Enclosures of letter to Her Majesty's Secretary of State for India, No.11, dated 15 January 1875: Nos. 3 to 45 of Abstract of Contents, from the Officiating Under-Secretary to the Government of India, Fort William [‎81v] (62/100)

O r. rto cimp <lav I submitted a letter No. 413-1376 of 7th December
1874 sketehing the mode of procedure I proposed to follow and in your (Jffice
liter No 2801 of 19th idem, His Excellency the Viceroy and Governor-Qeneral
fn Council was pleased to approve my proceedings
4 I found that the late Resident had himself instituted an enquiry, and
, ^ or had reported the result m his letter o.
• I have not received the honor o any py » Qf7Q T 971 nf 1 7f]i ^OVPTllher* 1874 It
acknowledgment of, Colonel Phayre's report. 3 /9-1^/1 Ot 17U1 .l\0\ 0mi3( l \ i K. 11
(Sd.) lewis pellt , did not appear that Colonel i hayre had
A. G.-G. fy S. Commr. collected any evidence tending to^ convict,
though the undermentioned persons were left in confinement on suspicion
Faizoo Eamzan. Jugga Bhagwan.
Govind Baloo. Eama Bank.
Yellapa Nursoo.
5 Mr. Souter commenced the enquiry de novo on the 10th December
1874 and down to the 22iid idem the proceedings continued to he oi an ordinary
police character, with which I carefully abstained from intervention, unless on
the direct request of the Commissioner. ^
6. On the 22nd December, however, one Rowjee, the Havildar Custodian; police sergeant; jail or prison guard. of Peons at
the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , made some admissions to the Inspector of Police, Khan Eahadoor
Akhar Ali tending to criminate himself, and directly to implicate 11 is 1 Iighness
the Gaekwar in the attempt to poison. This the Commissioner of l olice re-
norted to me on the early morning of the 23rd, and as the proceedings fiom us
point onward assumed a political aspect, I took a more direct interest in them.
7 Durino- the forenoon of the 23rd I heard Rowjee repeat his statement
before'the Commissioner of Police, and his manner and language impressed me
as beinf those of a man endeavouring to speak the truth. At the same time
I bore in mind that Rowjee was confessing under a promise of pardon, and
that a statement so made before the Police was of little or no ^alue unless
corroborated by circumstantial or other evidence.
8 On the morning of the 24th His Highness the Gaekwar paid me his
usual visit, and I then, in the presence of Mr. Souter, mentioned to His High
ness that his name had been introduced as having been directly concerned m
the attempt to poison the late Resident, and that my advice to him was to
afford every facility for a searching enquiry into the facts of the case, llns
His Highness promised to do.
9. On the same morning I learnt from the Commissioner oi Police that
the Jemadar of Peons, named Nursoo, had made a confession without promise of
pardon, and that his confession generally corroborated that ot the Havildar Custodian; police sergeant; jail or prison guard. .
10. Desirous of leaving no room for subsequent doubt as to the condi
tions under which the Jemadar might have made his confession, 1 entered
the room where the enquiry was about to be proceeded with, and solemnly
warned the Jemadar that he must clearly understand before his statement \Aas
taken down in writing, that I not only would not promise him pardon, but
that he should not be pardoned. This warning I caused to be repeated to the
Jemada^.
11. The Jemadar then placed his turban at my feet, and said the Sahib
may hang or kill me, but I must speak it all out. I have served the Govern
ment for so many years, and now having gone into this matter, how can I ever
show my face again. I asked him what could have induced him so to commit
himself,and whether Colonel Phayre had ever treated him ill ? The Jemadar rejoin
ed that Colonel Phayre had always been good to him, but that he had been so
entreated to go to the palace that he had at length consented to go there, and
that intrigue had then gradually developed from a mission to collect intorma-
tion to one involving an attempt at poisoning.
12. The Jemadar then confessed in my presence to the effect recorded in
Fwfc Appendices to Mr. Souter's re- his Statement UOW enclosed, and CC ltailllv i10111
P 0lfc - condition of overwhelming grief, from his tone,
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