of the gang, never again went forth into the road. They remained at
Indore a whole day, but were not idle, for Feringeea prevailed upon
four more Marwarees to accompany him to the encampment of the remainder
of the gang, and they likewise were dismissed to Hades. Soon after
leaving Indore they fell in with four travellers, whom they murdered
in camp that evening. Feringeea's party then diverged from the main
body and passed through Saugor to Chutterpore, where intelligence
was received that a body of armed men were in pursuit of them. They,
therefore, doubled back and came to Kondee, a short distance from which
they murdered two travellers. At Raghooghur they were reinforced by
twelve of their fraternity, and on the following day by thirty more
under Sheikh Inaent: and at Dubohee, near Bhilsa, they were joined by
two more leaders with twenty Thugs. Here they murdered two sepoys.
After this affair fifty of them under Sheik Inaent went on to Baroda,
where they all fell sick and were glad to return to Bheelpore. Their
convalescence was celebrated by the murder of two Bearers. Encouraged
by this success they journeyed to Oodeypore in the Dhar Pergunnah.
Three sepoys and another man were strangled next morning about two
miles from the town. A little further on they overtook an elephant
driver, in the service of the Oodeypore Rajah, and him they murdered
at night at a village called Amjhera. Passing through Mhow, to a
village on the side of Raghooghur, they fell in with three Bearers,
whom they strangled next morning. They then held on through Ashta till
they encountered a Havildar (non-commissioned native officer), a sepoy,
and another, of whom they disposed the following morning. Shortly
afterwards a large portion of this gang returned home, whereon the
Sheikh went off and rejoined Feringeea. Their junction had scarcely
been effected before it was announced that the police were close upon
their track. Many more of the Thugs then started off homewards, and
others retreated to a stream near Peepala, where, notwithstanding their
fears, they made away with two sepoys, another man, and a woman.
A village called Jhundawala was the scene of their next exploit--a
Bearer their next victim. After that they came to Tuppa, and, as they
were setting out next morning, were joined by a Havildar, a sepoy,
and two women, whom they murdered on the following day. Arriving at
Kenjarra they strangled two more sepoys, and four more a few days
afterwards. The gang then broke up, and Feringeea returned to his
home in Tehree. Since he last parted from his wife, unconscious of his
crimes, he had been an accomplice in the murder of one hundred men and
five women. Let not this appalling number appear incredible. In the
kingdom of Oude, a fair sample of native government, there were 1406
miles of road infested by Thugs, and no fewer than two hundred and
seventy-four _Beyls_, or sites of murder; that is, one in every five
miles and a half. Twenty Thugs, admitted as Approvers, acknowledged
that they were present, respectively, at 508, 931, 350, 377, 604,
119, 42, 103, 264, 203, 195, 294, 117, 322, 340, 28, 65, 81, 153, and
twenty-four murders, the least experienced having witnessed twenty-four
murders, and the most 931--thus giving an average of 256 murders to
each of the twenty. The same Beyl was not unfrequently the scene of
several murders. Captain Sleeman mentions a striking instance of this.
When Feringeea was first brought before him a prisoner, in December
1830, he offered, if his life were spared, to give information that
would lead to the arrest of some large gangs who had appointed to
rendezvous at Jyepore in the following February. Some incredulity as
to his power to do so having been expressed, he begged to be allowed
to accompany the "Sahib" a short distance on his official tour of
inspection, when he would afford ample evidence as to his knowledge of
Thuggee. He promised no more than he was able to perform. Two stages
from Saugor on the road to Seronge, Captain Sleeman encamped for the
night in a small mango grove near the village of Selohda. At an early
hour of the next morning Feringeea desired to see him, and pointing to
three different spots declared they were so many graves. "A Pundit and
six attendants, murdered in 1818, lay among the ropes of my sleeping
tent, a Havildar and four Sipahees murdered in 1824, lay under my
horses, and four Brahman carriers of Ganges-water and a woman, murdered
soon after the Pundit, lay within my sleeping-tent. The sward had
grown over the whole, and not the slightest sign of its ever having
been broken was to be seen." All night long Mrs. Sleeman had tossed
about in her sleep, tormented by horrible dreams, probably engendered
by the foul air arising from so many graves--certainly not caused by
the spirits of the departed, and, perhaps, many a ghost story may owe
its origin to some similar cause. Still doubting, Captain Sleeman sent
for the police and a posse of villagers, who after digging down about
five feet came upon the skeletons of the Havildar and his comrades,
and afterwards the others were discovered in succession. Feringeea
then proposed to discover other graves in the neighbouring groves, but
Captain Sleeman could stand no more of such horrors for that morning.
