Evening journal., 1897-11-04


advocate OF India who has confessed to
the murder of Health Commissioner
Rand in June last and who is accused
of being concerned in the murder OF
Lieutenant Ayerst, is no, ordinary Grim
inal, as the following particulars re-
garding his crime and career viii show:
He is about 2S years of age, and is
pronounced to be well educated. About
two years ago he established a club. or
reading room, at Poona, and, after a
while he proposed that the members
should so far as possible collect all the
arms they could. Thereupon, one men,
Der Of the club" stole five swords. two
guns and a couple of pistols, which he
took to the clubhouse This members
example was followed by others, and
when a certain quantity of arms had
been collected. Chapekar began teaching
the members to fence. When question
ed as to his motive in collecting the
arms, Chapekar said they would prove
useful in the event of further disturb
ances with the Mohammcdans or
against the Mlenchas. But. being twit-
! ted about his valor Chapekar grew an
CRY, 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
his return Chapekar buried the arms
and shortly afterward applied to the
British military authorities at Simla TO
be enlisted as a soldier But the reply
he received was thet his application
could not be granted, as it was impos-
sible to enlist a man of his particular
caste, the companies being all of one
caste.
Later Chapekar returned to Bombay
and there failed to pass an examination
which he had entered. Then he went
back to Poona again, at which place
the plague operations had begun. In
the midst Of the excitement which pre-
vailed there on account of the alleged
harshness of the health measures
adopted it is claimed that Chapekar re-
marked:
$50 many people are dying of the
plague-is there none prepared to die
putting an end to the author of all this
; tyranny"
The police regard this as having beer
a direct incitement to kill Commissions
Rand. who was directing the work OF
preventing the spread of the plague. II
r any case. Chapekar and another mar
, began to procure arms and succeeded II
; getting more swords, firearms an'
swordsticks.
on jubilee night ChapelSar and his ac
completes went to the Ganeshldnd roa'
and loitered there until after II O'Clock
, He saw the commissioner drive ava.
from the governors reception AM
quickly followed the carriage until
came to a spot which he believed of
fered him the best opportunity of es
, | cape. Chapelar then ran up behind tn
: carriage, and, thrusting pistol close
: the commissioners side. he shot tn
. man he had marked as his victim.
While Chapekar and his accomplice
were still on the spot they sAw Lieuten
! ant Ayerst's carriage close upon then
and. thinking he had witnessed thal
- crime, they shot him through the ches
and then made off. leaving their sword
in a neighboring culvert. The next da!
fearing that the police might search h
house. Chapekar put all the arms int
bundle and threw them into wei
He then escaped to Bombay and re
mained in that city until arrested thei
+, by the police. After his confessio
Chapekar took the police to the we
;, into which the arms had been throw
= He was then formally examined by
:. magistrate and committed for trial.