The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-02-17
WAYS OF INDIAN CRIMINALS.
Robbery by the Use OF Drugs Reduced
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suOlCcSC CROWNS VI WtSLcTu CflMc. IL
is recorded that at Khandwa guileless
coolie employed on the waterworks was
accosted by friendly fakir, who ex-
pressed desire to see what govern
ment rupees were like. The unsuspect-
Ing innocent handed over a couple of
specimens to the fakir, who dexterous-
~ substituted two false coins for them
when handing them back. Surely this
is an oriental version of the old ia
miliar confidence trick" which is
played in various forms in the purlieus
of London every day! But in this in
stance the coolie was able to turn the
;ables on his deceiver. He did not dis.
cover the fraud for some time after,
and when he found he had been duped
he clay low and said muffin" One day he
again met the fakir, who this time
asked for change for a rupee. He
promptly seized the holy man and gave
him into custody, and false rupee be-
ing found in the fakir's possession he
was deprived of his liberty for the space
IF two years.
But the pages of the criminal records
of the central provinces also contain ex-
amples of numerous crimes which are
peculiar to the east. For instance, at
Jubbulpore recently a man felt highly
had received at the hands of his land
lord. Accordingly he seized his own
child by the legs and dashed it on the
ground, killing it instantly, in the be-
lief, it is supposed, that it's blood would
De on the head OF his prosecutor. Such
appalling attempts to secure revenge
by vicarious sacrifice are, happily, I'M
known to the western world nowadays.
Dacoities, of course, form a prom
inent feature in the report, and in at
least two instances clever captures of
dangerous gangs were effected by the
police. Robberies after administering
drugs, though by no means unknown
n Europe, are practiced in far more
systematic manner in India. One par
ticularly daring offender was brought
to justice in the central provinces last
year. He Wandered about the dis
trict poisoning people right and left"
and afterward relieving them of their
belongings. His usual method was to
strike up an acquaintance with trav-
eler, and surreptitiously to introduce
drugs into the food. His most bare
faced exploit was carried out right in
| the center of the market place at Hin
ganghat, where he drugged the men
with dhatura and got clear away with
their valuables.
The Hinganghat outrage, however,
1oct
oner came to an end directly afterward
in a remarkable manner. In his dis
guise of respectable. traveller he had
driven around the Wardha district in
cart drawn by a pair of bullocks.
After the robbery in, the market place
he appears to have concluded that he
had accumulated enough spells to war
rant him in retiring into private life
and he disappeared, leaving his cart be-
veyance round the district seeking the
owner. While on his wanderings he
came to a place called Khapri, and as he
was passing through it a woman rushed
out of house and declared that the
bullocks belonged to her husband. The
constable discreetly retorted that they
now belonged to his uncle, and quietly
went to an adjacent railway station and
telegraphed to his inspector, who came
by the next train. By singular coin
cidence the poisoner joined the same
train at wayside station and on alight-
ing at the point nearest his native vii
lage he was recognized by the inspector
owing to curious bracelet he wore.
He had the proceeds of the robberies in
his possession and his wife's innocent
exclamation will cost him II years. i'm
prisonment.
It was only to be expected that, as
result of the widespread distress in
the central provinces, there should have
been a great increase in grain rob-
berries. The reports show that the
many cases of grain looting which &C.
Cured were not the work of dangerous
criminals, but of starving people,
driven to break the law by their des-
perate condition. One proof of this
is that, as rule, very little personal
violence was offered by the looters. In
situation the great bulk of the offend
ers were, by the order of the chief COM
missioner, summarily dealt with upon
charges of unlawful assembly or COM
mon theft, only ringleaders being
placed upon their trial on graver
charges Times of India.
| DOwned the President.
It was at the meeting of the Dark
town Debating society, and Mr.. Henry
Clay Lincoln Jackson, who had been
called to order three times for disre-
garding "pahliment'ry rules" got up
and said:
BEG pahdon, Mistah President. I
don't wish to make myself in any way
objectionable to de club, but
"'Scuse me TO- correctin' yo', Mistah
Jackson" said the president, "but 1
guess yo' means obnoxious Std of 'ob-
noxionable.'
"'Scuse me, sah," said Mr.. Jackson
with asperity, II infer from yo' remahk
that yo' are not aware OBJ de fac dat
sohn an tohnnvious' ora