Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-01-26
A VICIOUS COLON
EnuIand's Penal Settlement In
the Andaman Islands.
LIFE CONvICTS 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. G. 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 safe return. These were conyicts,
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 Anda-
man island. q distance of $50 miles
from Calcutta
THE prisoners were all manacled
and shackled about the ankles. with
chains fastened to bands at the wrist
They were q despicable lot, At night
continual moaning and cursing ana
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 and learned
that two of the male prisoners We're
i'll and had been brought up to the
deck for air. They were closely guard
ed, and raw recruits were stationed at
the railing to prevent them from COM
mitting suicide by jumping overheard
into the Hugh river.
1.-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
n sport and n paStime In the settle
ment are about LOO prisoners. includ.
ing SEQ women. On arriving at Port
Blair the prisoners first spend six
months in solitary confinement in the
cellular jail of Viper island. They are
then transferred 70 one of the aSsoci-
/ ated jails and til" comparative bless
ing Of hard labor in company with
Others. though still occupying separate
cells ut night After Il year and
half of this they become Slaves. work
ing In nnd about the settlement during
the day and sleeping in barracks at
night. always closely guarded. AT the
:: expiration of FIVE years n convict be-
comes eligible to 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
dren or marry convict woman. In
limited sense he becomes a pater-
familias. but is always carefully
watched and cannot leave the settle
ment without permission.
"Despte 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 In
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 hy the prisoners, but the ef-
| forts inevitably prove disastrous. The
fugitive. finding his conditional free
dom worse than servitude. either dies
at the hands Of the Jarawa warriors,
| falls victim to fever or other dis
ease or starves There IS also a sys-
/ TEN 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 are
few attempts at escape. though many
remarkably hazardous dashes for lib
erty have been made from lime to
time. which. Though futile. were most
during Some time ago the steamer
Fu!Hta picked up a poor. emaciated
wretch who was sighted on small
bamboo raft off the Arakan coast. He
was later found to he an escaped con-
vict. When picked up he had been on
the raft for twentv-nine days during
: one of the southwest monsoons and
had secured water by catching the
rain and smoking it from his turban
and lun cloth. He lived upon flying
fish that few aboard the raft. eating
them raw. Ee WAS swept off the raft
many times by the waves. but had
managed 10 ding 10 it. After IL month
In Il hospital at Rangoon he was re-
turned 10 prison and solitary conhne-
ment
"Anntlier daring attempt at escape
was made h. party OF six conVicts
who were sent with two native police
men to sfnal! island off the middle
Antlaman TO work. They managed to
escane from the guards and. hOisting
! the sail of the small boat. started out
In IL gale. After seven days Of heavy
weather they were dashed upon the
rocks Of the TcnaSserim coast. and the
boat was wrecked All escaped with
| their lives and eventually reached the
Siamese border. where they were ap-
pretended by the local authorities and
returned to the prison"