The Thugs of India.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 95, 21 April 1894, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Thugs of India.

A Systrm of Murder and Robbery Based ok Religious Superstition.

By Lieut.-Col. J. H. Newill.

Thuggee and Thugs, what do they mean ? The names are well understood by persons connected with India. To some, though, they may convey only the idea of ordinary criminals who used strangling as a method of murder, and it is but a few who are conversant; with the details of the criminal system which, by combining religious puperstition with desire for plunder, existed for ages, and till within the lasb pixt.y years disfieured the progress of civilisation in' India, making life and nropert.y aliko insecure throughout the continent. TheThusrs could claim ancient descent, and are said to have been with the army of Xerxes. Ib is generally believed their descendants accompanied the Mohammedan invasions into India and settled in the neighbourhood of Delhi. History asserts than 'n the time of the Emperor Firoz Shah, about 1290 A. D., numerous" stranglers were, on account, of fchpir ill repute, deported towards Otide. Later on mention ib made of robbers infesting the roads between Delhi and Agra. ' who cast a rope wit,h a.running noo?e so skilfully round a man's neck that they never- failed to strangle him in n trice.' During the reigrn of the arreat Akhbar, it. is also recorded. Thugs were at different times seized and pub to death.

From nuoh records it may be assumed that the Mohammedans originated the method, and on their arrival in India initiated the Hindoos into their system of crime, who in thoir turn inoculated their teachers with their own superstition, and fo converted the system into a divine institution, ordained by the goddess Kalee, also called Bnowani and Devi.

A Hindoo legend asserts that the world waa once infested with a monstrous demon named Rukut Beejdana, who was cut in two by Kalee, and from every drop of blood that fell to the ground a fresh demon arose. Tho godde°s in vain tried to kill them all. Wearying of her task, she brushed off the sweat from her arm and created two persons, to whom she gave a •Koomat' (handkerchief), and commanded them to destroy the freshly

rising demons. This they did, and then wished to return the handkerchief. The goddess, however, directed them to keep it and transmit it to their posterity for the object of destroying all persona not of their kindred. The story goes on to narrate that the goddess disposed of the dead bodies on condition that th.c murderers never looked back after committing their crimes. One day, however, a Thug looked over bis shoulder and saw the goddess throwing the corpses up in the air and catching them as they fell. The exposure of her pastime so displeased the Deity that she ceased to remove the traces of their crimes and left it to themselves to conceal the bodies of victims.

Shedidnob.however.abandonherfollowers but bestowed on thera one of her teeth for a pickaxe, a rib for a knife, and the hem of her garment for a noose, and it is on this account: thab the pickaxe and handkerchief were revered among all Thugs as their standard and flag. She continued to protect them as long aa the religious duties ordained by herself were performed, and also sent them omens for encouragement and warning, to be duly observed as her commands for the destruction or preservation of travellers. The slaughter of women and cows was ab the same time strictly, prohibited. These omens were numerous, and were looked out for in the direction on which an expedition was to start, or was travelling along. The following are some of the mosb auspicious :—The meeting of a tiger, a woman carrying a pitcher of water, an ass braying on the left hand and then on the right, a jackal crossing from right to left, a deer crossing from left to right, a blue jay crossing from lefb to right, the call of a partridge on the right by day, the continued hooting of a sitting owl, and the croaking of a crow on a living tree. On the other band a hare or snake crossing the road, a crow croaking on a tlead tree, an ass braying while lying down, and the cry of a kite by daybreak were some of the most inauspicious signs. When on an expedition the meeting of any mained or emaciated person, of a woman with an empty pitcher, or of a donkey, was an ill omen, as was also the sighb of a jackal or a wolf crossing from lefb to righb, or of a deer crossing from righb to left. If a turban fell off the head of any member ot the gang, or a lizard fell on one of them the result tended to disaster. The sneezing of any of the gang, a dog shaking his head, and an unusual shower of rain were also all causes for alarm.

