A BELIEF IN DEMON INFLUENCE. 



Ill 



with two others, hired with drams of arrack for the occasion, quietly 

 repaired in the dark toHarmanis' house, and severely assaulted him, 

 his wife, his sons, and all others who were in his house. The next 

 day they went before a Magistrate and swore an affidavit, that he 

 (Hendrick Appoo) and his sons, while returning home one night 

 from Morottoo with a large sum of money, had been waylaid by 

 Harmanis Appoo and his sons with 5 or 6 other men, who assaulted 

 them and robbed them of their money. Harmanis also swore 

 an affidavit, stating in it the actual truth, with the addition of a 

 robbery and burglary committed on his property. Each was sup- 

 ported by false evidence, and both the complaints having been in- 

 vestigated by the Magistrate, both were dismissed by him, as 

 neither appeared to him to be true. A few weeks after this, Har- 

 manis with a party of his friends repaired to his enemy's house, 

 and asaulted him and all his people with clubs, knives and rice- 

 pounders (long wooden pestles), and many on both sides were 

 severely wounded. The matter was tried before the Supreme 

 Court, but the jury acquitted the accused. Then for a period of 

 nearly four years the two families were engaged in a series of civil 

 lawsuits arising out of certain bonds, in all of which judgment 

 was given against Hendrick — bonds, which came into existence 

 only after the rupture between the two families, Hendrick having 

 never borrowed a farthing from the other on a bond or without a 

 bond. And yet the deeds purported to have been duly executed 

 before a notary ! Before execution was granted in the last of these 

 cases, the two sons of Harmanis were found one evening lying dead 

 in a neighbouring rice field, with marks of violence on them: and 

 although every possible exertion was made by those in authority 

 to discover the murderers, no trace of truthful evidence could be 

 had, and although a dozen relatives of the deceased swore to its 

 being the worK of Hendrick's sons, there did not appear any trust- 

 worthy evidence whatever against any one. The case was however 

 tried upon the evidence of these relatives, but the jury at once 

 acquitted the prisoners, Hendrick himself and his sons. In a few 

 weeks afterwards every thing belonging to Hendrick was sold by 



