Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-19
klDNAp CONVERT PRINCESS.
sooboonagum, Hindoo Mission Work.
err, Taken Near Madras.


Sooboonagum, Hindoo Mission Work.
err, Taken Near Madras.
New York, Aug. 19.-Sooboonagum
ANIMAL, the Hindoo princess who be-
came a convert to Christianity, and
who visited America in 1901, was kid
mapped near Madras, in South India,
July is.
SO far as known here she has not
yet been recovered by her Christian
friends, and. us she has been an OBJ
iect of hatred to her Rrahmn rela-
tives since her conversion. she may
have been done away with.
The news of the capture and deten-
ton of the former Brahmin priestess
was brought to this city in letter
from Bishop William F. Oldham to
the Methodist Missionary society. In
this letter the bishop says the prin-
cess was forcibly dragged out of her
bullock cart on the public road, hur-
ried into closed carriage, and driven
off"
Believe Young Woman Killed.
It was said today by Charles Fahs of
the editorial staff of the Missionary
Society that there is little doubt the
young woman has been made away
with as other converts have been oc-
casionally. The possibility of her re-
covery apparently is slight, as the
bishop says: I'VE are doing all that
can be done for her recovery, but only
those who know India can estimate the
apparent hopelessness of 1t all.
The unsleeping hatred of Brahmin-
ism, from which this mission has been
saved in many strange ways in the last
ten years, seems to have been permit
ted to strike us at last We know all
the devilish cruelty which Hindooism,
with all its soft spoken words nurses
in it's heart--a contempt for women
and hatred for the gospel which may
bring great suffering to it's poor vic
tim"
Princess Sooboonagum was in this
country for eighteen months in 1901
and 1902. with Miss Grace Stephens.
superintendent of the Methodist Epis-
copal Senana mission at Madras. She
is of the "Pantulu'' Brahmin, VINO
PROFOUND and interpret the Vedas. Her
father. A. l.. Venkataramana Pantula,
was the first Hindoo to take the dou-
UlG Q0kIGG VI, Vic OIllSSlSIlS VI A'Aa
dras, was subjudge of the district Of
Madura, and had great wealth. The
woman married when she was 10 years
old and is still young.
Is Converted.
She inherited wealth from her ia
Their, and built a Brahmin temple, near
Madras, visiting it weekly and spend
Ing much in charity. She attended the
mission school to learn English, and as
a condition under which the missions
aries teach the language is that the
pupil must read the bible to her moth
err. Her husband and her relatives
protested against her attending school,
but she insisted and thus became con-
verified.
Her brother offered the mission
100000 to give her up, and after she
was baptized her husband and her
Brahmin relatives gave her "funer-
al" Miss Stephens thus described a
part of 1t:
CAS- token of Sooboonagum no lon
ger belonged to them, all her earthen-
ware was brought out and broken, and
everything that could remind them of
her was given away or destroyed.
Burn Body, Bury Ashes.
Then an effigy of the princess was
made of reeds brought from the banks
Of the Ganges and preserved sacredly
by the priests, and with some special,
intricate ceremonies, the form was
thrown upon the fire. The priests
shouted, Dead, dead and Burned
out six times, after which the whole
company took up the cry, and had the
satisfaction of seeing the body, or
form, entirely consumed.
"a bond or execution bilp was.
signed by three of the family priests
and four highly respected Brahmin
gentlemen. After this the sacred ashes
were gathered together, and, as is the
custom with all strict orthodox Brah-
minis, in order that the eyes of no SUI
dra, or low caste person, should fall OIL
the ashes, they were taken at night by
Brahmin from the burning ground,
and after a further ceremony called
the remedy were deposited among
the dead of her people"