Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1911-12-06
A VICIOUS COLONY
England's Penal Settlement In
the Andaman Islands.
LIFE cONvlcTS FROM INDIA.
Often the Most Desperate Prisoners
Kill One Another. While Others Fall
Victims to the Native Head Hunters,
to Whom Murder is Sport.


TO Whom Murder is Sport.
Frederick Taylor. F. r. @. s.. writing |
in the Century Magazine about life In |
the Andaman Islands. says:
The sailing of the Maharaja from
Calcutta for the Andaman islands was
not accompanied by the usual goodbys
and handkerchief waving. for OF my
fellow passengers there were seventy
to whom no one wished bon voyage
or n safe return. These were convicts.
all murderers under life sentences.
who for some reason had escaped the
death penalty. and included six wom-
en-. for the Maharaja is the ship used
by the colonial Indian government to
transport convicts to the penal settle
ments near Port Blair. South Apda-
man island. a distance OF $50 miles
from Calcutta.
THE prisoners were all maracled
and shackled about the ankles. with
chains fastened to bands ut the wrist
They We're a despicnble lot At night
a continual moaning and curSing and
hopeless sobbing came up from the
matches and made sleep out of the
question for me. though the European
officer in the steamers cabin apparent.
ly slept undisturbed. Early the first
morning | went on deck ana learned
that two of the male prisoners were
i'll and had been brought up to the
deck for air. They were closely guard.
ed. and raw recruits were sta toned at
the railing to prevent them from com
hitting suicide by jumping overheard
into the Hugh river.
THE Andamans are literally the
homes OF murderers. The inhabitants
are the most vicious members OF an
older civilization and the uncivilized
head hunters. among whom murder Is
a sport and n pastime. In the settle
ment are about LOO prisoners. includ
Ing 500 women. On arriving at Port
Blair the prisoners first spend six
months I'm solitary confinement in the
cellular Jail OF Viper island. They are
then transferred 10 one of the associ-
atsd jails and the comparative bless
ing OF hard labor in company with
others. though still occupying separate
cells at night After year and
half OF this they become slaves. work
ing in and about the settlement during
the day and sleeping In barracks OF
night. always closely guarded At the
expiration OF five years n convict be
comes eligible 10 Join the colony OF
self supporters and live in the vii.
lage, where he earns his living in his
chosen way. lives in his own house
and can send for his wife and chill
to-
limited sense he becomes n pater-
fnmilias. but IS always carefully
watched and cannot leave the settle
ment without permission.
Despite the rigid discipline and the
vigilance of the authorities the com
munal life Is far from harmonious.
and the more vicious often rebel The
murdererS kill one another and are I'm
turn murdered by the treacherous An
damanese. who regard the hapless CON
victs and their guards as their natural
prey. Occasional attempts at escape
are made by the prisoners. but the eff
forts inevitably prove disastrous. The
fugitive. finding his conditional free
dom worse than servftude either dies
at the hands of the Jarawa warriors.
falls victim TO fever or other dis
ease or starveS. There is also a sys-
tenn in vogue by which the more
friendly tribes OF savages cooperate
with the authorities in capturing es-
capped cOnvicts and receive rewards
for the return Of the unhappy desert
ers. More often. however. the head
hunters kill the fugitive and return
only the head. receiving the reward
| just the same. the killing adding zest
to the chase and the return OF the
head being the easiest and quickest
way of earning the reward.
Under these conditions there arc
few attempts at escape. though many
remarkably hazardous dashes for lib
erty have been made from time 10
time. which. though futile. were most
daring. Some time ago the steamer
Fulata picked up poor. ema cha tee
wretch who was sighted on n small
bamboo raft Off the Arakan coast. He
was later found to be an escaped con
Wet When picked up he had been on
the raft for Twenty-Five days during
one of the southwest monsoons and
haU SecuTeu wafer Dy Catching the
rain and sucking 1t from his turban
ana loin cloth. He lived upon flying
fish that few aboard the raft. eating
them raw. He was swept of the IA fl
many times by the waves. but had
managed TO cling to It. After n month
In hospital Mt Rangoon he was re
turned to prison and solitary confine
ment.
Another daring attempt at escape
was made by a party of six convicts
who were sent with two native police.