Atrocities in India.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3160, 22 March 1889, Page 2

Atrocities in India.

The annals of the nineteenth oentury orime oan hardly furnish a mow shocking example of the terrible atrocities some human fiends capable of committing than that revealed by the latest accounts from India. A native named Nathu Sahib, . whose mother is a European, it appears, has exeroised a terror over the people in the district of Tebri Eaj for some years past, which in no way . adds credit to the avraLgements for suppressing crime in the locality. Nathu commenced his career in crirno by seriously maltreating his mother. He armed himself with a rifle and a long Itnife used by the Natives, arid committed a series of murdors, which for heinousness will bear comparison with the Whitecbapel atrocities. On two Natives refusing to comply with an unreasonable roquest he murdered one by cutting his throat .i' and shot the other dead. On the jfl* next day ho murdered a wouiau who 1 refused to give him assistance, and • shot Uo other men dead who interfered. He subsequently mucA derod and seriously wounded several* pilgrims, one of whose hands he out off. He then shot the man dead. The police now considered it time to interfere, and succeeded in arresting Nathu, who. was sentenced .to, five, years' imprisonment and ordered to' pay 20,000 rupees for his misdeeds. The inadequate punishment was brought under the notice of the Commissioner for the district, who rightly refused to Banction such a judgment, and for the safety of the inhabitants of the district it is to be hoped the law which Nathu has to fearfully outraged will be fully vindicated.

Perilous Balloon Descent. Considerable excitement was occasioned at Snaresbrook, Essex, by an accident to Mr Biggins who made an ascent from grounds adjoining the Eagle public-house, intending to descend by a parachute after the manner of Baldwin. Higgins had —- A made three or four previous ascents in London aud the provinces, one attempt at.Liverpool having, proved unsuccessful owing to the pvevajjioe high wind. The ascent was oipr in the presence" of a large number ofjSpectators. The balloon used was the " Eagle," of 4000 cubio feet ' capacity, aud owned by Captain Orton, the well-known aeronaut, There was no car, and the paraohute was attached to the car in the ordinary way, so that Higgins might at the proper moment leap from the bar into the air. The arrangements having been completed under the direction of Mr Maltby, of the Queen's Palace, Poplar, who superintended the . previous ascents, Higgins-gave the signal for flepar. ture, and rapidly shot up to a height of 4000 feet. He was watched with almost breathless anxiety by the people in the grounds, and when at the height named the parachuto was seen to fall away from the balloon, and to leave Higgins suspended above, something in the nature of a panic seized iipon tlio ■spectator?; A specially j ; '; the n femalej" portion;? i ™ Mr Maltby 'at. once realised the peril- pf'HigginV' positionW • .though' having great confidence' ! the tCronaut'? 'coolness uiider ceptioriailjirying'circutustances/he. •• '' : nevertheless' cohsidpred.'.to iis?! hisM: j op ph'rawi' tljai' HlggJnjs tiiloft

to earth," Speedily passing out of j view, the balloon, as it afterwards provod from a tolegraphio message # received at Snaresbrook, descended on a piece of land near Enfiold Lock, a distance of about seven miles, at 8.58, and the intelligence was that Higgins had escaped a fate which all feared -was inevitable, and had sustained no injury beyond a severely sprained ankle. He was brought back to Snaresbrook, and in answer to the pressing inquiries regarding his perilous adventure stated that at the height of 4,000 feet a head wind caught the parachute, and the force ofthowindWljsuig against the silk broke thecora.-The paraohute then fell below and became invorted, but ha for a moment retained his hold of the ring, Seeing, however, the peril of his position, and how utterly impossible it would be to attempt a descent, he finally let go, and the parachute dropped near Auger-lane, Loughton. Tho balloon after the £ fall of the parachute rose, Higgins states, to a height of 9,000 feet, He not lose his presence of mind, and having full control of the vilvo lines, he had little doubt that ho would be able to safely reach the earth. He passed over a portion of Gpping Forest, finding himself in one or two cross-currents, but avoided coming down, owing to the probability that if lie did so the balloon ■would become entanglod in tho trees. Finally ho oame down at the place already stated, descending very suddenly in order to avoid Enfield Lock, But for this it is likely that Higgins would have escaped even so comparatively smull an injury as a sprained ankle. In respect of weather, the day was described as one of the best he had yet had. _ If there had been anything like a high wind going the incident must have jfinded fatally. This was to have Men Higgins' last ascent in London.

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