The Huron Expositor, 1873-05-16, Page 22 A
"osamir
A ClitRONICLE OF 1#1E -160T-
TON COUNTRY
-
The scene of the tragedy recorded in i
e followiug pages is a eiilage, sitatated
in one of the great cotton' plains el Cerei
traI India, just such a village -as those of
whieh, travelers by the G. L P. Railway , dragged to,- -school to
cato'h fleeting gllmpsee a...s they flash I 0,0 jukhfini „las
through the dreary , expanse of cotton aull' a 4'2' 'il""
fields, and consisting for the most part ter and the school Committee, with lend
of clusters of mutl heaps. with_ a larger .1 lamentations, declared to him that the
mad heap to repreeent aitirt in the Pe°P1"")°"gerga°14' al all tlic' P-e°Ple
dle
Daangervan, which ais" t#e_ haws, of the cotton cotintries, were obstinate
our hamlet ,a.a,re, is perched,. as the name and obstructive in the matter of -edu.ca-
.
implies on the top of a low.mound, from
whielt 'the long -black smoke- litretlett-
bsr the far-off trains are faintly di.seern-
ilele,
'It was on a day inthemonth of April
that the coolie train—so called because
it travels with surpessing slowness halts
for long intervals at impractieable sta-
tions without any towns attached, to
them, and. is altogether a, local affair,
quite beneath the notice of the rapid and
fashionable was on one ben:ling
afternoon in April that this coolie train
advanced slowly into the heart of the
cotton country, bearing its heavy freight
of third mid fourth ditse passengers, and
drew near the little station knewn as
"Doongergaon Road:". Feet wedge&
like a herring in a tub, iera _crew -led
third -cats compartment,. resembling
nothing so much as an ill -smelling catqe-
truek,_ sat an elderly man, destined to
play a conspicUmis part in the piesent
narrative,. He'...vas perched apcin aix
immense bundle chiefly cempeeed, it
would seem. of 'brags pots end. dirty
clothes, which -was wedged in among
many sirailar bundles on the floor of the
carriaste. The elderly gentleman and
his fellow -travelers, (all,of the :mate sex,
for women are always penned up in sep-
arate trucks, ) ntne of 'whom. could by
any possibility have Moved until. the
door of the carriage opened, so well vv -ere
they packed, all rejoiced in the ridicu-
lous turbans, the size and shape of a
small cart -wheel, coraton to that part of
the country, and of the brightest ctim-
son, scarlet, pink„ arid mange hues.
Owing to the compactness with which
they were fitted into their compartment,
these a.bsurci affairs could not, of course,
be warn ; so they evere propped up
agamat backs and. a,gainst bundles. while
the shaven polls and knotted. pig of
their owners were exposed to view. Our
elderly traveler's tail was of an iron gray
color ancl Scanty in its prehiertions ; his
face was wrinkled and scarred terribly
with smallpox ; like seventy-five per
cent of his compatriots, he was afflicted
with opthalinia • his teeth and his
tongue were scarlet with betelejnice, on
which refreehment, together with a vast
quantity of a sweetmeat; made chiefly of
castor oil, coarse sneer, dirt, and the
heads and bodies of ants and flies. he had
subsisted throughout his long day's
journey. His thin white garment was
stained. with neat and dust, which latter
blew in hot and suffocating clouds
through the carriage, and resting upon
his bundle were a pair of heelless shoes,
with toes very.ipucle curled up. On his
wrist, but hidden under his tight sleeve,
was a massive bra.celet of heavy red gold ;
frone his ears dangled pearl ear rings; on
hie toes were silver rings ; .and round
hid waist, Well concealed under the many
folds of his waistcloth, waaa broad silver
girdle, curiously wrought. He and his
fellow tra.vellers had. sathhus, patiently
enduring heat e thirst, dust, smoke, un-
rest, jolting semi -suffocation, for many
hours; for their progress across the ani
• cotton plains was very slow, and the
officials hastened not to unlock the doors
and let the suffering creatures out and
it was with a, deep sigh of relief' that
passengers for Doaintergoan heard the
clank. clank of the tram as it crossed the
points on entering the little station yard.
On the platform was -just such another
c owd of narroheshould.ered, kpock-
ee.d, big turbaned, shambling, (large.
b udle-carrying cultivators as hadaap-
peered at every station for the
last hundred miles. - Emerging from
the crowd, our middle-aged traveler
looked about him for his chariot, which
soon appeared in. the eliape of a wooden
tray between two very unreliable vvbeels,
and drawn, by a pair of small bullocks
of amazing speed' and endurance. Our
friend. placed himself cross -leg -fed on the
tray as on a saddle, with faithful re-
tainer dose in front of him, also on the
tray; a.ndthelatter, seizing the tail of a
bullock in each hand, and utterimg di-
vers chickings- with his toneoe, and
many inaledictions upon all their female
ancestors for past generations, drcere
swiftly away homeward. i The name of
the elderly gentleman on the tray was
Ram lall. Lord -was he ef 'the:hail:1kt of
spline," as he was popularly high.:
come to see the, village school, and had
threatened, dire penaltins unless mdee
childrenvere, made to, atte`nd and. re-
fused
fileed to be pacified, although he wet as-
sured that, on hih. intended' visit 'tieing
known, the highways and hedges had
heen searthed, and all the olititinable in. .
tion and. stuck to it that they wanted
nee ctieeetien, and thet their children .
were better empleyeci herding cattle
than wasting their time in school. And
the -Inspector had gone away threaten -
Mg to complain to the distriet Magistrate
of the negligence of all concerned. Then
Ram- hzial went on his way, cursing, in
his heart, the obstinacy of hie people and
all school inspectors everywhere. Fur-
ther on, he learnt that the distriet medi-
cal officer had been- to the village and
grumbled became more quinine had. not
been purchased by „the people, and -
be-
cause the sanitary condition of the vil-
lage was not as it should be. . " asr
sured him," said Bain lairs infonnant,
" that these people here will not eat
quinine ; theyedon't !believe in it, and
think they wilrspoihtheircaste by asing
it ; they will not be cured of *yen
and they thiale that there is a devil in it.
