in a grove about three
miles from the cantonments. I sent off a few policemen, who secured
the whole party, but could not find anything upon them. Seeing some
signs of a hole having been freshly made under one of the trees they
dug up the fresh earth and discovered the necklace, which the old man
was delighted to recover so easily." Another device which they have
is to beat the _Chauwa_ severely in the sight of a rich stranger. The
boy runs crying and clings to the stranger asking him for help, and
in the meantime picks his pocket. When the Sanaurhias are convicted
in Native States and put into jail they refuse to eat, pleading that
they are poor Brahmans, and pretend to starve themselves to death,
and thus often get out of jail. In reply to a letter inquiring about
these people from the Superintendent of Chanderi about 1851, the Raja
of Banpur wrote:

"I have to state that from former times these people following
their profession have resided in my territory and in the states of
other native princes; and they have always followed this calling,
but no former kings or princes or authority have ever forbidden the
practice. In consequence of these people stealing by day only, and that
they do not take life or distress any person by personal ill-usage,
and that they do not break into houses by digging walls or breaking
door-locks, but simply by their smartness manage to abstract property;
owing to such trifling thefts I looked upon their proceedings as a
petty matter and have not interfered with them." [605] This recalls
another famous excuse.

Sansia

List of Paragraphs

1. _Historical notice of the caste_.
2. _Social customs_.
3. _Taboos of relationship_.
4. _Organisation for dacoity_.
5. _Description of a dacoity_.
6. _Omens_.
7. _Ordeals_.
8. _Sansias at the present time_.

1. Historical notice of the caste

_Sansia_. [606]--A small caste of wandering criminals of northern
India, who live by begging and dealing in cattle. They also steal and
commit dacoities, house-breaking and thefts on railway trains. The
name Sansia is borne as well by the Uriya or Od masons of the Uriya
country, but these are believed to be quite a distinct group from the
criminal Sansias of Central India and are noticed in another short
article. Separate statistics of the two groups were not obtained at
the census. The Sansias are closely connected with the Berias, and
say that their anc