The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-06
TALE OF CHAPEKAR.
The Tarripg of Queen vic's Statue and
of His Hatred of the British

Poonah, Nov. 6.-Damodar Chapekar
the Brahmin. and advocate of India,
who has confessed to the murder Of
Health Commissioner Rand in June
last, and who is accused of being con-
cerned in the murder of Lieut. Arrest.
and is now on trial here, is no ordinary
criminal, as the following particulars
regarding his crime and career will
snow: The prisoner is about % years
old and is pronounced to be well ed
ucated- About two years ago he es-
tabHShed q club or reading room at
POOnah, and, after awhile, he proposed
that the members should, so far as pos
stble, collect all the arms they could
W hen a certain quantity of arms had
been collected Cha apekar began teach
ing the members to fence When oles-
toned as to his motive in collecting the
arms, Chapekar said they would prove
useIul IN the event Of further disturb
anceS with the MOh4mmedans or
against the MlenChaS. But being fUyit-
ted about his VaIor, ,Chapekar grew ane--
~, and in the dispute which followed
the club was broken up and all the
arms collected were taken to his house
while he was absent at Bombay on
MS return Chapekar buried the arms
and shortly afterward applied to the
British military authorities at Sfmla to
be enlisted as a soldier. But the reply
he received was that his application
could not be granted, as it was impos-
Slble to enlist a man of his particular
caste, the companies being all of one
caste. Then Chapekar offered to raise
a whole company of Deccati Brahrnins
provided he We're given some rank in
the country. This offer was also de-
cI1ned, and from these facts seem to
have arisen Chapekar's hatred of the
British and of the Indian government.
which first led him to cover with tar
the statue of Queen Victoria at Bonn
bay, which he followed up bv going to
POOnah and committing several as
saults upon people belonging to the
faF n no H.,
the Arthod party.
Later Chapekar returned to Bombay
and there failed to pass an examination
which he had entered. Then he went
back to Poonah again, at which pIace
the plague operations had begun In
the midst of the excitement which pra-
vailed there on account of the alleged
harshness of the health measures
adopted it is claimed that Chapekar re-
marked: so many people are diving of
the plague; is there none prepared to
die putting an end to the author of all
this tyranny?"
In his statement made to the police
aIter his arrest Chapekar admits that
from that time on he began to sys-
tematically follow Commissioner Rand
with the OBJECT of killing him on Jubi-
On jubilee night Chapekar and his ac-
compllces went to the Ganeshkind road
ana Ioltered there until after Il o'clock
he saw the commissioner drive awav
from the governors reception. and
quickly followed the carriage until if
came to a spot which he believed offer
ed him the best opportunity of escape.
Chapeaker then ran up behind the car
rtage, and, thrusting a pistol close to
the commissioners side, he shot the
man he had marked as his victim
While Chapekar and his accomD1ices
were still on the spot they saw Lien
tenant Arrests carriage close upon
them, and, thinking he had Witnessed
their crime. they shot him through the
chest and then made off