It transpired that the Pundit's horse had been presented to the
proprietor of the village, in which some of the gang actually resided,
and that the others came thither every year and stopped some time
"feasting, carousing and murdering," and yet neither the police nor the
inhabitants appeared to have the slightest suspicion of the real nature
of their pursuits. It must be remembered that they never murdered any
but strangers and wayfarers, and that the villagers and their property
would be perfectly secure. It would be an excess of charity, however,
to suppose that the Zemindar had not a shrewd guess as to the means by
which his horse was obtained. During the three years, 1822 to 1824,
both inclusive, that Captain Sleeman was magistrate of the Nursingpore
district in the Nerbuddah valley, and--as he imagined--cognizant of
every crime and every bad character within its limits, he was perfectly
unconscious that there was a Thug village only 400 yards from the
Court-house, and that only a few miles distant the groves of Mundaisur
contained fully one hundred dead bodies. These groves were a favourite
place of rendezvous for gangs coming from Upper India and from the
Deccan, with the connivance and under the protection of two respectable
landholders, descendants of the pious individuals who had planted those
trees to shelter the unhoused wanderer.
The destruction of life and property since the commencement even of the
present century must have been enormous. It is known that in 1826-27,
two hundred and five men and six women were murdered by different gangs
in Malwah and Rajpootana. In 1827-28, three hundred and sixty-four
males and twenty-one females were strangled in Kandeish, Berar, and
Guzerat. In 1828-29, two hundred and twenty-six men and six women were
thus disposed of in Malwah and Kandeish. In 1829-30, ninety-four men,
four women, and a child perished in Baroda and Bundlecund. In 1830-31
the Bundlecund gangs destroyed fifty-seven males and one female.
In 1830-31-32, one hundred and seventy males and five females were
murdered in Rajpootana and Guzerat. And in 1832-33, forty-one males
were strangled in the Gwalior district alone. It has been estimated
that on an average more than ten distinct cases of murder occurred
in every expedition, and that every Thug went upon at least ten
expeditions, which would assign to each a guilty complicity in fully
one hundred murders. The amount of property of which they despoiled
the public must also have been very great, and occasionally individual
prizes were of no trivial value. Thus in 1826 a party of fourteen were
murdered by a gang of one hundred and fifty Thugs, and a booty secured
worth £2,500. In 1827, seven men were murdered by three hundred and
fifty Thugs, and robbed of £2,200. In 1828, the murder of nine persons
by a gang of one hundred and twenty-five yielded £4,000; and in 1829,
that of six persons produced £8,200, to be divided between one hundred
and fifty Thugs.
It must seem incredible, but it is nevertheless the simple fact, that
this terrible system of murder flourished for nearly two centuries
under those native governments of whose excellence so much has been
said in certain quarters. The division of the vast peninsula into many
separate, independent, and jealous states, no doubt, encouraged the
perpetration of crime by facilitating escape and rendering detection
and apprehension almost impossible. So long as their own subjects or
tenants were not molested, neither princes nor landed proprietors
considered themselves bound to interfere with an institution of
which they entertained a mysterious dread, and whence they derived
goodly gifts and a handsome revenue. Superstition and cupidity were
powerful allies in favour of the Thugs, who, besides, in their palmy
days, exhibited admirable prudence and tact in avoiding whatever
might be offensive to their patrons and injurious to themselves.