The goddess also decreed tbab the Filbao and Thibao should be most carefully observed, the former represented signs on the left band, and the latter those on the right. Unless both were obtained, no expedition started on its way. If the Pilhao was auspicious, it was improved by the following of the Thibao ; if evil, the danger was diminished.

Religious ceremonies were also observed, especially at the consecration of the pickaxe and handkerchief, the initiation of a new member, the starting of an expedition, the completion of each murder. The ceremonies were so similar that a description of the 'Tapournee' (performed at the completion of a murder) will convey a sufficient Mea of them all. A small amount of sugar was placed on a sheet and spread upon the ground. Beside it lay the sacred pickaxe and a silver coin. The leaders sat on a sheet facing west; behind them the stranglers, and again behind them the rest of the party. The leader of the expedition made a hole in the ground,and after dropping some of the sutjar into it, devoutly prayed aloud, 'Great Goddess, as thou hast previously vouchsafed health to those in need, so we pray thee now fulfil our desires.' These words were repeated by all, after which the leader sprinkled some water over the pit and the pickaxe, and placed some Bugar in the hand of each Thug. The signal for strangling (jhir nee) wa3 then uttered, and che sugar eaten in silence. Not a word was spoken until the whole had been eaten and washed down with a draught of water. The silver coin was restored to the owner, and the remnants of the sugar distributed among the lower grades of the gang.

Under the glamour of his religious superstitions the Thug believed that all his evil deeds were ordained from on high, and that punishment in this and the next world could but follow if he was not a true disciple. Colonel Meadows Taylor, in his ' Confessions of a Thug,' quotea the admonition of a well-known Thug reader to hia son when entering on the profession :— 'lama member of that glorious profession which has been transmitted from the remotest periods to the few selected by Alia for his unerring purposes. In it the Hindoo and Maliomedan both unite as brothers, among them bad faith is unknown, a sure proof that our calling is blessed and sanctioned by the Divine authority. So clashing are human interests, and so depraved is the social state of our country, that I own no such feeling could exist without the Divine will. Some repugnance you will feel at the practice of your profession, bub it is soon overcome, for the rewards held out are too glorious to all us to dwell for a moment on the means we use to attain them. Besides, ib is fate. The decree of the blessed Alia, and who can withstand ib? If he leads us into the undertaking, he gives us firm and brave hearts, a determination which no opposition can overcome, and a perseverance which never yet failed to accomplish its object. Be firm, bo courageous, be subtle, be faithful—more you need not.' In a vast country like India, divided into numerous administrations, with wide forests, rough and uncultivated regions, villages far apart and no supervision of the public ways, ib was easy for a Thug or any evilly-disposed person to murder and plunder wayfarers ; especially as the leading^ powers were generally in league with the offenders, and afforded facilities for committing, murder by giving information of likely victims and sheltering members of their gangs.

Thues were distributer! all over India, but principally in the central parts. They lived in villages, and went in largely for the cultivation of land. They were very sensible to domestic feelings and friendships. Their villages wero well kept, their lands well cultivated, and their wives and children were well treated. Frequently bhe wife was unconscious of the husband's calling, and the sons wore kepb in ignorance of it till about the fifteenth year, when they were gradually, by gentle transitions, trained to the business, and finally, after about three years, were regularly initiated hb scouts, and according to their proficiency, were promoted to the higher grades of gravediggers, holders of hands aqd feet, and, last of all to stranglers. Before anyone could attain to the last distinction his courage and impassibility were tried on many expeditions. From the pick of the stranglers were chosen the Jemadars or leaders.

