Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 52
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1923
of general interest to students of folk-customs. The first of these instances is almost exactly the same as ono published ante, vol. XXVII, p. 336 (1898).
Instances. 1. Life-convict No. 14114, Musst. Begi, was received in the Penal Settlement of Port Blair on the 2nd December 1895 and died there on the 14th June 1897. She was convicted of murder on 5th May 1893 by the Sessions Court of Jalandhar, Panjab. She is described 29 aged about 40 years and as the wife of Shadi Shah Faqir of Daboli. With her was charged Musst. Amiri, wife of Dallû Shah Faqir of Daboli, who was her daughter.
The mother and daughter were convicted of murdering a female child named Begam, age about 3, on March 2nd, 1893. The conviction was based on the confession of both the women corroborated by other evidence. The point of the confession for the present purpose is this. Musst. Begi had been told by a faqir that if she killed the eldest son or daughter of some one and bathed herself over the body she would have a malo child and it would live. Accordingly one day, as the child Begam was playing near Begi's house with Begi's own little daughter Mamon, Begî and her elder daughter Amiri took the child to Begi's house and cut her throat with a knife. The body was then hidden behind an earthen kothi (hut) and next day it was buried in a corner of the house. On the day following the body was taken by Amiri to & barley field near the village-pond, and Begî, who had accompanied Amiri, bathed herself over the body and then threw it into the pond. But it would not sink and so it was taken out and left in the field where it was found.
2. Life-convicts No. 16663, Musst. Kuri. and No. 16664, Musst. Paro alias Dhapo, were received in the Penal Settlement on 15th November 1897. They were convicted of murder on 27th February 1897 by the Sessions Court of Saharanpur, N.-W. P. Musst. Kuri is described as aged about 40 and as the wife of Nabia Shekh, by caste a weaver, of the village Mala, in the Muzaffarnagar District, and by occupation a midwife and Musalman beggar. Musst. PAro alias Dhapo is described as aged about 28 and as the wife of Hushnak,
Hindu Jat, of the same village and by occupation a cultivator. In this case four persons were tried : two men Jaidyal, Jat, aged 36, and Gordhan, Baniya, aged 32, and the two women above mentioned : i.e., 3 Hindus and 1 Musalmân. They were charged with the murder of a Jat boy named Qabûl, aged 61 years, in their village.
The evidence showed that the boy had been strangled in Jaidyâl's house. In the sequel Jaidyal and Gordhan were hanged and the two women were sent to Port Blair for life. Musst. Kurî died on 23rd December 1898.
The motive for the murder, which was alleged to have been instigated by a sorcerer, was to preserve Musst. Dhåpo's male child. She had lost several children, and her only living children at the time of the murder were a girl and a boy about 10 days old. An objection to its being a ritual murder was raised during the trial on the ground that, had it been one, the syand, or sorcerer, would have been present and certain ceremonies would have been gone through with needles and sandal-wood, etc. The syând on this occasion, who belonged to the Mâlî caste "which supplies sorcerers largely," was arrested.
3. Life-convict No. 16414, Musst. Joi, was received in the Penal Settlement on 23rd October 1897. She was eonvicted of mischief by fire on 4th May 1896 by the Sessions Court of Saharanpur, N.-W. P. She is described as aged about 30 and as the wife of a Chamar (leather-worker) in the village of Sâmplâ and by occupation a labourer.
She was caught in the act of setting fire to the thatched hut of another Chamar named Shiyam. Before the Hames could be got under, two men sleeping in the hut were burnt to.