They were especially careful not to touch any European, for they
well knew that from such they were more likely to receive lead than
gold, and that search would be made for the missing man; nor, indeed,
was the like facility afforded for familiarity, owing, in a great
measure, as Fuseli would say, to "de d--d ignorance of de language."
All tell-tale property they quickly destroyed, and never committed a
murder near home, or where they were known; nor after a murder did
they ever proceed in the direction whence their victims had come,
lest they should be betrayed by a horse, a bullock, or an ass, being
anywhere recognised. The native custom of sending remittances in the
form of jewels and precious metals without any armed escort, and of
carrying considerable sums upon the person, increased the temptation
of doing honour to Bhowanee. The vast population, too, was always in
motion. Parties of travellers, or lonely wanderers, on foot, or on
horseback, streamed along the roads and bye-paths, reposing in the
intense heat of the day or during the moonless hours of the night
beneath the hospitable shade of a grove of mangoes and other stately
trees, or around the well that owed its origin to pious vanity. And
the very terror felt for their unknown enemies made the travellers an
easier prey, for in seeking to avoid the danger, they frequently ran
into it by inviting the company of the mild, cheerful and intelligent
companions, who were ever ready to converse with them, to walk with
them, and--to murder them. Their existence was first known to the
English in 1799, after the fall of Seringapatam, when a hundred
Phanseegars, or Thugs, were taken prisoners at Bangalore, though even
then they were not suspected of pursuing an hereditary profession. The
first regular information concerning their habits was not obtained
until 1807, when a gang of them was arrested between Chittore and
Arcot. It had frequently been remarked, indeed, that very many sepoys
never returned to their regiments on the expiration of their leave of
absence, and they were struck off the rolls as deserters. But when the
true cause of their absence was discovered, the Commander-in-Chief,
Major-General St. Leger, issued a general order in 1810, warning the
native troops against associating with chance companions on the road,
and advising them to send their money to their homes by means of
_hoondees_, or bills, and not to travel by night. The evil, however,
was of too monstrous a growth to be thus easily checked. And there was
likewise great difficulty experienced in bringing home any particular
crime, even when the perpetrators happened to be in custody. The
merchants and bankers whose property had been stolen were reluctant to
appear in court to give evidence: it was looked upon as somewhat of an
indignity, and the cautious delays of English jurisprudence caused a
waste of time they could ill endure. Their money was gone, and there
was an end of it. It was predestined that it should go in that manner.
The thieves were merely instruments working out the will of Providence.
Against them they bore no malice or vindictive feeling. Even the
relatives of murdered men refused to come forward until they obtained
a promise that they should not be summoned to appear in a distant
court. And in the majority of cases it was impossible to ascertain
who were the murdered persons, or whence they came. A few isolated
cases of conviction did, indeed, occur, as in 1823, when Mr. Molony
arrested a gang of 115 in the valley of the Nerbudda, and convicted
the whole of them; and again in 1826, when a large gang was arrested
in the same valley by Major Wardlaw, and their guilt proven. But these
exceptions rather tended to make the Thugs more cautious than to induce
them to relinquish their ancestral vocation. It was not until 1829-30
that the task of suppression was fairly commenced. The honour of the
initiative was reserved for Lord William Bentinck, who passed certain
acts rendering Thuggee the object of a special judicature, and giving
a wider discretion to the officers employed in its suppression. His
lordship was fortunate in his selection of the special officers. It is
needless to do more than mention the names of the late Major General,
then Captain, Sleeman, Major, now Colonel, Borthwick, Colonel Stewart,
Captain Patton, Captain Malcolm, Captain G. Hollings, and Mr. F. C.
