The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1897-01-06
DACOTTS OF BURMA.
THOUGH SOMEWHAT CHANGED THEY
Still EXIST TO PLUMBER.

Authorities ars t,.sble to stop the Thiev-
ing aad 10 Not ossan caesaro One q /
the Dacoits-A sample Case or the THef- !
ficiency of the Police officers.
Burma is one cf the countries that
are changing very fast. and one OF the
things that have changed i'll Burma -
the dacoit The sportiva gentlemen de-
scribed by Raayard Kipling and others
who crucihcd villagers wholesale ana
filed old ladies with kerosene We're
fiourishing II full vigor less than ten
years ago, but they already belong -
completely to the Ssse as Dick Iurpln
and his colleagues = England Nodoubt
fresh war or any event seriously snAk-
ing the British power or reputation
might produce a recradescence OF the Old
disease, fat IL the meantime the dacolts
have entirely changed their habits. In
stead of living together in bands IN the
Jungle shev are scattered through sepa-
rate villages in the guise Of peaceful
cultiyators. During the day each mar
attends to his paddy fields just like his
neighbors, and It is only at night that
they meet together for the dispatch Of
their more important and lucrative bust
ness.
Daccity as defined by law IS simply
robbery committed BY q band Of five
men or more, and it IS important only
because of the Burman's strong natural
propensity toward it and the great diff
culties which his national character
places in the way of his detection. lt
II, +.uN lT77--
ma being N transition stage and
much less settled than India and the
government being extremely short hand
ed, an immense amount Of various kinds
of work falls upon each single English
official Hence it IS wholly impossible
for him to exercise any close or detailed
supervision over any particular part Of
his district This of itself renders the
detection of criminals a difficult mat
ter. When the dacoits were III the woods,
it was simply case of turning out oc-
casionally TO hunt them down. At pres
ent the matter must necessarily be left
chiefly in the hands of natives.
Now, the natives are for the most
part honest and tolerabiy law abiding,
and they have no sympathy whatever
with man who goes dacoiting, but the
dacoit goes armed, and the sUplneness
and cowardice Of the Burman in the
presence OF arms, more particularly OF
firearms, are somCthing almost incom-
prehensible to the western mind. It j.
quite sufficient for party of half 2 dozel
men to have gun among them-etfect
i've or useless, loaded or empty, matters
little, the mere show is enough-anC
-r, H.evt- in
= midst Of a crowd. No c2o viii interfcr'
with them. In more than oie inStaac'
bold robbers have made successful mt
tacks when armed merely with thei
dabs-tha dagger which every Burmal
carries-and with a pretended rife ia&d
of a stick, with which rhey frightened
off all opposition.
But perhaps the strange workings c
the native cAar@cter arc best eHhlbite
in the following ease. which occurre
quite recently. Tae facts are vouchc
il for by an English officer: There was
/ band Of five men who were IN the habi
of practicing dacoity occasionally. Thra
of them camo from tho same village
not a common thing. as it makes dcte'
! ltion easier-the fourth from anothe
W. village, and, rs for the fifth, no ma
knows whence he came, for reasons tha
will appear. One night these five mel
armed with nothing bat their knivt
and spears, which are uscd Tor fishin
in lower Burma, entered house. tic
up the owner and began plurderini
Now, this house was il large village
containing not only Il population {
some 400, but a police post with
native policemen armed with snider
The alarm was given and the hous
surrounded. and then there was paus
The robbers continued their work undi
turbed within. The Villagers, some &c
or 800 ablebodied men, ali more or le
armed, sat around on the dam whiC
surrounds and protects every house {
the delta, looked down on the house II
discussed the question The police stoC
rather nearer the house and fired sho
into it through the bamboo walls, hur
ing no one.
One solitary policeman after tin
volunteered TO advance. He crept L
quite close to the house and fired j
through an opening in the wall. The
he went farther and actually put h
head and part of his body through Il
hole, apparently to see what execute
he had done One of the robbers promp
lJ pinned him to the ground with a fl
spear and killed him. By this time tht
had completed their preparations;
they sailed forth, each man with h
pack of plumber on his back. Thoug
the house was surrounded, they appc
to have had no difficulty in makii
their way through, only the police fir
after them with buckshot and hit thr
of them in the back, not serious
wounding them. But one Of the ban
had the misfortune to stumble and ia.
Instantly the crowd rushed upon hin