Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-10-24
A STRANGE CAPTURE.

1t was lovely moonlight night as
we sat- some half dozen of US, smok-
ing last pipe on the deck of the good
ship Assam, homeward bound from the
sunny east. Our conversation turned
upon thieves and their ways, and as we
had most of US lived for many years
among people noted for their disre-
gard of the laws of meum and tuum
and wonderful facility for carrying
out their designs some strange expe
riences were related. Among the stories
told was one of SO strange character
as to be worth retelling in the nara
tors own words.
1t is some years ago, said he, that
after many disappointments l succeeded
in obtaining a subinspectorship in the
Burma police, a semimilitary force
maintained by the British government
in country where such an organiza
tion is indispensable for the proper
maintenance of order.
An old friend of my father had assist
ed me in obtaining my commission
and think that it was listening to his
stirring yarns of adventures and hunt
ing in that strange land that filled me
with desire to visit it, though many
day subsequently did I wish myself
anywhere but in that fever stricken and
malarial place.
On reaching Rangoon I reported my
self to my chief, who, after welcoming
me cordially, gave me instructions as
to what was next to do. The most
important of these was to master the
language, as until could speak it my
usefulness did not begin. Twas to be sta
toned in Rangoon for awhile to get into
the routine of police life, after which I
should be sent into the wilds some
where, and there, unless l spoke Bur
mese, should be utterly lost.
Accordingly I devoted all my ener-
gies to my task, and under the instruc-
tion of a poonji made rapid progress.
After six months patient study was
able to write a report first hand and
converse with moderate fuency with |
my subordinates
About this time I received orders to
proceed to Tavoy, a town upon the coast
some 200 miles distant, and there to re-
lieye the subinspector, Smith, who was
down with jungle fever. Three days
later I arrived there by the steamer
Avajee and took overcharge. AS Tavoy |
is the center of large district, strong
force is maintained there, and the proc |
ess of taking over the arms, ammuni- |
ton and other supplies i'll the state of
poor Smith s health occupied some time. |
1t was thus couple of days before he !
was ready to start on his return to Ran !
+1,o
gether 7 obtained from him much valu-
able information as to the district and
the people within it, knowing it would
be of immense use to me thereafter.
On the eve of his departure he told
me that there was one thing that l !
should know, and that was what he
called the mystery of the haunted well, |
which he said he had never been able |
to clear up. Upon my laughing some
what incredulously he shook his head |
and said that although he did not be-
Iieve i'll ghosts any more than did
there was nevertheless something here
that he should leave to me as legacy,
the solution of which he would be one
day glad to hear.
About ten miles from Tavoy, said |
Smith, was a village called Oukshi |
chong, beside which was small open
plain. In this plain was mound, upon
which a tomb had been built some
time before, and on either side of it were
well and a banyan tree. The poor
villagers had for some time past been
living in a state Of terror from mon
strous form-a spirit they called it
,af of fl,a
well and roam around the village. Such
was their fear that not one would ven
ture forth after dark for fear of meeting
it, Following their usual custom, they
had sought to propitiate it with offer
ings of food, fruit and rice, and they
maintained that when this was neg
leoted that some article Or another would
disappear from their gardens in revenge,
sometimes their pumpkin vines being
stripped and growing plants utterly de-
stroyed Smith had heard of this state
Of affairs and had endeavored to get to
the bottom of it, and as the offerings Of
food were nightly made by the people
and as regularly removed during the
night he naturally thought that there
was some human agency at work. Ac
cordingly, one night he hid in the ban
yam tree, whose dense foliage afforded
him perfect cover and he declared that
before he had been there long he had
seen form arise from out of the well,
hover around for awhile and then dis
appear within it, when he fired at it
with his revolver. He had examined
the well, but beyond its being of con-
siderable depth there was nothing pc
culiar about it. The water rose to with
in few feet of the ground, and the
SIDES were curbed up with well fitted
masonry and quite incapable Of af-
fording concealnent for the smallest
animal, let alone a man. Quite at loss
what to think Of it and attributing it to
the halluoinations OF his fevered brain,
he went home saying nothing of lis
adventure. Since then, however, other
reports had reached him which made
him tell me the story, as he thought
steps should be taken to get to the bot
tom of the mystery.
The next day Smith left, and I en-
tered upon my new duties, making q
tour of my district. l found everything
quiet except for certain strange robberies
that were taking place, i'll many in
stances accompanied by murder, and
when SO by strangulation. The thief
did not restrict himself to one place,
but seemed to travel over wide extent
of country and invariably confined him
self to abstracting jewelry and other
small articles of value. But SO cunning
was he that no trace could be found OF
his movements, and the police were i'll
a great state of excitement about 1t.
Aiy visit put them, moreover, On their
mettle, and l felt sure that we should
hear something about him before long.
In the course of my rounds / arrived
at the village of Oukshi-chong. and the
sight of the mound, with the well Ind
the banyan tree, naturally brought back
to me the story I had been told
After the duties of the day were over,
in the cool of the evening the sergeant
came over to see me and to indulge
his oriental longing for chat with his
superior officer, and from him heard
much that was going on in the neigh