Smith. The best proof of the ability and energy displayed by these
gentlemen is the fact that by the year 1840 the committals amounted
to 3,689. Of this number, 466 were hanged, 1,504 transported, 933
imprisoned for life, 81 confined for different periods, 86 called upon
to give ample security for their future good conduct, 97 acquitted,
and 56 admitted as approvers: 12 effected their escape, and 208 died
a natural death before sentence was passed. The approvers were not
absolutely pardoned, or even released from custody. Sentence was passed
upon them in the usual manner, but respited as long as they showed
signs of repentance and reformation. The utmost caution was used in
sifting their evidence and in confronting them with the accused, but
their testimony was so clear and so thoroughly substantiated that
no reasonable man could entertain the slightest doubt as to their
veracity. So complete was the success of the measures now adopted that
on the 17th of August, 1840, Hoossain Dost Khan, a powerful Talooqdar
(baronial lord) in the Nizam's dominions, previously an avowed opponent
of the British, wrote a letter to Captain Malcolm, from which the
following is an extract:--"Seeing that the best arrangements have been
made in this matter, the whole of the inhabitants of the country, and
travellers, have been emancipated from the fear of Thugs; day and night
they raise their hands in prayer to state that in the days of kings
bygone no such peace and comfort existed. Thanks to Almighty God, the
power of conferring this great boon, a source of great renown has
been reserved for you from the beginning of the world, in order that
this matter should be so arranged. Where are the murdered men? How
can there be any, when you do not even hear the slightest allusion
to Thugs? The whole world are giving thanks for this." It must be
confessed, however, that there was some slight exaggeration in the
worthy Talooqdar's congratulations, for in the course of the next
seven years 531 more Thugs were apprehended and committed for trial.
Of these, 33 were hanged, 174 transported, 267 imprisoned for life and
27 for shorter periods, 5 called upon to put in bail, 125 acquitted,
and 46 admitted as approvers: besides 11 who died, and 2 who made
their escape. It was no easy matter to prevent the last contingency,
so great was their patience and ingenuity. Towards the close of 1834,
twenty-seven prisoners escaped from the Jubbulpore gaol, by cutting
through their irons and the bars of their windows, with thread smeared
with oil and then incrusted with finely-powdered stone. In 1848 also
there were 120 committed, of whom 5 were hanged, 24 transported, 11
imprisoned for life and 31 for a limited period, 7 required to find
substantial bail, 12 acquitted, and 9 admitted as approvers: 2 died,
and 10 remained under trial. Since that year Thuggee appears to have
quite died out. In 1853, indeed, some cases occurred in the Punjaub,
but vigorous measures being at once adopted, under the superintendence
of Captain Sleeman, whose happy lot it was to complete the good work
inaugurated by his distinguished father, its final suppression was
almost coincident with its revival.
The question that next presented itself for the anxious consideration
of the Government was the means of providing for the families of the
approvers. If left to their own devices, or the suggestions of want,
there was too much reason to apprehend that the elder members, who had
already witnessed the taking of human life, might be tempted to revert
to the practices of their forefathers. Accordingly, in the year 1838,
on the recommendation of Captain Charles Brown, a School of Industry
was founded at Jubbulpore, for the purpose of teaching the sons of
the approvers a trade or craft by which they might earn an honest
livelihood. At first their parents were opposed to the idea, but soon
joyfully acquiesced when they came to understand the benevolent motives
of the Government. For a time the old Thugs continued to speak with
animation of their past achievements, but, gradually weaned from their
former habits and associations, they learned to look back with shame
upon their antecedents and studiously avoided any further allusion to
them. By the end of 1847 the school possessed 850 inmates, of whom
307 were employed as guards, brickmakers, builders, cleaners, &c.,
&c.; while the remaining 543 applied their superior ingenuity to the
manufacture of lac dye, sealing-wax, blankets, _satringees_ (a sort of
strong drugget), fine cloth for trousers, _dhotees_, or body cloths,
_newar_ tape of sorts, cotton wicks, stockings, gloves, towels, tents,
and carpeting. In that year the product of their labour amounted to
131 tents, 3324 yards of Kidderminster carpeting, forty-six woollen
carpets, and a vast quantity of towels, tablecloths, plaids, checks,
&c., which realised upwards of £3,500. Of this sum £500 were given to
the Thugs as an encouragement, and to form a capital for such as were
allowed after a time to establish themselves in Jubbulpore on their
own account. And nearly £300 were paid to their wives for spinning
thread for the factory. Much of the success of this institution has no
doubt been due to the excellent and judicious superintendence of Mr.