And. as to the cleanliness of the place; I
told. the doctor that these people are not
clean, and. cannot he -made -clean ; they
don't like it, it worries them, and they.
are too poor to attend to 'such things,
butthat as aeon as we heard he was corn-
ing we began to sweep hp a little. But
nothing satisfied him, and he said he
should complain to the district magis-
trate. And again," went on the speaker,
" there came one of the assistant magis-
trates, and grumbled because we were
spending the municipal funds in build-
ing a °temple: instead !ef making roads
and drains. I told him the people did.
not want reeds and drains, but they did
want a temple. Ile.said he would cer-
tainly lay the matter before the district.
magistrate." Then Ram 'loll went on
his way, bitterly cursing the whole mu-
-nicipal committee who had led him into
these straits. - - •
Ram Ian, in making his way to his
house, passed across the mart -place,
and it being market day he stepped lb
gossip and rest awhile, and eased his
mind by a little wrangling and chaffering
=Mug the busy, noisy throng assembled.
Noth Ram lall had long suspected thht
etitto had bewitched his wife, and
socauitahler to forget her wifely diities;
the clandestine ifiterview he had tater-
rtiptedincreased his mistrust and dislike
an hundred faith and he hi-bodedover
his wrongs until' he began to -crave for
vengeance. To accuse_ _him openly of
witchcraft would, he knew, have been
Ithigerous in the highest degree ; ,for the
English Government, most outeasonahly,
as he thought, had no sympathifor such
old. world superstitioos ; andif any
harm should befall Muneram in conse-
quence of such au accusation, he knew
that the tuathietrates,. in pursuance of an
unpleasant habit they had contracted,
would surelh convict him of an abetment
of hurt, or of worse. So he pondered
deeply in his kind, how -he might attain
his end without getting within the mean-
ing of any of those )bstructiVe sections
of that prejudiced volume the Penal
Code. Therefore it was that pur Ram
lall early one morning rose up and sad-
dled his pony, a lean and long-sufferingbeest, living chiefly on air, and 'haying
a pink tail, uaounted thereupon, and set
forth across the dried up waste to pay, a
visit to the' Darogab, or chief of the
neighboring police post, a man_ in whom
he hadconfidence as. being discreet and
open to conviction, as doubtless he had
proved ou many tomer occasions.
'41100T nO*. tnaithi house -nor to blacken any
• Arrived at the pelice post, where the
constable on duty was sitting on his
heels doing nothing and the rest of the
men were scattered. about in various at-
titudes assisting -him to do it, and the
,Darogah, or chief, was assiduously clean-
ing hie teeth with a piece of stick, and
cofighing, retching and expectorating af-
ter the manner of Indians of all classes
when at their toilette—which is most ex-
asperating to- an English ear,- and is,
moreyer quite an unnecessary cereinony
—our 'Ram lall Woes received With con-
sidetation ; P passing through the- trim
garden, he accosted the Darogah, who,
on his side, after a final and a yiolent at-
teraPt to. choke himself, proceelled to
finish his toilet with the help ph a look-
ing -glass about the size of half-a-crown,
let into. the lid of a pewter snu.ff-box,
Auld. presently entertained his visitor at
a light and wholesome repast of betel
nut and buffaloes' milk. Then ensued a
dialogue between these two worthies,
conducted with a subtlety and power of
finesse peculiar to the Oriental mind.
On the one, hand, Ram tall was weigh-
ing the Darogah's dishonesty in the bal-
ance, to 'find out what amount of his hid=
den treasures would have. to be expend-
ed if he would gain his end; and on the
Other hand, the Darogah strove to probe
the depths of the villainy of his visitor's
intentions, arnli;_lay heaping difficulty on
difficulty, to Make. the best bargain he
could for himself; and with all this,
probably not a word passed on either
side which could lead a third person,
had there been one present, to imagine
that anything unusual WM ha course of
negotiation..
Ram lall left his friend with a plan of
revenge fully developed in 'his evil old
brain, and betook him homeward with a
merry heart, for he felt there was noth-
illa to balk Mai if he only choose to open
0
his purse sufficiently wide.
"inith s face t lie, Rani lath yeas a man
'Who 'Said nothing to anybody, who had
never been known to injure orequarrel
with anybody, but it seemod the snake
he had cherished had stung* him. And
all the people sitting about "gni On their
heels murmured their approval of theit
Patail's eloquence.
AR this time there had been a great
roar going on within doors, much
Itirill jarring of women's tougues, loud
bursts of passionape apse. Many times
that morning had the poor' girl, who was
the cause of all this fuss, threatened to
.118,4 herself, or to poison -herself. and
twice had she rushed forth to the great.
• open well, there to end. her sorrows, lint
each time the hags within restrained. her.
• She believed no word -of the theft or the
suspicionresting on her lover, not she,
she bitterly mistrusted her wily master,
and fully detetmined. to interfere to
ssve her over, if 'she could find. the
means to do so. 56 she scolded, and
sulked, and scolded. Again, after the
i
manner of her species, nd behaved. her,
self like a very termag ut. The police
pfficers then corm -nen ed their, usual
ceremonies; the chief officer, after a
minute and delilierate inspection of the.
premises, announced to the admiring
crowd that, ih his opinion, the house
had certainly been -broken into ; for, ar-
gued he there can. be no reasonable
doubt that a hole has been made in the
wall. The premises of Muneram reput-
ed wizard, werethen searched, the in'ok-
-en box found in the garden, awl the in-
nocent Muneram was at ' once hustled
off in custody' to the Patail's court -yard,
in spite ,• of hie protestations and cries,
and the tears and lamentations of his
brother a,nd. little sister.
