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WHY MEN ARE HANGED
religious mendicancy is a profession which supports myriads of parasites. The vagrant boy told his story to the holy man, and was asked to be his chela, in which capacity his daily bread would be provided for. Being hopeless to find any employment, the boy accepted the generous offer, and became an apprentice in the only profession which still always pays in India. But there was a condition in the contract which, though not stipulated by the holy man in the beginning, was imposed on the other party subsequently. The boy seems to have submitted for a timc reluctantly to the condition which he found to be odious. Finally, he rebelled, and killed the holy man for exacting a repellant price for measly morsels of begged bread.
The boy pleaded not guilty to the charge. The body of the murdered man was found in a lonely place, and several villagers testified that they had caught the boy running away in bloodstained clothes. The story of the accused was that he had gone away for a while leaving the holy man asleep in the lonely place. On his return, he found him lying frightfully wounded and rushed to his aid. Thereupon, some men appeared on the scene and caught hold of him.
The interesting piece of evidence, which indicated the motive of the crime, was that apart from other wounds inflicted with a stout branch the sex organ of the murdered man was smashed up.
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