The times., 1899-01-16
A STRANGE MARKET.
Marriage Customs In the Andnman
Islands.

tSl lHIllS Ol lUe1n all. FOR Il VI
years commanded the steamer that runs
down monthly from Calcutta to the penal
colony for British India on the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands. | was youngster
then and interested in all sorts of things
and it didn't take me long to strike up an
acquaintance with the chief commissioner
or president of the colony. who used to let
me 60 all over the place. The female pris-
on was an object of special interest to me,
and l must have been an object of special
interest to the prisoners, for, except the
gray haired superintendent they didn't see
man from one years end to another |
had smattering of their language, and en-
joyed several heartless hirtations with
dusky beauties whose eccentricties even
India had been unable to put up with.
The prison is, as accessible as any sui
tan's harem 1t is built on a promontory
and protected on the side toward the sea
by sheer cliff 200 feet high, while on the
land side the grounds are surrounded by
fifteen foot wall. There are several
guards stationed at the entrance, and in
order to get by The first Of these a man
has TO give certain password. In return
this guard gives him another password,
which takes him by the second. and so on,
past half a dozen, maybe. These police.
as they are called, are the oldest and most
hideous women in the Jail. To be eligible
a woman must have gray hair and face
that would stop clock besides a record
for sobriety and obedience
"All the convicts went down from Cal
cutta in my boat, and when | saw them
afterward in the prison they always re-
membered me, and some of them would
have fallen on my neck If they hadn't been
afraid of the superintendent, who was gen.
orally alongside Of me.
"All the prisoners have to work. and in
the female prison they weave all the
cloths for the mems clothes and their
own, and make them up, too. l believe.
If any of the women refuse to do their
stint of work they are punished. The first
punishment is to cut of their hair. This
they don't like very much. and the threat
of it will generally bring them to terms,
Tor they are just as vain as other women
and don't want their long hair cut off
II this doesn't convince them that it's bet
ter TO work in the shop, they are made to
wear mems clothes and work in the
grounds, which are beautifully kept en-
trely by the women prisoners. The trous-
ers and jackets given to those who are
punished in this way are of the coarsest
material. and are very unbacoming, and
the women have TO trundle wheelbarrows
and dig in the dirt, just like men. If even
this fails, they are further punished by
being put 10 sleep In a cell with the floor
covered by branches laid in rows and then
in cross rows, grill fashion. The branches
are full of sharp thorIs which make It
impossible TO stand, sit or lie down in
comfort. Generally one night of this is
enough to make the worst case ready for
the workroom, but there was one girl who
stood the extreme penalty of three nights
in this room, and still refused to do a lick
OF work. She was a mighty pretty woman
and mad been sent to the island for mur-
dering her lover. She made nothing but
trouble from the day she came into the
jan: She wouldn't work. and nothing
could make her work, so finally thev gave
her up as a bad job. and made her sit all
day long in the workroom in mems clothes
on sort of elevated Ounce block One day
! got the superintendent to give me her
history. It's too long to tell now. but it's
enough to make your hair curl.
She ii never get chance to make one
OF the marriages I'm going TO tell vou
about, because those are rewards for good
behavior, and she is the worst woman on
the island.
When they have maybe dozen ticket
of-leave men and women. they have a sort
oil matrimonial reception. If any matches
are made, the couples are allowed to 20
up TO the Nicobar group, some distance
away and settle on the government land
There they get certain number of acres
a hut and some commissary stores. and are
left 10 themselves. The ticket-of- leave
don't take them anywhere except to Nico-
bars. for they nearly all have life SEN
tences. These matrimonial receptions are
the funniest things | ever saw. The men
are brought one by one into sort of re-
ception room. where the women are stand
ing in long row. There are generally
several breaks in the line 10 separate those
of different castles and religions for they
are very particular about that in India
Some of these men haven't seen a woman
for ten years, maybe. and they look very
curiousiy at them. When man is brought
INTO this room statement is made of his
name, his history, his religion, his age.
the crime he is there for. and SO on.
There are. maybe. half dozen women of
his religion on the eligible list and he is
taken to the first one in the row r. after
talking with her few minutes. he doesn I
think he would like her. he goes on TO the
next one. He is always covertly casting
his eye along the line to see If there fre
any further down that he likes better than
those near the top. Sometimes he sees
one near the end OF the line that takes his
fancy, and he will walk straight by all
the others and 20 to her. If she likes
him. too, they go to the table and her his
tory is read 10 him He may possibly oh
ject to the crime she was sent up for. and
If so the affair is declared off: but usually
there is no trouble about that, for if a
man likes the looks of woman he doesn I
care how she came 10 be there. II would
generally be case Of the pot calling The
kettle black anyway.
IF man goes all through the line and
doesn't find one that quite satisfies him.
He sometimes wants to take one further
up that he has before passed BY as not
quite good enough. But do you think she
will have anything 10 do with him tn n
Not much. She will look at him as if ht
were dirt, and hold her neck as stin as a
! poker.
When they have paired off as many
as possible the keepers let the different
couples go out and walk about In the
( grounds for the rest of the afternoon tC
i get acquainted with each ether. and speak
! Il little, maybe. Sometimes they don
| make more than one or two matches in 8
! whole afternoon. for they are very hard
I TO suit those convicts, though you would
/ think they'd be glad to get anybody OF
! anything. just for change of life from
/ that IN the jail.
These marriage parties always take
| place on a Saturday. and Just week
/ from that day the man is allowed to visit
: the woman again for an hour and con
/ tinue their acquaintance II at the end o
( three Saturdays they are still of the same
: mind they are married and taken on the
! boat down To the Nicobars where th !
: begin their married life As | said. they
/ give them hut a few acres of ground
/ and some provisions. and lei them alone
: These couples generally get along pretty
/ well together, though sometimes they
| have fight and one kills the other from