Williams, formerly a patrol of the Delhi Customs.
Let British supremacy in India cease when it will, the suppression of
Thuggee will ever remain a glorious monument to the zeal, energy, and
judgment of the civil and military servants of the East India Company.
It is easy to direct epigram and innuendo against the idea of a body
of merchants ruling a vast empire with enlightened and disinterested
beneficence. But the impartial student of Anglo-Indian history can
readily adduce many such examples as the preceding--for instance,
the suppression of Suttee, human sacrifices, and infanticide; the
repression of torture, gang robberies, and voluntary mutilation--in
order to prove that these merchants were truly princes, these
traffickers the honourable of the earth.
The Tusma-Baz Thugs.
The Tusma-Baz Thugs were the fruit of European civilization grafted
on the Asiatic stock. At the commencement of the present century
one Creagh, a private in an English regiment stationed at Cawnpore,
initiated three natives of low degree into the mysteries of an art,
formerly practised by thimble-riggers in this country, and known as
"pricking the garter." The game, designated Tusma-bazee by his Hindoo
disciples, was played in this manner:--a strap being doubled into
many folds, the bystanders were requested to insert a stick where the
first double took place, which it was impossible to do without the
consent of the juggler. Creagh's three apostles speedily became the
leaders of as many schools or gangs, numbering in the year 1848, when
they were brought to justice, about fifty persons, chiefly residing
in the outskirts of Cawnpore. They had long been known to the police
authorities as professional gamblers, and had more than once been
either punished for that offence or required to furnish security for
their good behaviour. It was not their custom, however, to confine
their depredations to their native town. On the contrary, they
travelled to a considerable distance to the westward, preferring those
districts which still remained under the misrule of petty independent
princes. Their first proceeding was to conciliate the police, which
was usually effected by the promise of one-fourth of their profits.
Having thus provided against all chance of molestation, they would meet
as strangers, and accidentally, near some well frequented spot, and
gradually begin to play. By degrees a crowd gathered around them, and
some one or another was certain to be tempted to try his fortune. At
first he was, of course, allowed to win, but it rarely happened that he
finally escaped being fleeced of his last coin. The leader received a
double share of the plunder, in consideration of the risk and expence
he incurred in maintaining his followers until a sufficient booty had
been secured to render them independent. If any one of the gang was
arrested, it was the leader's duty to use every means in his power to
release him, and for every rupee he expended for this purpose he was
allowed two pice interest. The balance, after deducting the captain's
share was equally divided among the rest, and was generally squandered
in drinking and gambling among themselves. It was, however, a light
and lucrative profession, and they frequently remitted considerable
sums of money to their families. But they did not solely rely on their
superior sleight of hand. When the opportunity was favourable they
did not scruple to add murder to robbery. Their ordinary plan seems
to have been by means of medicated sweetmeats, or sugar, hospitably
pressed upon the unwary who ventured to test their skill in play. The
drug mostly used was expressed from the seed of the _datura_ plant,
a powerful and dangerous narcotic. To call them Thugs was evidently
a misnomer, for they had none of the observances of that ancient
fraternity, nor did they lay any claim to religious motives. They were
simply organized bands of vagrants of the most worthless characters,
who preferred fraud to labour and murder to industry. Their detection
would have taken place at a much earlier period, had not the police
been bribed to connive at their proceedings. It is almost superfluous
to remark that their practices were no sooner discovered by the
European magistrates than their occupation was gone, and themselves
severely punished.
Dacoits, or Gang-Robbers of India.