When necessity, or the weariness of inactivity, urged them to leave their peaceful homes, expeditions were organised by their respective 'eaders. generally about the tirr.e of the Dasehra festival, at the end of the rainy season. The leaders conferred about their routes ; the pickaxe and handkerchief were consecrated ; and on the day appointed by the arch-priest (which, however, could not be on a Wednesday or Thursday, or during the months of Juy, September or December) the principal leaderfillod a brass vessel with water and carried it on his right hand by his side. Some turmeric, two copper and one silver coin, with the head of the pickaxe, were then tied up in a cloth, which he took in his left hand and pressed against his breast. He then advanced in the direction proposed, and prayed aloud. ' Great Goddess ! Universal Mother ! If this coming expedition be good in thy Bight, vouchsafe to as help aud signs of tby appro-

bation.' The leader then waited for the hearing of the Pilhao and Thibao, and not till it was heard did he relax from his position. The turmeric and coins were carefully preserved throughout the expedition, and on its return were usually presented to some poor Brahmin or holy man. To avoid suspicion Thug gangs used to break up into small parties, who communicated with each other by signs. Thus, on coming to crossroads, feet were drawn along the road in the direction they were going. If the comrades were to follow quickly, dust was piled along the toe line of the foot marks. If there was no dust, two stones were generally left, one upon the other, or a few leaves were strewed. The necessity of caution was expressed by drawing the back of the hand along the chin. The open hand placed over the mouth and drawn gently downwards showed an absence of danger. They had a language ot their own (Ramasee), and when collected together for perpetrating crime used some of the following sentences: •Sweep the place' for 'look out;' ' bring* firewood ' for • take your places ;' ' bring tobacco or water' for the stranglers to commence. The last term waa called the Thirnee.

The 'Rumal,' by which the strangling was effected, was generally part of a turban cloth, or a handkerchief. It waa about five feet in length. A knot with often a piece of silver in it was tied at the double extremity, and _ a slip knot about eighteen inches from it. Three persons were generally engaged. The principal actor suddenly pub the cloth round the neck of his victim and retained hold of one end, while the other was seized by the second man, who, after the body was brought to the ground, made another fold of the cloth round the neck, placed his foot upon it, and drew the cloth tight. The third man pulled up the logs of the victim and brought him to the ground. Sometimes a strangler was so expert that no assistant was needed, as when he threw the cloth from behind, and got ib tight, he suddenly turned his knuckles into the neck of his victim and gave such a sharp wrench that death was instantaneous.

The bodies of the victims were thrown into the graves previously prepared, and were then stabbed and mangled to expedite dissolution, as well as to prevent any inflation of the body which might by dieburbing the coil above, lead to exposure. Old wells and natural fissures were also made use of, and the beds of rivers when handy. To convey some idea ot the way in which a gang worked, an extracb from 'The Confessions of a Thug' will be of interest. It is the account of the first undertaking of Amir Ali, afterwards a most notorious leader, wherein a native banker, with a valuable collection of Benares cloths laden on bullocks, was made away with. ',The whole scene is now before me. The bullocks and their drivers, with the Thugs, were all in a confused group in the bed of the little stream, the men shouting and urging on their beasts; bub it was easy to see that every man had a Thug close to him awaiting the signal. * 1 tightly prasped the fatal handkerchief, and my first victim was within a foot of me. I went behind him as being preferable to one side, and observed one of the others do the same to a servant. The banker moved a step or two forward. I instinctively followed him; I scarcely felt that I stirred, so intensely was I observing him. 'Jey Kalee?' shouted my father (the leader); ib was the signal, and I obeyed it. As quick as thought the cloth was round his neck. I seemed endowed with superhuman strength ; I wrenched his neck round, he struggled convulsively for^ an instant, and fell. I did nob quit my hold. I knelt down on him, and strained the cloth till my hand ached, but he moved not, ho was dead. I quitted my hold, and started to my feet. 1 was mad with excitement. My blood boiled, and I felt as though I could have strangled a hundred others, so easy, so simple had the reality been. One turn of my wrists had placed me on an equality with those who had followed the profession for years. Wo then passed up the bed of the stream, and near the mouth of-a small tributary, the bed of which was dry, were shown the grave. The corpses were dragged to the brink and thrown in. Incisions were then made in the abdomens, and sharpened sticks driven through them. When all was finished, quantities of stones, which had been collected, were thrown upon the bodies, afterwards thorns, and the whole was covered up with sand, which was carefully smoothed.'