The customary ary examination of wit-
nesses h been gone through, and
every witness, as usual, having denied
all knowledge of ' everybody, everything
and. everyplace under the still, and hav-
ing sworn z that they were people who.
never left home, and never spoke to any-
body during their natural live. Ram
lall arose/and thus addressed the. meet-
ing : "My friends, it is very necessary
in a case of this kind that nothing be
done in a hurry. You talk of witch-
craft in the village, and indeed. there
has been much sickness oflate ; our chil-
dren have been tlyingeour cattle falling
by dozens, some of our best wells turned.
• brackish, and now I have been robbed of
the savings of many years; money, in-
• deed, which Iliad set aside to build a
temple to the god Gunesh with.
Whether this be -witchcraft or no, I can-
not tell, but this I know, that I' anita,
juet ; man, and unless there be eertain
prod, I hope to see this 'prisoner set at
liberty. Go pow, all of you, _the heat of
the day is coming on; the police need
quiet and rep* in inquiring into such a
case as this. Come agaim when the sun
is a hand's breadth from his setting, and
you shall know the result.
When the assembly had been . dispers-
ed. Ram lall took aside the chief officer
and said to him : " Brother, I must get
rid of this fellow somehow ; hemust be•
arreeted, disgraced, driven out of tlie vit.
lage-e °arse him and the mother that
bore him; this charge can and- must be
proved."
Sala the chief officer to him in reply :
" I tell.you, Ram lall, it won't do ; if
this goes up to the magistrate we shall
be smathed ; I'm a family man, and a
,risk of this sort don't suit me—unless,
indeed, I am well paid to undertake it.
If; indeed, the prisoner woad confess to
the robbery, we might have grounds to
detain him ; but the truth is, Ram lall,
you were out wabting last night, and
you were seen coming from the direation.
of the prisoner's house.. if I am to
work this, I must be paid, Ram tall."
The chief officer merely said this QII
speculation, to tighten his hold on Ham
ball's money bees, and no entreaties or
tlu•eats on the latterte part could. induce
him to say a w,ord. as to. his informant.
" Pay .me and you are se," was all his
answer. After much haggling it was de-
cidad thatRaralall was to pay hinh2,000
rupees to work the case, half in advance,
half .when a conviction was obtained, and
further, a sum of 100 rupees to each of the
policemen concerned, to keepthem quiet,
aud as moth for hire of. witnesses as
might be hereafteidemanded. These ar-
rangements thus pleasantly concluded,
t y called for the wretched victim of
this vile conspiracy, who all this while
had been standing hand -cuffed in the
court -yard, with a rope fastened to his
arm, his clothes torn, and his once gay
turban mud -bespattered, under the burn-
ing sun, sullen, dogged and. silent. He
niade no entreaty uow, no cry -for mercy
passed his lips; he knew he had fallen
into a snare, and he swore to himself that
no entreaty of his should increase the re-
vengeful triumph of his enemy. There
was no chivalrous thought in his breast
of suffering himself in silence to screen
her in the house yonder from shame or
punishment ; the tholights of our native
brethren are not as our thoughts on such
matters; i their inner life isas far from
ours' as the east from the west.
His sullen obstinacy angered the old
man, and when asked at length he raised
his manacled hands to &even, and call-
ed upon his gods to say whether he was
a guiltyona,n or not. Ram lall turned,
and said bitterly to the chief officer :
"Take him into that out -house yonder,
and show him a little of your police pro-
cedure. Two of the policemen entered,
followed by their officer, and shut the
door upon themselves and their victim.
Ram lane who fully appreciated the
meaning of that threat of showing a
prisoner a little police pracedare, waited
'outside listening for the sounds which he
knew would come, and which did come
--the first fruits to him of liks dearly.
purchased revenge. Those sounds came,
but no groan of pain, no cry for mercy.
Through this crowd' Ram lall slowly
niakes his way toward hitown door, for the
great •rambling mud establiehineut, with
a big court yard, and quaintly carved.
oily old wooden verandahs round it,
just lacing the marketplace, is his
house ; he turns the corner, pondering
abstractedly on the innate rnalice com-
mon to all men, and more especially de-
veloped in 'the mincl and -manners of his
favorite enemy, Seoram Patadl, when he
sees standing together, just insida the
outer door of the court yard, two per-
sons; whose appearance 'filled his soul
with jealous rage. One of these is a
pretty, pale -yellow colored ,girl; not mere
than teventeen years old, whose low
broad brows are decorated with a hail-
hant crimson patch or caste Mark, and.
whose long dark eyes are coquettishly
tinted, and whose pretty mouth is filled
with, as yet, unebetel-stained teeth. Her
bright dress and gtaheful figure make up
so pretty a littlepicture that tile back-
ground of sombre dirt walls looks ten
times dirtier and more dismal from the
contrast. Her name is Anianale,, and
she is the _wife of the very respectable
Ram lall, proprietor cf Doongergaon.
The other :of the- two persons .is a
handsome young fellow in a rose -pink
turban and smart white muslin gar-
ments, who at sight of the angry face of
Ram lall vantshes without more ado,
while the, damsel, hastily drawing the
fold of her pretty scarlet cloth. over
face—for it had slipped aside somewhat
in the ardor of conversation—retreated
indoors. Truly, ham. lall's troubles lay
notatltogether outside his house ; there
were trouble and jealousy, hatred and
craving for revenge, intrigues' and de-
ceits, threats and tears ready to greet ,
him on his arrival at home. And what
else can you expect? oh ! Ram lall,
toothless' old. patriarch, ,far gone in years
and wickedness, when, -after „the evil
fashion of your country, you purchase'
child for your wife—a child whom you
&unto be but as part of the live stock
you possess, worth so nitteh weight of
jewelre , or so mech cash ; the is the
mere .servant of your pleasure, bought to
hew wood, to thaw water; to prepare
your food for you ; arrangement in
Doonergoati, ,anal all that black cotton which.ste had DO voice or was even al
-
soil surrounding it. To the right and to lowed a thought.
the kft of him he beheld his own acres— There were harsh words, ill looks,
acres which had been in his family for cruel blows., and bitter tears that night,
unnumbered generations ; for be e sitting fi,s on many previous nights, in Ram lall's
house; a great storm of wild wailings,
shrill cackle of women's angry tongues,
and the neighbors,- Well used to such like
concerts, both at home \and abroad,
knew that there had been adifference of
opinion again. between Ram lall and his
young wife.
