Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-19

shumseeas and every throat was encircled
by the deadly roomal. determination Of
the entire party almost always ensued for
II any escaped the strangers they were cut
down by the swords Of those associates de-
tailed for this duty.
Religious Rites.
Scarcely was the slaughter over when the
Thugs, who. as it has been said, were rious
persons bethought them of their religious
duties and FASTENED to offer the sacrifice
to kalee. In this. which was an Internal
kind of communion service, one rupee and
four annas' worth Of coarse sugar, or goor,
were procured and laid, together with the
sacred pickax and a silver coin, the roop
darsun, or silver offering, upon :. sheet or
blanket. Then that leader present who
was renowned for the sanctity' of his
life and is best acquainted with the ritual
seated himself upon the sheet, together
with as many actual strangers as it would
accommodate. They all faced toward the
west. and the party consisted of even
number. While the inferior members Of
the gang sat in silent devotion around, a
small hole was ma G D. the officiating jeme-
dar in the earth and some goor dropped into
IL, after which he raised his eyes and
! hands to heaven AMI sai.: Great goddess!
as you vouch safad one ,akh and e. 900 ru-
PEGS to Jocrna Naig and KodGk Bonwaree
CThug saints in their neel |, SO now we pray
thee fdlfll our desires" tt 8 prayer was
| repeated BY the All Hence. and each of them
! then r2cei'ei piece ot sugar. Water was
sprink!ed over The r!cEaX and hole con-
tanning gocr. Some Thu: gave the signal
for murder anj the goor was then eaten
IN silence. y VIII was spoken b. any
one but the ce!ebraIt of the rite Until this
| hal been swallowed ana the members seat-
Ell uron the cl7th hal taken n LITTLE water.
Then he offered portion of The cansecrited
sugar to each OF the inferior Phansigars,
and every remaining fragment WAS care
fully collected aal mt into tae hole and
covered UP. Persons who We're not free or
those who Ia never Killed any one with
their own han Is were not permitted TO par
ticipate. but small portion Of unconse-
Grated goor was Sc; aside for their benefit
and consumed at the same time. Should
any uncon sumei fragment Of the sugar
be overlooked and eaten by dog Il was
believed that the goddess re5en .nent would
endure for years, but If a man found ard
ate it he wouii certainly become a Thug.
Let any man. SAID the famous FerinGeea,
speaking to Tie court at IubuipoSe. cnce
taste that Foar an he will be a Thug.
81 ,he wealth IL the world My father
made me taste this goor when I was
mere boy and If I were - live Il thousand
yH9rs I should never be able 20 follow any
other trade"
Disciple CT Thug.
| When the boy whom we have imagin-
ed had been for some time in his no.
/
that was done. and proved himself
apt. he was placed unde- the of a
tutor-left his father, and became the
disciple (cheyla) of some distinguished
| Thug. This worthy REINFORCED the morals
1 he had been instructed in already, but most
| of all he taught that omens were revela-
| tons from on high; that assassination was
sacrifice to Kalee. and that her victims
all went to heaven. Is It not the hand of
| ~ A.
same time, dexterity in using the -oomal
was energeticclly inculcated. His first
victim was carefully selected by the spir-
| itual director spoken Of, and while this nm
| fortunate sojourned in fancied security, the
neophyte. accompanied by some veteran
| strangers. was taken aside and placed SO
| as to face the direction in which the gang
would move after this murder had been
committed. Then he Joined in a prayer
| offered in his behalf. 20, Kalee! Great god
| dess of Calcutta, may thy promise never be
made in vain. II 1t seemeth to thee ft that
| the travele- now at our lodging should die
| by the hands of this thy slave, vouchsafe
| US the Thibaoo." II the auspice occurred
| on the right, the Gooroo knotted a piece of
| silver In one end of yellow and white
| handkerchief 0or these were the goddess
| colors). while he stood facing toward the
| west. This. the classic knot could only be
| tied by a regularly ordained person, and
| was different from the ordinary support to
| the hand constructed by amateurs. After
Bhurtotee bowed to his director and touched
| his feet. He also performed this ceremony
| before all his relations and intimate friends
| there present. 1t was In gratitude for the
| gift of the roomal, which was equivalent to
| a diploma to practice. and likewise in ac-
| Acknowledgement of their aid and comfort
| during his trial. When the omen on the
right had again been heard or seen, he I'M
| tied the knot and gave the silver coin, to-
| gether with all the other silver about him.
| to his tutor, who expended a rupee and
| quarter for goor to be used in the Tuponee
sacrifice already described. and the rest
| (often added to by HIMSELF In sweetmeats
which were eaten in token of rejoicing The
sacrifice was offered. II possible under a
| could not take place beneath any shade cast
by the babul, sirsa or reonja. Except some
| subsequent entertainment of q purely social
character. the initiation was now complete,
and there was nothing further to be done
| But. remarks Sleeman. 1.-The relation he
| tween gonroo and cheyla was ever after
respected as the most sacred that could be
formed. A Thug would often rather betray
his own father than the gooroo by whom
he had been knighted."
The Hereto Thug.
| Behold now this well-nigh incredible as
ISOLATION Of pious assassins again upon its
| way, seeking with indefatigable industry
| for prey; both Hindus and Mohammed.,ns
united in bonds Of charity and brotherly
| love, doing their duty by each other in a
| manner such as all men might initiate OBJ
serving the tenets Of a common faith ex-
| actly. unseparated by the immemorial pref
udices of caste, undivided by their adher-
| ence to different and antagonfstic religious
| systems. They destroy alike poor and soli-
| tary wayfarers, and parties, however large
| and we'll appointed, which they are able to
| overcome, and this they do not only with
| clear consciences, but without a tran3tory
| feeling Of pity or regret-do so rejoicIngly
and give thanks for the opportunity. There
| were. nevertheless, certain classes Of men
| that their laws-that is, the revelations
given by the goddess Of Observation-Disclosures
| them to modest To kill one of these was
murder, and II any man had a horror of
murder, 1t was Thug. Such a wretch be-
| came at once Nagakurdena, one excom-
| municated by his own act. an outcast as
they themselves expressed it, on account Of
| the most dreadful of all crimes" He was
| driven from his associates with curses and
| they believed that his family was doomed
| to become extinct. Authorities differ to
| some extent in their lists of these exerlpts.
and the records Of judicial processes in Eng
| fish courts show that the southern Phan-
| sigars were more scrupulous than their
| brethren Of the north in observing the rules
| concerning inviolability-such is the wicked
perversity of human nature. that there were