Another story in the same book describes how a large treasure with an escorb of about twenty persona was plundered and all killed.

' We have kept company with these persons for twenty days, we had become intimate, they told their adventures, we told ours. Cannot you appreciate the intense interest with which we watched their every movement, and our terrible alarms as sometimes our minds misgave us, that we were suspected. Yeb still we stuck to them through everything ; they were never lost sight of for a moment, and above all their minds were kept happy. The time came. We were sitting as usual under some noble trees. One by one we had sung our songs or related our adventures. Who could have guessed that a work of death was to follow. Every tongue was employed, and the hearty laugh/ which broke out at times showed how light and merry were our hearts at the certainty of our success. The treasure escort at the thought that the peril of the road was past, and that their large amount of treasure would reach its destination safely—there waß nob a grave face among us. The Thugs had taken their places, to each man were four stout men allotted, and I marvelled thab they should have thus allowed themselves to be separated from each other. Bub they had nob suspected ; who could have done so ' The moon rose majeetically and cast a mellow light upon our group. The treasure escort rose with one accord, and each turned to the men he was near to five a parting salutation. cNay,' said 1, addressing their chief, 'let us separate as friends, receive my embrace.' We embraced, and before the others could press forward to salute me I gave the Thirnee 'Panlae.' It was enough, the chief fell beneath my own handkerchief, and a few shrieks and groans told the resb—all had died. The bodies were stripped and buried. We stopped nob to counb our money, and only hauked for a few moments ab the next village to purchase the sugar (goor) for the tapournee and in the morning found ourselves about forty miles away from the scene of our nightly adventure.'

The Scoutß (Sothais), or aB they might well be cabled the inveig'ers, were a most important section of a pang of Thugs. They assumed various garbs, generally those of peaceful and harmless natives, and were usually unarmed. Their manners and ways were co pleasant and insinuating that they easily ingratiated themselves, and when falling; in with a large party would generally seek and obtain the protection of their destined victims. If on the other hand email parties were met with, they*1 would offer protection, and a cafe escort' of Borne of their armed followere. On falling in with any party likely to prove profitable news was promptly pent to other members of tho gang who would drop in by twos and threes, and in turn join in their daily purpuits and amusements until a favourable opportunity arose for murdering the party. Frequently the Thugs and their victims would travel together for weeks, a happy, united party eating, singing and gambling togebher. The time after the evening meal when the toils of the day were over and all were enjoying their ease without any suspicion of harm, was often the time chosen for making away with their victims.,

Ib may seem incredible, bat yet it is a facb that this terrible system of Thuggee flourished almost unheeded for centuries, and it is stated that the Government of the old East Indian Company did not realise its existence till about 1810-12. A Httie later on, when the crime was rnora prominently brought to notice by the fact that tew of the native soldiers on leave ever returned either to their homes or regiments, the authorities were aroused, but it was not till 1829 that Lord William Bentinch, then Governor-General of India, took the matter up and instituted a special department for the suppression of the crime. Several notorious Thug leaders were seised who, when they found that their only chance of life lay in fully disclosing their criminal careers, mercilessly denounced their former associates, and generally confirmed their statements by pointing out exactly where their victims had been buried.

With such energy did the special department work that within six years the system was virbually broken up, upwards of 3,000 notorious Thugs were accounted for, and the names of those still at large were fo a great extent known. The supporting by Government of so many confessing prisoners broughb about the question of how their families were to be provided for, and the sons removed from the temptation of reverting to the crimes of their fathers. Accordingly, in 1838, a school of industry was started at Jubbulpore for teaching the sons a trade, whereby to earn an honest livelihood. In due course it flourished, and within ten years counted about a thousand inmates, and yearly products worth about £4,000.