Now the hero of the rose -pink. turban,
about Whoin all this etorm had arisen,
was a young merchant of Doongergaon,
Muneram Teokull by name, who dwelt
with his orphan brother and little sister,
and kept a.sni all shop in the market -place
immediately adjoining Ram lalPs cloroain.
He was as good-looking a young fellow
as could be foued in any day's march in
the cotton countries, possessing a
pair of straight looking eyes, for a won-
der, a clean, pale brown complexhin, and
manner,deehledly taking with the wo-
men, and a reputation araenee his fellow
townsma,n as bad as it could well be.
Not that he was a reputed. thief or that
he d_ialtin suspicious goods,' or indulged
too freely in dress; or gambled inordinate-
ly, or that he was especially successful
in leading the youpeo: village wives to fol-
low after strange gods ; worse, far worse
than all this—these would. after all have
been mere venial offenses, :freaks of fancy
—alas for Muneram, had the reputa-
tion ot being a wizard. There
are `few villages in the cotton .dis-
trictS without either_ a witch or a
wizard ' to torment them, poSsessed.
of a more or leSs malignant power to
bring evil upon herr enemies. Not that
the cruel tragedies once so • common in
the more eastern provinces, of witch mur-
ders and witch torture, were enacted,
in the cotton districts, the witchcraft
there was of a less malignaat type, and
its professors contented themselves with
laming the cattle, burning the houses,
causing woraeu to 'miscarry, and afflict -
...jog people with acute ague and rheumatic
diseases, and other like trifles. And
although the witches and warlocks were
hated and feared and shunned, -rib overt
-the Inspector of schools, or the Tug- acts of vengeance were ever heard of.
there upon a tray, simple as he looked,
could trace back his lineage for more cen-
turies thanemany anoble earl in our own
country, Ram. lall was; in short, the pro-
prietor of the estate of. Doongergaon ; a
man of note and position in the country,
who led public. opinion in those Parts
where there happened to be any, and
who had more jewels of Fold and silver
and bags of ropes buried''in earthen:ves-
sels in the floor of his house than any
. other 'proprietor -in the country side.
'Like most of his kind in these litigious
days, he wasted much of his substance,
his time, and. bis patience in law -suits.
• Litig.ation - was a game ,he played at
greedily ; but it was Acme the less a
stumbling block in the way, for he was
a settled. annuity to half a dozen pleaders
in =sequence.
As he drew near his village, there
came. out to meet him a small deputa-
tion, consisting of one 'or two members
of the Municepal Committee, the village
watchman, and the school master. He
learnt from. them that quiet had reigned
• in lats absence, but that several- incidents
worthy of note had occurred. First of
all, the G'rOVernment vaccinator had paid
them a visit, and had attempted to bring
pressuse to bear on some makers of brass
pots to have their children vaccinated,
whieh the said pot makers declined to
do, on the ground that a child of one of
their number having been va,ccinated the
• previous •year, ill -luck, as inif.cht have
beea expected, had. come to them, and
their pots remained unsold. And they
further made demonstratione of an at-
tack upon the vapcinator, who thereup-
• on lifted. up his voice and denounced the
villa.ge, and finally*toek to his heels, de -
olefin his intention fi.): f complaining to
• t
the district magistrat . Ram 141, in his
heart, cursed all maaers of brass pots
• and vaccinators, for h knew he would
einrely be called to accaunt for the af-
fair. .
Further, it was reported to him that
1VIAY 161 187
salve our necks. If We hang o yott mut
most certainly hang too, se, in eating
our necks,, Pave your own also. .You,
rnust pay his and pay others:but payment
Will not de a
. . • • •
ll *lugs. We aid not Mean
to kill the mans—vre merely preeseA him
in our hands ; but you are our king and
to answer smile questions, and he died:
master, you must and can . save us."
Thus having spoken, and after covering
the body with wood and straW, the four.
guilty* Ones crept out of the-reiteneattfl.
shutting the. door, took council together
how to dispose of the body. Id the
meantime, sentry was placed over (he
door on the outside, to make it apparent
a
to all comers that the prisoner was with -
horse is unquestionably the the
animals under the contiol of man. hie
in, and also to keep all intruders on the
THE HoRSF..—Of the gretttnumber of'
most she.
dreadful secret inside from eutering in.
manybt-
viceable ; but le it not strange that so
It was 'agreed that at night the body who own orseseand-whthare de
pendent on their labor Jor a lif
should be thrown into the great well at
.
should neglect to give that care and at.
ing
tention which their own interest nn leee
than the comfort and safety of the home
• That eight, when all his household
slept 'Soundly:and when no sound save
the barking of-multitudinoue curs and the
oecasional wail of the jackals, or now
mai then the more discordant notes of
the barbaric music of some marriage
feast. disturbed the stillness of the
night, Ram lall rose up, girt up his
loius, wrapped a lose dark blanket,
round him, seized a heavy iron instru-
ment, 'and passed into the court -yard,
where some three or four of his men
were sleeping, eaCh tied securely as to
his head and ears. in a cloth; and snor-
ing to that' extent that their united ef-
forts amounted to a roara-this being the
customary manner in which Eastern
watchmen keep guard. Stepping over
their bodies with impunity, for nothing
short of a salvo of artillery could. have
awakened that, he passed. out into the
the lane and crept 'cautiously to the
back of his house, and there selecting h
likely -looking shot in the nnid wall, .
neither very thidk nor very hard, he be-
gan to pick a gteat hole With the iron in-
strument in his hand. Softly, but
swiftly, the old. man wrought, panting
and laboring heavily, but alWaye prog-
ressing dexterously, fashioning the hole
until it grew large eneugh to allow a
man to pass through it into the chamber
within, an outer room stored full of
grain. Squeezing himself in, he knock-
ed. the grain baskets about, cut a greet
hole in the side of one, and then crept
back into the lane, panting, trembling,
-and guiltily listening to every night
soond the bieeze brought him. Next
this midnight prowler stepped a few
paces up the lane, entered the patch of
weeds a,ncl rubbish called -by his enemy,
Muneram, a garden and quietly buried. a
tin box, of which he had torn off the lid
and burst the lock, under` some dried
lea.ves and refuse in a corner, threw a
silk 'handkerchief- on the ground just
outside the same garden, and then, .his
work over, crept, back again to bed, and
fell, asleep in a highly -contented frame of
mind.
