The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-28
THE ORDEAL BY BAMBOO RODS.
An Extraordinary Indian Ceremony
for Thief Catching.

Madras Weekly Mail.
The following extraordinary narration OF
facts as they occurred, and which, we are
informed, were witnessed and can be teStl-
fled to by the members of three households
occupying large house in Bentlnck street,
Calcutta, are so remarkable tnat IL is worm
the while of any scientist to test them per
sonally, as this can be easily done on the
occasion of any theft by domestlcs 0,. IN ~, =
in Calcutta Is a lively believer In It's e1n-
cacy, and, If a thief. at once confesses.
Brahmin is the worker OF these narVels. no
is well known in Calcutta, and does not pro-
fess to work out his method OF Inert detec-
ton for money, but leaves II to those VINO
employ him to reward him II they thlnk
fit 1t is said that this is readily done, ana
that he makes a good thing out or IL.
cook in the service of family In the local
ity alluded to intrusted his nephew with q
large sum of money to keep In deposit. Tne
nephew alleged that he placed the money IN
an earthen pot which ne buried le -. ne 10
friend Shortly after this the COOK was IN
formed by his nephew that the pot ana
money had disappeared. With the nephews
consent the Brahmin was summoned to dis
cover the thief, and the following Is bare
narration of the extraordinary procedure ne
adopted and usually adopts In all such
cases Accompanied by aid, he comes TO
the house provided with two bamboo rods,
about sixteen feet long and an men ana
number of fresh peepul leaves coaconut,
some rice and some vermilion ana coWrles.
a fresh earthen dish has TO be proVlueu Dy
the person who summons him as Wen as
stool.
All the servants in the house are sum-
moned they are made to stand IN nalI
circle and their names are written on eacn
leaf and these leaves with one painted with
the vermlion are placed in the dish, whlcn
in it's turn is placed on the stool: Two utter
strangers are then made to hold the pam
bco rods one in each hand opposite eacn
other with their elbows far behind their
hips so that they can have little or no IN
fluence in turning bending the rods NOW
Genes the strange part of the proceedings.
At the Brahmin's call of each name, the
bamboo rods in the first instance rise TO-
gether and form a semi-circle above; they
then bend and, forming a seml-circie be-
low gradually come together, PICK up the
leaf containing the name called out ana
throw it out of the dish. This strange pro-
cess is repeated till the name OF the thief,
as alleged, is called, when they both seize
the leaf lift it up, and only dlSenSage IL
at the call of the Brahmin, who entreatS
the rods TO let the leaf go. To all appear
ance the two men who hold the rods make
no effort whatever. The thing is done in
such an extra ordinary fashion as TO exceed
belief. In fact a reasonable human DelnS
cannot believe it till he has witnessed 1t.
and when he has done so his amaZement IS
all the greater. Here is, indeed, a marvel
for the scientist to puzzle over. me Two
rods bend come together, and seize upon
the right mar es as they are called out, ana
then throw them aside except in the case
of the thief. In this instance the nephew
confessed to the theft and number or
his relatives who had come from uD coun-
try to witness the ordeal made restitution.