The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-07-02
Men Who Regard Thieving as
innate Profession.
as a legit.
BY John Foster Frazer.

J = ~,
are engaged in carrying grain and q, s
! but they never allow d chance to N.
of Kidnapping d child, whom they
ually stick into a grain bag and k,
hidden there for several days. n
tongues of boys are often slit, 50 Il,
| they are more or less iacoherent .lS
they eudeavor TO explain 10 other NJ
pie what has happened TO them, vii,
d girl, if over seven or eight years oa
is generally disfgured BY burning ius b
so that she cannot be recognize ii
These kidnapped children are pract, u
ally the slaves OF their captors.
A different sort OF criminal clss Il
and belonging TO a higher caste An
the Bawariyas. When thieying thsa
generally adopt a disguise their fave
ite being that OF religious beggars o.
moonlight night they prospect, and M
dark ones they thieye. They neVs3
take their women with them when ok
for loot. The leader OF a gang II
called the kadoo. and il is his businesE
to find out all about the houses that i
is intended TO rob. The usual practsk
is to make a hole in the doorway NJ
that an arm can be inserted and .t.s
latch uadone from within. II monsN
or jewelry is being sought, then IL
hole is made in the thin wall me-.
where the property is likely to I'D
large enough to admit body.
Perhaps the most notorious robbss
in the Northwest Provinces OF Ind
are the Sansiyas. They formerly III
nothing but wander about the couatrSh
stealing everything they could Id
their hands upon. Their conduct va
so nefarious that in 1890 every one
was arrested; the younger Sansi!ss
were sent to reformatories, and I'd
older ones spread about the provias1 /
in the hope that they might seta
down to an honest livelihood.
But what is bred in the bone canMs
be got rid of by change of habitatiaE
and these Sansiyas are today as haa
blackguards as ever they were. ThrN
stop at nothing. With heap of stons,
they attack drivers Of carts. and spaH
them OF their possessions. They drsE
themselves up as policemen. stop wga
farers on sCme trumpery charge, ant
pretending to search them, take ~
they have. They invariably give
false names. and many spend goS
portion of their lives in prison. Durlna
incarceration they behave exceeding
we'll; they know that i'll conduct woua
mean fogging, and logging woug
leave stripes by which they might
identified when arrested later on VIII
following their trade
In Northern Oudh 4 notorious Grim
inal tribe are the Barwars. They ar
a mixed people, brutal in the ways, an
are really the dreSs of all sorts of otEs
er castles. and used formerly to MAJ
a specially of kidnapping childress
whom they enslaved. Almost as sOss
as a Barwar child is born it is dedics5
ed to the profession of thievins
Twelve days after birth the fatha
gives a feast, and the child is decoras
ed TO bring luck in thieving.
Their favorite scheme of operation
is to visit the great fairs which al
held in Indian towns, and, disguised Al
tradesmen or soldiers or mendicant$
mix with the crowd and pick up ann
thing when the legitimate owner haa
pens to have his back turned SomA
times a prearranged quarrel is got u
in the bazaar, even a fight, and then
when the stallhOlders rush forward To-
see what the row is about, Others d
the gang help themselves to any good
that are handy. The Barwar woms&
also indulge in thieving. They put d
their best attire, and go to shrins5
join the throng of worshippers al
While their neighhors are praying SD
hands into their pockets.
All these tribes have mentioned H
under the Indian criminal tribes a
and are. therefore, harassed by the ~
lice, who keep a strict lookout up&
them. This, however. only accentua'M
their cunning and has done practicaLM Be-
nothing at all to put a check upon thas
predatory occupations.-New Yo
Tribune. &8