Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-03-25
c,u,sOms Evidence that the Hor'
rible "Suttee'' is Still
Practised.
HOW THE RITE IS CARRIED OUT.
p,l,tlv,s Of the Deceased Start Blaze
That Reduces to Ashes Both the
Living and the Dead

= oMBAY, March 15.-Despite all
II efforts Of the indian government
n TO stamp out the horrible prac-
- tlse of burning widows alive on
,be funeral pyres Of their husbands, In
..no,e districts the "suttee," as the
,,nstloal rite is called, is still practlsed
OCCASIONALLY with all the accompanying
ceremonies prescribed by ancient ira
dv,ons OF this a gruesome instance
has lust come to light which shows, In
o,dsntally. that the atrocious sacrifice
1. sin regarded as a praiseworthy act
=, nlety by many Hlndoos, and but for
,ha heavy restraining hand OF British
authority would probably again become
common.
WIDOW A SACRIFICE,
A while ago, Chaudhri Missir a
mailman who had held firmly TO the
faith OF his fathers, died In the village
a, sancharl, situated In a district where
the occasional visits Of the tax coli
,sctor are the only evidences of foreign
domination with which the inhabit-
ants are acquainted. His relatives
wished to give him an od-fashloned
funeral, worthy Of one who had been
so scrupulous In the observance OF all
the eeremonlals Of his religion, and his
widow, apparently, was nothing loath
10 offer herself as a sacrifice, Arrange
ments were accordingly made for the
cremation together OF the living and
The dead on the banks OF a small river.
Some ground was staked of in the form
Of ST. Andrews Cross on which the
funeral pyre was built After the body
Of the dead man had been laid upon
II the widow bathed IN the river and
then adorned as for a bridal, seated
herself on the pyre alongside Of her
husbands corpse and called upon her
son, Juggernath Missir, to perform his
alial duty as devout Hindoo.
GREAT CROWD PRESENT.
In the presnoe Of vast crowd which
had assembled Juggernath lighted some
wheat stalks, and after walking three
times around the" pyre applied the
lighted ends as custom prescribes, to
the mouth Of the dead man. This
failed to Ignite the pyre, however. Then
four Brahmans, Balkishun Misslr,
Dwarka Mlsslr, Ram Charan Missir,
and Lachman Tewari--the three former
near relatives Of Chaudhri Mlssir--per-
formed the "Humad." This consisted
In the burning OF incense and the
placing Of lighted chips OF wood that
had been dipped in melted butter be-
meath the pyre. Meanwhile the widow.
seemingly absorbed in a plous ecstasy,
gave no sign of fear. Just before the
names reached her, she stood up and
turned to the setting sun, but immedl-
etey fell back on the pyre apparently
overcome by the heat and smoke. II
N her agony she uttered any cries they
were drowned by the shouts OF the fam
suVs the clashing of cymbals, the
seating Of drums and the footing Of the
rank Shells And thus her ashes
mingled with those OF her husband.
GOT WIND OF IT.
the authorities got wind OF the ar
ialr and started an mvestigat ton. They
, neie met with point blank denlals that
mere mad been any cremation either Of
ne hylng or the dead. Perjury has
oesll reduced to a fine art IN India
"nu N such cause, lying is accounted
~ righteousness. But from the con-
uuaulctory testimony of unwilling wit
n messes tne astute agents Of the govern
weni succeeded in getting at the sub
s s'ah'isl facts Of the case. Jugger-
e @oen allsslr the filial son, was sent
oh oeu 70 I'VE years Imprisonment; the
i al Mlsslrs got three years a piece;
s s,aSynInan TewarL one and a half years.
S S,u a conch blower and couple OF
i 1S S VIII spend nine months I'm
% ya., they win all be regarded as
S"r w When they regain their free
o,bo, put not for many years win an
tba nv WIDOW be burned at Sanchari or
wv u's'rlot round about.