A History of the Mahrattas v1.c30.127

v1.c30.127

In the Mahratta country the most common crimes were thieving and gang robbery, murder and arson. The two first were more common to Ramoosees and Bheels than to Mahrattas, and were punished by the loss of life or limb; murder for revenge was rarely considered a capital offence, and very often, in hereditary disputes, a murder, where risk attended it, was considered rather a creditable action. The ordinary compromise with government, if the accused was not a rich man, was three hundred and fifty rupees. The facility of eluding justice, by flying into the territory of some other authority, was the greatest obstruction to police efficiency.