- Morning at Doongeheraon, the one cool
hour of the twenty-four, that before
sunrise. Soon arises a grand hubbub
from the vicinity of Ram lall Patail's
domain. ; a terrible chorus of harsh
voices is rising up in lamentation, for the
cow -herd who was first abroad has
brought in the news that the house has
been -broken into ; but forthwith rushes
the worthy Ram lall, with anguish and
eerprise depicted on his countenance,
and a delighted crowd quickly collect;
;
all the men shout and talk to other Men
long distances off at „the. top Of their
• voices, and. all the women scold *and
screech, and the little naked: children
tamble ,about, and they all thoroughly He listened. intently, and heard a scuf-
enjoy themselves. An Indian crowd, fling of feet, a rapid whispering, and all
was still. He waited on impatiently;
minute followed minute, still that fatal
doordid. not open. What devil's work
was in progt-ess within. Suddenly the
door was opened an inch or two, and the
chief police officer, with bare 'head,
ghastly yellow face, ancl terrified. eyes',
beckoned him in, and quickly shut the
door after him. Ram lall petred. about
in the dark room, until, in a corner, he
discerned his victim lying dead. This
had been the result, then, of showing
him their procedure, or, in plain words,
of attempting to make the man confess
to a crime he hal not committed.. The
disearei3 of the nervons system, tia than
aricItiliT,Lisuriagnad4 Cold's, wheratienilnlemfst-(.1-.)::::elheiltatireit
complaints, which lead to that disfaeseaa
selves frequently bringi on pUbberiase -
strenghten the bronchial tubeseallahha
anda t
attended n fatal
1., to disine"time,e,e:;saBaumprEateym-aPanatti:s:1:sithblitn;:i;
IsVtoapfetrhise'iirriarteatiangeecttouaginh:
areaoiflsingersairritations
edulaajirdi37public speakers. S 01 d by
all druggists and, country dealers. -hew
25 cents per box.
the back of the house, and it should c
given out in the morning that the prison-
.
er had. escaped. When the body came
to the surface again it would be .appar-
ent that. in remorse and desperation, lie is Darley's Condition Powders andthee.
demands. The best mediemeior herset
heel tannmitted suicide. Thus settled, bian Heave Remedy ; of this there eat
bit% innoeindbTrbtt—h the 1 name, saisafe
and l'ease ilt3rh at given
signature of Hurd & Cen, i.S 031 eathpack.
Oagnei., PNrocprrihert°oPrs &foil.: CYamLnd'irt IleZoe"Id. by
tie,
all Medicine Dealers.
Ram lall re-entered his abode to face the
inniates there, and one of them in par-
" ticular with a very troubled 'heart in-
deed. The long hot hours passed wearily
away, and at last the fierce hot wind,
tired of its boisterous blowing, died
away'; • the hour of lamp lighting drew
-near, . the gossips gathered . round the
• house, and, sitting on their heels, con-
doled .with Ram lall on the loss; of his
property, complimented the police on
their skill, and cursed the culprit for a
• wizard and a thief; for it was given out
that the prisoner had. confessed to the
theft, and was to be taken to the eta-
tion-liouse early next morning ; and,
when it 'was told them he had endeavor-
ed to connect other and. respectable' per,
sons with the case; the curses against
him were redoubled. - •
• The evening ' grew on to night, the
soft clear Indian Summer night, the vil-
lagers departed one by one, and soon
only the accustomed night sounds broke
the. stillnees.
In the second watch of thel night the
wooden gates ot the Patail's court -yard
were softly 'Opened, and Ram lall himSelf
with the same stealthy tread as that with
which be had en the previous night gone
forth on his evil 'errand, stepped forth
into the roael, gazed and listened, held
his breath and listened, then bizbkoned
with his hand, and there issned out of
the gate three men bearing something
having the -similitude of a human Body.
With rapid silent steps, without .a word
or a whisper, they passed like ghosts in
• a gloom; goon a faint splash broke- for
• an instant the silence of the night, and
four figures repassed. with guilty foot-
steps through the. gateway, and once
again the great doors were softly shut.
• Long beforeedawn there canie the pris-
oner's brother - and little sister to the
gate, knocking and asking to be allowed
to accompany their brother, immediate-
ly there was no small. stir within,
and the news Went forth that the. priso-
ner -had fled; for the police in their ten-
der mercy toward him loosed. his hand-
cuffs that he might sleep the easier.
There was then no doubt of his guilt.
But his brother seemed to have strange
doubts and fears. and hung about ham.
lall all day, asking 'brother, cry-
ing to him to deliver up his brother.
Then said Ram lall : " How ! do you
say that I have got your brother ?"
"Aye !" said the young man, "you have
killed him, and Bugwunt (God) knowie,
it." Then Ram lall, in consultation
with his friend the police officer, whose
men had of course gone to hunt up the
escaped prisoner, drew the, young man
into •a shed, and having gagged him,
hung him. by one arm to a lofty beam,
and left him, saymg, "Remember, I
am master here ; say again what you
have said and the rope shell go round
your neck instead of your arm."
