated at some distance from the village.
1t was a 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 9 p. m,
and the long twilight shadows gave the
place q weird, uncanny look. The old
Brahman was awaiting us, and as we APP
preached appeared to be busy mutter-
ing 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 distinct. The
Brahman, having finished his incanta
tons, rose and addressing the men said.
"You are about to face the gods. TIC
the 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 round three
times, repeating the name of Mahadeo.
| 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 fitful light on the altar, on which an
ordinary bamboo stick about two feet
long reposed among grains of uncooked
| rice and nut lines. the whole sprinkled
with red powder.
A curtain was drawn across the door
and the men entered one at "a time. As
each one appeared the Brahman seized
his hands and raised them to his fore
head, and then allowed them to pass OF
and join his fellows. Coming to Rama
he went through the same p~antomime
but instead of allowing him to pass on
babe him stand aside. When the last
man had gone through the ordeal the
Brahman turned to Rama and said qui
city:
'Tell the sahib how you stole the
money"
10 my utter a~InA2eulent, contlIluel
the writer, Rama fell on his knees
confessed that he was the thief, and of
fered t 0 show where he had hidden thu
balance of the money. He had succeed
ed in opening the mail bag withou'
seriously disturbing the seals. The post
master had not really examined then
and so their having been manipulated
had escaped notice. Needless to say
the Brahman was rewarded and poo
Rama was sent to repent at leisure il
the district jail"
Now the natural question is: How
vas it doneT' Very simply. The tenn
pie, the lonely glen, the uncanny hour
the incantations, all were merely acces
series to appeal to the superstitions 0
the ignorant peasants. The ''magi
wand was thickly smeared with strong
ly scented sandalwood oil. Rama
guilty conscience prevented him fror
touhcing it, as he firmly believed til
] wand would stick to his hands, and hi
of course was the only hand that di
; not smell of oiL-Times of India.