The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-04

Calcutta.-Lives of old women are
not valued highly in India. A short
time ago General Patterson, the Amer
lean consul in Calcutta, was invited by
a friend to take a ride in an auIomo-
bile. As they were coming home they
turned q corner abruptly, and before
the brake could be applied, struck an
aged woman who was crossing the
street. Not knowing what the conse-
Quence of the accident might be, and
rot wishing TO avoid responsibility, the
owner Of the automobile left his card
before proceeding In a few days he
received a statement which read:
To killing enc grandmother, 20 ru-
PEGS"
This sum is equal to SS25 American
money.
Not long ago a judge in India was
confronted by two men who were in
vOlved in a dispute over some money
matters. In making a final settlement
ii a transaction one contended that zoo
rupees were due him, While the other
insisted that the amount was only COO
There was no evidence except the word
of the two parties to the controversy,
so the judge wcs at a loss to determine
the merits of the case. He was re-
neved OF the responsibility, however,
when the plaintiff proposed that if the
defendant would swear by the sacred
water of the Gauges river that he Owe0
only 600 rupees, that amount would be
accepted in full payment. At first the
Judge demurred and said that was no
way to settle a law suit, but the dis
putantS agreed that II would be a per-
fectly satisfactory arrangement for
both Of them, so some of the sacred
water was brought into the court room
end the final settlement was amicably
accomplished.
More Wives Than Solomon.
The recent visit Of the Prince of
Wales to India was the cause of the
greatest gathering of Rajahs and ma
tive princes that has occurred since tbs
great Durbar of Delhi For a week
prior TO the arrival Of the prince, Bonn
bay fairly swarmed with the glitterin1
-etinues Of up-COuntry potentates. Your
Interest can hardly fail when a person
age attired in numerous and gorgeous
<rappings Is pointed out to you as the
ruler OF country larger than Italy,
and you are informed that he possesses
500 wiVes-200 moro than Solomon had
The gOssips keep your ears filled with
interesting chatter about first one and
then another Of these native dignitaries.
There is one who chartered a large
steamer 10 convey himself and Marty
TO the coronation of the present king
of England He took along his own
food and water ard gods, as we'll as
numerous wives and their attendants.
He presented the king with a ieweled
sword inlaid with gems valued at so 600
rupees. He no doubt repented OF his
extravaganza, tor upon his return home
he found his, land blighted by famine.
so he went straightway on another
journey-this time lonely pilgrimage
to tbs Ganges TO pray for rain
You conclude that one Rajah must
be rather poor when you. hear. that ne
has only seventeen wives with him, and
you marvel at the laYishness of another
when you are told that the largest Jew
elry store 10 India was closed during
one whole day while sixty of his wives
examined the stock and selected what
ever pleased their fancy. It was my
good fortune to travel on the special
train of one Of the Rajahs, and it was
about Ike 1zeEytaiDG with a ck-eaLs.