The crowning incidents in this village
tragedy had. yet to be enacted. Two
days passed a,w-ay, throughout which the
Patail's young wife had, after the fash-
ion of her race, mourned_ her lost lover,
and called tor vengeance on her bated
husbend. Early on themorning of the
third clay, .when the firtt faiet blush of
dawn reddened the sky; the -girl arose
and 'Wandered out towardthat great well
she had visited once or twice before.
Her heart was sore within her, and she
had determined 'that she would' run away
from the cruel ohl tyrant who owned her,
and seek elsetihere for the lover she had:
lost. When she reached the well she sat
down au the low parapet which surround-
ed it, and looked down into tlae depths
of the cool dark water which had so of-
ten fascinated her before. As -she gazed
the thoughts came back to her, and she
began to wonder how it Would be -with
her if she wete lying still and dead down
below. Suddenly it seemed to her that
the still wattle gretv troubled and trem-
bled, and in a moment' there rose up as
though to meet and claim her, from their
&Lek depths, with arms upraised and
joined hands uplifted, as though praying
to her for vengeance on his destroyer,
the dead body of her lover. The waters
had given up their dead., their ..secret
was disclosed. With a wildery the girl
started to her feet, staggered forward and
fell heavily into the well; her lover's
grave becaane her grave too.
Thefe is little need to _dwell on the
closing scenes of this sad story. Enough
to say that, by dint of sowing money
broadcast Ram lall managed to hush the
Whatever the cause which has attra.cted
it, seldom • does • anything beyond
sliou ttienrg:a
while the'police arrive -in pro"- •
cession.; first -comes the chief officer in a
braided coat, with trowsers. wrinkled -up
to his knees, and his bare feet thrust
into eninumition boots, astride a very
small lean pony, his head being wrapt
up in a haedkerchief, and an immense
yellow umbrella -over all. Afteio. him
come his men, in vaneus stages of -un-
dress, their 'batons their hands, and
a determination to distinguish themslves depicted on their faces. The.chief
alcer, being .a considerable personage, constables, with the sweat pouring like
'
was at once stayed with plaintains and rain down their faces, and the gallows
comforted with pau, and then Rain .vividly before them, stood trembling
y had.
innocent sleep in the bosom of his done. Then the Darogah, th -mg his
fa,mily, and -awoke to find himself ruined. turban at the feet of Ram lall besought
and. begaeared, his long stored up wealth him sa.yieg : Oh, Patail, y rt. are our
of jewels and cash gone, and, worst of father, our mother, and all on kindred,
all, suspicion resting on the man he had we know none but you: have clone
so long protected. He wished to de- • thie thing in serving- you, andeyouitaist
• MANUFAMLTRE OF COCOA.—" We will
now give an account of the peodess adopt-
ed by Messrs: James ERpopasd,&LCoon.d,onnta,,e.:
ufacturers of dietetic articles, at their
works in the gust=
Cassell's _Household Guide.
•1)11'
ELER'S ELIXIR OF PHosPHATE8
and Calisaya—After having used your Com.
pound Elixir of Phosphates and Calisaya for over
two years in my daily practice, I must -give it my
unqualified approbation. During a practice of
over twenty years, I have -used many seientifically
prepared compounds, made to fulfil the same the-
apentical indications as your elixir,' but none ot
them proved with me so valuable ay0. To the
medical .nrolession, and to the public, I 'would
especially recommend it es the best remedy with
whith I am acquaiuted the inecessful treat-
ntent of the large and. constantly increasing. clap
of cases of Over-'WOrkea and uerve-exlmusted we.
men. -Yours truly, N. WATEYN9 13UEL, M. D.
told his tale.; how that he had. slept -an with abject terror at the deed
•
•
LEiteelje .
T tr. MEET, Solicitor, Wingbam, has been at-
" • poi ted. Agent for the Colonial Securities Com-
pany of
vate Ca
V017 re
Charges
Wing
NT; OCAUGHEY & HOLVESTED, Barristers, At-
'LLI" tomeys at Law, Solicitors in Chancery and
Insolvency, -Votaries Public and Conveyancer.
*Solicitors for the R. C. Bank, Seaforth. Agents for
the Canada Assurance COrOpttES',.
N. B.—.2.-8O,M0 to lend. at 8 per cent. Farms,
Houses and Lots for sale. -MI
ongland, e also Agent for several pri
ttalists of Toronto, who loan Money at
sonable rates Interest payable yearly
moderate.
axa, Des. 15, 1871. 213
matter up. Inquests were held on the
bodies, verdicts of suicide returned, and.
after a while the story began to be for-
gotten. It was not until six months had
elapsed that Muneram's brother plucked
up courage to go and tell his story to the
officials of the district, and then at last
the whole affair*oezed. out. Witnesses
whose lips had_ been hitherto closed from
dread of the all-powerful Ram-lall came
forward; the policemen confessed their
share in that wicked might's work, and
.11 t
received the panishment they had so
justly merited. -----The Corn/till Magazine. I
BENSON & MEYER, BarrisMid Attorneys
La'w, Solicitors in Chancey and Insolvency,
Conveyancers, Notaries Public etc. -Oboes—Sea-
forth and Wroxeter. $23,000 of Private Funds to
invest at once,..at Eight per cent. Interest, payable
yearly.
JA13. H. BENSON'. B. 1v. C. MEYER.
a concernedwerebroughto trial, and
THE DOMTN ION
,SAV-INCS AND INVESTMENT
SOCIBTY,
OP LONDON, ONT,
\IT R. SQVIER, Baniater, Attorney Chew
• cry,&e., Goderich, Ont. Office—over TC.
Dobler & Co.'s Emporium, Market Square. 269
Spate)! McDonald,
ARRISTERS, Attorneys, Solicitors in Chancery,
&e., Brussels,- Ont. Office-z--twotdoors notth*of
the Post Office.
W. R. SQUIBB, DANIEL Mat:WALD,
271 • Goderich. 'Brusaels.
