The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-06
THE ORDEAL BY BAMBOO RODS.
An Extraordinary Indian Ceremony for
 Thief Catching,

All LAtrdorulntry lnulan ceremony loI
 Thief-Catching,
 The following extraordinary narration of facts as they occurred, and which, we are informed were witnessed and can be testified to by the members of three households occupying q large house In Bentinck street, Calcutta, are so remarkable that it is worth the while of any scientist to test them personally, as this can be easily done on the occa- sion of any theft by domestlcs in a house, It may be added that every servant In Calcutta is a lively believer in it's efficacy, and, if thief, at once confesses, A Brahmin Is the worker of these marvels. He is we'll known in Calcutta, and does not profess to work out his method of theft detection for money, but leaves it to those who em- ploy him to reward him if they think fit. It is said that this is readily done, and that he makes a good thing out of it. A cook in the service of family in the locality alluded to intrusted his nephew with large sum of money to keep in deposit. The nephew alleged that he placed the money in an earthen pot, which he buried. The location of the exact spot was contided to a, friend. Shortly after this the cook was inform ed by his nephew that the pot and mon- ey had disappeared. With the neph- ews consent the Brahmin was sum- moned to discover the thief, and the following is bare narration of the ex- traordinary procedure he adopted, and | usually adopts, in all such cases. Ac- companied by an aid, he comes to the house, provided with two bamboo rods, about sixteen feet long and an inch and half in diameter. He also has with him a number of fresh peepul leaves, a | cocoanut, some rice and some vermil- ion and cowries; fresh earthen dish | has to be provided by the person who | summons him as well as a stool.
 | All the servants in the house are sum- moned, they are made to stand in a half circle, and their names are written on | each leaf, and these leaves with one | painted with the vermilion are placed in the dish, which in it's turn is placed
 on the stool. Two utter strangers are | then made to hold the bamboo rods. one in each hand, opposite each other, with their elbows far behind their hips, so that they can have little or no inf1u- 1 ence in turning or bending the rods. l Now comes the strange part of the pro- ceedings. At the Brahmin's call of each
 name, the bamboo rods in the first in- | stance rise together and form a semi l circle above; they then bend and, form | ing semi-circle below, gradually come
 together, pick up the leaf containing l the name called out, and throw it out 1 of the dish. This strange process is re- peated till the name of the thief, as al- | legged, is called, when they both seize the leaf, lift it up and only disengage 1t
 at the call of the Brahmin, who en- treats the rods to let the leaf go. To l all appearance the two men who hold
 the rods make no effort whatever. The
 thing Is done in such an extraordinary fashion as to exceed belief In fact, a reasonable human being cannot believe
 it till he has witnessed it, and when he
 has done so his amazement is all the
 greater Here is, indeed, marvel foI
 the scientist to puzzle over. The two rods bend, come together and seize up
 on the right names as they are called
 out, and then throw them aside except
 in the case of the thief. In this in- stance the nephew confessed to the | theft, and number of his relatives
 who had come from up-country to wit
 ness the ordeal made restitution.-Mad-
 ras Weekly Mail.