1835.] 



History of the Ramoozsies. 



Ill 



Although no regular complaints had been made against 

 Oomiah by the persons whose causes he still was in the 

 habit of deciding at Sakoordy, yet the collector having 

 become acquainted with his nefarious proceedings^ deter- 

 mined at once to check him ; accordingly he directed him 

 to expel forthwith from Sakoordy the two notoriously bad 

 characters whom he employed as Karkoons or secretaries^ 

 and a Karkoon was sent from Poona to succeed them. This 

 put a stop to his interference in the complaints of the 

 inhabitants. 



In the end of April, it was known at Sakoordy that the 

 Koolkurney of Ekutpoor, four miles north, had made pre- 

 parations for celebrating the marriage of his daughter. On 

 the night of the 1st May, the Kykaries and some Mhars 

 plundered this Brahmun's house of gold and silver orna- 

 ments and clothes valued at one thousand four hundred 

 and fifty rupees. Some of these ornaments had been mere- 

 ly borrowed for the approaching nuptials. The villagers 

 reported the robbery to the Mamlutdar the following morn- 

 ing ; and as Oomiah was so near them, and it being his 

 duty to apprehend the robbers, they wrote to him, en- 

 treating him to seize the depredators or to recover the 

 property. 



Although rumours were in circulation that Oomiah was 

 the instigator of many robberies, (and it was well known 

 to many that these reports were founded on truth,) yet no 

 one dared openly to accuse him. But as several of the in- 

 habitants of villages within a few miles of Sakoordy had 

 been plundered, the Naiks resolved on pursuing measures 

 to remove suspicion from themselves. Three days after 

 the robbery was perpetrated, they therefore sent to tell the 

 Koolkurney that they had seized one or two of the persons 

 that robbed his house, and had recovered a considerable 

 portion of the property. A Mhar and an old Kykary were 

 seized and sent to Poona to be tried for the robbery. The 

 property (clothes) to the value of nearly seven hundred ru- 

 pees was restored to the owner, whilst Oomiah made the 

 Koolkurney give him a receipt in full, and promised that 

 he would recover the rest of the property in eight days. 

 The.Naik never intended to act up to this promise. After 



