Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-09-03

local watchmen. and every city is
patrolled by police with clubs in their
hands The local village police ag
sregate something like 100000 men, and
thi- would De- hardly enough TO give
one 70 each village. In addition there
are thousands in the cities and on tho
whole order H. fairly well kept The
thugs and other castles, who, in times
past made a business and religion Of
murder and stealing, have been wiped
out but there are still armed gangs who
now and then go about committing
robbery ana housebreaking.
The system of police work e. excel
lent The Vstchmeu are under the
eyes Of the head men Of their villages.
and important crimes are reported tj
the districts and n many cases the
vatehmen are responsible for losses or
theUe
Every place has It's own police sta
ton and arrangements for patrol day
and night In the larger towns there
are police commissioners and at the
stations lists alF kept Of released con-
Nicts, suspected characters and hahituJL
Offenders. Such parties are carefully
watched and when they move THEN
regulations go with them 90 form pau
of the black list of their new resi-
dcncc.
PROFESSIONAL MURDEREES.
Upon such lists arc the descendants
of the thugs and members of the other
castles, who formerly made crime "a
business. There are many OF these.
The l<uru maius are protc .sional
thieves ana pickporkcts They teach
their children to steal and lo out OF
IT, They burgldrizo houses not through
the doors or windows. but hy digging
through mud ,tt4TIs tl.ifh iuerfIf-
mcnts made for the purpose.
The thugs have about disappeared.
having been hunted down by the polio,
like wild beasts They were caste
or band of hereditary assassins who
first stranglcd and then robbed their
victims. They had maps Of the Coun-
thy with murder stations marked upon
them, at which places one could Kill
with least danger If discovery. They
killed by wholesale" I'm one Of the
trials a certain thug confessed that me
had been engaged n 900 murders.
The road poisoners Of today arc said
TO hc the descendants of on allied tn the
thugs. They work in small gangs. fol-
lowing the pilgrims and travellers and
using poison that they may be- able To-
rob and make their escape. one of
the most common drugs is nuN vomica,
and another is tho native dhaturu,
The latter comes from plant common
all over this country II Is one "
the famous poiSouS of ancient India,
which Kills without trace. One of the
most noted prisoners Of recent times
used this drug he was a policeman.
who had learned the trade in Jail Al
his trial he confessed that he had
poisoned hundreds - people. and hu
gave the details OF SO murders.
Poisoning has always hourished IN
India The legends NJ the gods are
fun OF the custom, and love charms
and death charms may still be bought
Tho tanners used to poison cattle for
the sake Of their hides by placing Ar
senic I'm their feeding troughs. ana
within recent times an attempt was
made 10 poison an army official with
diamond dust MIXED with arsenic
There are traditions - princes and prin-
cesses who have beer poisoned by en-
venomed robes Ike that n Ncssus.
BABY KILLERS.
Until very recently one ~ the most
common crimes I'm india has been in
fanticidc. II s still practiscd in som,
localities. being most prevalent AT th-
times of famiues. such infants arc
usually girls. Many of the Hindus
look upon the birth Of "a female child
as curse. and at Il census taken not
long ago IL was shown that OF the
girls under 10 wears OF age Of certain
castles. about an i'm every thousand wer,
missing This would mean the kill
ing of four girls iu q hundred a large
indeed.
Among the B1iputs Of northern India |
the surplus female children were once |
DESTROYED at birth. and I ann told that |
this sim occurs now and then In and 1
about Rcnaro- there Is tradition that |
II "A girl baby De drowned I'm milk b |
may come into the family next year "a |
"A baby boy Suchi beliefs made IN. |
fanticidc common I'm many parts NJ In |
iia until the British administration took |
hold. one authority relates that In 1
some Of the tribes of Oudh not more |
than one no 90 ~ the baby girls were !
allowed 70 live. and many castles ana /
tribes threw their surplus Of children !
/. IL L. L------- ~ l. L