MEDICAL..
DIL CA'
11PBELL has removed to the house on
Alain -street, near the Station one door south
of Ross' Rotel, and opposite Alkallum's Hotel,
lately occupied byMr. Frank Meyer, where he will
be fornal as usual.
',TAMES STEWART, M. D" C. ar., Graduate of
" McGill, University, Montreal, .Physician, Stir-
ge011, etc. Office and Residence--Bracefield.
IT L. VBRCbE, AL D., C. M., Physician, Sur -
'1 -"L • geon, etc. 011iee and Residence, corner of
Market and High streets next tei the Planing Mill.
J. G. BULL, L.D.S.,
I G a N , Dentist, &c., Seafarth, ,Ontario.
Plate work, latest styles, neatly exscuted. All
surgical operations performed with care and
promptitude. Fees as 10W AB can be obtained else-
where. Office horns front 8 A.R. to -5 P.M. Rooms
over Mr. A. G. McDouga.11's Store, Main -at. 270
•
Atario Veterinary College. Residence — Cooke's
M. CAMPBELL, V. S.) formerly of Cornell
• University, Ithaca,N. Y., and -Graduate of On -
Temperance House, Varna. Will be at Brucefield
every Monday afternoon from 2 till 5 o'clock.
VETERINARY SURGEON.—D. McNA.TIGHT,
v• V. S., begs to announce to the -inhabitants of
Seatorth and surrounding Country that he has
been as the diploma of the 0.filario Veterin-
ary College, and is now prepared to treat diseases
of Horses and Cattle and all domestic animals. Be
has opened an 'office in connection with his herrae
shoeing shop, where he will be found ready to at-
tend. to calls. Diseases of the feet specially at-
tended to. Residence, office and shop in tha rear
of Killoran & Ryan's new store. .All kinds ot Vet-
erinary Medicines kept constantly on. hand.
Charges reasonable. • • 229
j. CHURCHILL, VeterinfuT Surgeon, (mem-
-v- • ber of the Ontario Veterinary Co)lege,) begs
to intimate that he has returned to the practice of
• his profession in Seaforth, and may at all times be
consulted on the diseases of Horses, Cattle, &O.
; Veterinary nreclieines •constahtly on hand. All
calls promptly attended to,. Office, at Mansion
House, Seaforth. • • 278
UOTEL.S.
p OVAL HOTEL, Seafortl* Ontario. SIAION
-A-t' POWELL, Proprietor. The subscriber has
thoroughly renovated and newly furnished the
above house, so that it now affbrds good accomnto-
dation for the travelling, public. Choice liquors
and cigars in the bar. The table is supplied with
the- 'delicacies in season. • Oyiters in season.
Large stabling and an attentive hostler in e.on-
nection.
251-ly
pRINCE OP WALES HOTEL, Clinton, Ont.,
-1- C.. J*. McCUTCuli1011, Proprietor. First-class
accommodation for travellers. The Bar is sup:
plied with the very best liquors and eigar:s. 0004:
-
stabling attached The stage: leaves this, House
.
every day for Wingham. • 204-4
LIVERV..
T SIIARP'S LIVERY AND S A.T.RSTABLE§.
011ice—At Marray's Hotel, •Seeforth. Goo#
Horses and first..class Conveyances always onhan&
isismommeminas, .usorsimesmso
ORTH, Oat.
-RNnEox-L'arScLiteill,TAEltlarnY SSTtrileeSt11. ES' SE"
Good Horses and Comfortable Vehicles, alwar
on hand. Favorable Arrangements made with
Coramercial Travellers. • All orders at 01
left Kr( la
HOTEL, will be promptly attended to.
Orrxcii AND Sy.i.ELEs:—Third door North o
221 - THOMAS BELL, Proprietor.
SPECIAL NOTICES.
BREAKFAST. "COCOA. —GRATE-
FUL A14 D COMPORTING.—" By a thorough
knowledge of the uatural laws which -
govern the operations of digestion and.
nutrition, and by a careful application of
the fine properties of -well-selected coeoa,
Mr. Epps hat provided. our breakfast ta-
bles with a delicately flavoured beverage
which may save us many heavy doctore-
bills."—Civit Service . Gazette. • Made
simply with Boiling Water or Milk.
Each packet is kbellecr—JAmEs Errs &
Homceopathic Chemists, London."
THE new conibination of Hypophos-
phites invented by Mr. Fellows (Fellows' ,
Compound Syrup of Hypohhosphites) ,
making many .extraordinary . cures
throughout the ProVinces, particularly in
Head Office, Richmond -street, opposite City 113111
London, Ont.
Established in 1872, for thepurpose of advano-
ing money cm Farm and Town Property at YerY
terms of repayment. favorable
low rate of interest, and on the most
Loans for long or short periods repayable by in-
t-tallinents to suit borrowers. Parties purchasing
Farms, building Dwellings or Stores, Will• d the
ftoerrminssotfantheeis, •>*.s7o6cie,toyii:nriedfeartabthleeteonand •10.,01theacerhmtailOdar
yea.r, will pay back both principle and interes'
:3;157 20 will d001
upon a loan $itl.,000 in 10 years. If paid yearbrf
MOnev can be obtained at any time and wit')
little or no delay beyond the tinie neeessarily Do'
cupied in the investi‘gation. of title and PrePara.
tion of the mortgage.
byFloert•tfetur •ttoher particulars as to terma, &O. app.
• Secretary and Treasm7e.r,ItoLEn28:011t.
Or to ALONZO STIIONG-) Esq., Valuator at Sea -
280.52
forth.
cloirc130/1 thaSs in Old Shohlatid.
gra° out find lamentabDi le spectacle. ange:whivria:s_
om
ntId
Brefettetnseisifigittlit 1°IewanSdeottewho 11311:;11-
esotiebsildaettretil'Ideesglejencetraicitele Li f yathrwz iiarningdteoli
at
ohrat,anecoypnhshwuisiiiiritenionennl sgien: tta!nvegiii.iyti'vgteleriiyss_ tarwil::
11::,;:eirriftot
• se tjlel were met by the
sy
- little refreshment:" As the judo -es i cither--
something unesual. :II-Tobwopeis blet,f5 ', emef p
. 'tome,•trt whed they dae, coine, Jest and 11'
'•wlibre 'their host, for the time being,
-tleeen,of port standing on the side -
lie
opponewi „ _ e Mils- 1 1131- /
rii:pes:oKeefle_.uwis„hijali:iepr hiT:txfirie;aerocisltusieldiroegknoniarewtirilaz.s ..el:eianiwici:utibill-ilyat Idynillmitvily
. wiecleigelideredto idnetcoantlite .z). dnine :nfgt-rioalofma, li fgluridigie:
it: anctitatio:uoij: : et (;)cattsilaonaktie: wt et:141 ietosilioirabnr w:adaiateateelinlidoadr et: as t)etehtettea. II ismiE p a:"nBs:leroolt-sf:., ; pi: .1wnoveeat.aoiritieelx:::ei allort,d1 .,
aft,4 a eoteple of glasses they ?•Zise to
;1;ortektrnaavt iel hrnaybgieri ovi: f ticks): tCkvehl11;()taaden g tiimtbsitiol:a:fisitows
_thee cautious Scot was not, even. un- -I jo:•t°fItiaer
' no ; the old clerk had another duty . weel '
gbi
, Ina quietly locking it, and plain:: i Iiiarlilk
, dgoetientghetotheematctiliinIngspelifrtoenrrdteienicdeesd, i ,,.;cw, cici,:n:igrarae
- - • * *th regard to hi - late -
_ —
-.,selxiope..rkessedinagt tshoemesadotivetihite, a:0dpi, common-
4tnoteu n e
tees welfare in his present unknown
11
,. hineselrbetween them and the door,
:to pert'orm. "-Na, gentlemen, YOtt -.1 for it's'
the 1 it i itnh eb idsecpaonsetke,arseenzifk4etdi,m.e.. I. iowin
place of. -abode I The three vsi-
thane Were, of coerse, exceedingly
lordshipsaid to me were, -; John, PP.
. .
-have slinpeil awe? before the doctors WY'
,-.Na, nil, gentlemen, yell iaa
'lloard. The port was exeellent, and ot°°°<
leave. . The clerk, however, *put
1)11
awa' yet. Arming the last words bis I ar3111-
aues s'il'itable for the occasion, were
e .
. ye see that th-ey no gang -opt of this _
hbose eober. Bring up half a dozen
•:ice a
they dae their duty atit'll no 1 t111:'
be said that the last guests in ma 1 taow
heuSe_ went hame sober.' It was , with°
• be ‘ul'beAnYeet It'o' ' 'tell you the ' truth- ," °°°'
- - wish was. strictly obeyed, for afore ; per
was . the doctorl• r -e -mark, as he re- i 1114.Y
we left the table there waS TM a. ne ; t°03
fated the anecdote, " his lordship's -sui
his laste wish, gentlemen, and mewl lilubliele:t
-01 US ,Ccthi.d" bite oor thumb."
• It was 11, hard-dtieking time—a. !1
timefif batchanalian toasts -and Uiyal
bampers—when "gentleman" sat i to be
down early- to, and rose .ep late
,from, the dining -table ; -when steer- .
lain periods of the evening a boy 0113T
was introduced under t,U table -to ;: avail
unlooee the. neckcloths of gentlemen 1 '
,W110.-kri. down drunk ; and When a '
, freironstrance at some eneeannth .tem-
perate than another passing the de-
canter VtIS thonglet_to be more strin-
gent if it. was enforced bv calling at- , •
:ten tion ,to the feet "that the night i :ago
was young yet—the callant's no un- 4 id
der the tableT'. All classes of so-
ciety ilrani, and drank frequently
to excess, too. A jovial farmer ] to
or
would go into a. tavern when the I t0x1
landlauy was 1.‘ setting ". a ben, and 1 ow
would never. come -cut* again until ! eetei
I
the chickens were runn-re about gol
The superiors migut not eariy things 4 11314
to Snell till excess, but a two days' I go
drinkineyout was thought the moit 1
common thing in the worid, and iwb
tLe' capacity for standin
g A tertan
f FairtliqUake pint, and see
• number • of bottles the test et a
thorough good fellow These -were 10
the days of 'five -bottle mee, and in
St. Andrew's 'University was a stn -
dents' Crub called the Nine -tumbler 1 tba
Club,, the test of tituess fot en- *11
trance into which was the ability of
the candidate, after drinking nine
TH
; tumblei4 bot Whiskey toddy, to
pronounce artietilately, the, WOrds,
" crit -ism? A miserly
old laird used to make it,his boast (
that so popular a man was be that t
he cou'd go to Market with eix pence
in his pocket, and twine home drnu.
with the six pence sill in his pee- :
ket.
Lord Nairne, after ieturning
from his loag exile in Franee, onae
"count of his adherence to the house
of Stuart, expressea himself, in. the
eompanv of the friends who had
gathered around him to welcome
him back again, thoroughly dis-
gusted with the sober habits of the
Parisiees. "1 cantla express to ye,
gentletnen, the satisfaction I fae1. ie
getting men of some sense about
me, after being so king plagned
•a, set o' fules nee better than brute 1
beasts, that winna drink mair than
what sei-ves them 1" Another gen-
tleman, who had disinherited his
8=5 reinstated him in his rights
when he discovered, after a separa-
tionofsomenexaisr,tilen
that lad was
•afair andso
riAnkinahriardw,InLoa:dwilasot ad_prtinkto,
a hc
thought boorish, and had as little
-chance of mingling in the eonviViA
se9jety of the district he lived in As
an hish gentleman of the:same pe-
riod who didn't "blaze" There is a
an anecdote of a clergyman who was