A brief life sketch of Major General Sir W

In 1809 William Henry was nominated through the good offices of Lord De Dunstanville, to an Infantry Cadetship in the Bengal Army. He left for India on 24^th of March 1809 from Gravesend in the ship Devonshire. He learnt Arabic and Persian languages and also learnt in depth about the religions and customs of India. He was appointed a Lieutenant on 16^th December 1816. He fought in the Nepal wars from 1814 till 1816. In 1820 he was selected for civil employment and appointed an Assistant to the agent of the Governor General of the Sagar and Narbada territories. On 24^th April 1824 he received the brevet rank of Captain. On 23^rd September 1826 he was gazetted Captain. While stationed at Jabalpur he married Amelie Josephine, the daughter of Count Blondin De Fontenne, a French émigré Nobleman. On the 10^th of January 1835 Sleeman was appointed the General Superintendent of the Department of Thuggee for the whole of India with headquarters at Jabalpur. It goes to his credit that he exterminated the Thugs within a short span. He even earned the sobriquet Thuggee Sleeman. He was later Resident at Lucknow and rightly advised Lord Dalhousie not to annex Oudh.

He died on board the Monarch on 10^th February 1856 off Ceylon on his way back to England. He was buried at Sea. He was knighted on February 5^th 1856.

Sir William Henry Sleeman was an accomplished Oriental linguist, well versed in Arabic, Persian, Urdu as well as Latin, Greek and French. He even wrote a book on the secret language of the Thugs ‘Ramaseama’. His works afford many proofs of the keen interest which he took in the sciences of Geology, Agricultural Chemistry and Political Economy and of his intelligent appreciation of the lessons taught by history. Nor was he insensible to the charms of art specially poetry. His favourite seem to have been Shakespeare ,Milton, Scott, Wordsworth and Cowper. His knowledge of the customs and modes of thought of the people of India, which has rarely been equaled and never been surpassed was more than half the secret of his notable success as an Administrator. The greatest achievement of his unselfish and busy life was the suppression of the system of the organized murder known as Thuggee and in the execution of that prolonged and onerous task he displayed the most delicate tact, the keenest sagacity and extraordinary power of organization

More than hundred Thug gangs prowled India's highways, annually killing about 40,000

travellers in the early 1900's. The Thugs held together by a perversion of religion which

made killing a part of worship. Gangs were knit together by strange and bizarre regimen

of life ,who destroyed their victims with a combination of guile and cruelty unparalleled

in the history of crime anywhere in the world. The Thugs had been plying their trade

Major General Sir W. H. Sleeman was a man of zeal and spirit far above the ordinary and

The legal procedures of the time also helped a lot as they permitted quick and effective

“You will be a great loss to the country, in the administration of which you have had so great a share and I know not how you would be replaced in that work so important to humanity, of the extirpation of the Thugs, which is being successfully carried on towards its complete accomplishment under your especial guidance.

(This letter was written by the Governor General of India Lord William Bentinck in his own handwriting in response to Sleeman’s resignation on account of ill health. This letter and his wife’s nursing helped him regain new strength and continue.)

I am a retired police officer. I have read much about Sleeman, and visited the areas where he worked, and also have met some descendants. As a philatelist specializing in police stamps, I have brought out a special picture postcard ,and a postal cancellation concerning him, as the greatest policeman who ever lived, destroyed, in 40 years a cult who were responsible for a million murders over centuries. My interests as a former policeman in India, I was, and am still interested in the exploits of great policemen of the past-Sleeman is probably the greatest policeman of all times, for reasons known to all of you.

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Even crime and punishment are susceptible to economic analysis. Does crime pay? If there were no police and courts and never any punishments or deterrents to crime more people would find themselves rewarded by illegal activities. On the other hand, if strong locks are employed, private and public guards employed maintain a vigilant watch, if apprehension is likely, if trial is swift and the jury and the judge can be presumed to be quite accurate in distinguishing between the truly guilty and the innocent, that part of crime which is undertaken in the rational hope of reward may be reduced in total amount.

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The activities of Thugs in India were largely secret and in the garb of religion. Thugs were knit together by a strange and bizarre regimen of life and killed their victims by deceit, guile and cruelty unparalleled in the history of crime. The murders were committed with a degree of perfection, which was without comparison. Killing was a part of worship. The Thug gangs had a hierarchic organisation, with specific duties assigned to each member. They had their own secret language. It was estimated in the early nineteenth century that more than one hundred Thug gangs prowled on India’s highways and killed roughly 40,000 travellers every year.

The origin of Thugs involves a myth of Goddess Kali, which also explains some of the practices of Thuggee. The mythological story was conveniently modified over time to suit the requirements of the Thugs. The modified myth has also been described by Sir Francis Tuker in his treatise on the subject.

A demon, Rukt Bij-dana, devoured mankind as fast as they were created. So gigantic was his stature that the ocean reached no higher than his waist. Kali cut him with her sword. From every drop of blood of the demon that fell to the ground, there sprang a new demon. For some time, Kali kept destroying them. The demons multiplied so fast that she got weary of the endless task. She paused and from her sweat, she created two men, to whom she gave a rumal or scarf, torn from the hem of her skirt. She then commanded the men to strangle the demons with the scarf. When they had slain the demons, the men offered to return the rumal but the goddess bade them keep it and transmit it to their descendants, with the injunction to destroy all men who were not of their kindred. A belief was current among Thugs that Kali co-operated with them to relieve them of the trouble of interring the dead bodies, by devouring them herself. On one occasion, the body of a traveller was left unburied by a gang of Thugs, but one among them, being a novice looked back while leaving. He saw the goddess in the act of feasting upon the dead body. Kali then declared that she would no longer devour those whom the Thugs slaughtered. She presented them with one of her teeth as a pickaxe, a rib as a dagger, and the hem of her skirt as a noose and ordered them to cut and bury the bodies of those that they destroyed. She also ordained that she would guide them by way of omens.

Sir William Sleeman exterminated the scourge of Thugs in India. He followed scientific methods of criminal detection and investigation. Meticulous study of all statements of approvers enabled him to draw up genealogical trees, theme maps of Thug depredations and obtain accurate knowledge of the modus operandi and social practices of the Thugs. These tools helped him to forecast Thug gang movements and identify criminals that had to be tracked. The analysis of the theme maps facilitated deployment of police on specific patrolling duties. The police were provided with firearms and horses to increase their effectiveness and mobility.

The Department for Suppression of Thuggee was founded in 1835 and by 1840 had achieved impressive results, which can be the envy of any police force in the world. In a period of five years, Thugs were:

These results were achieved in an era when modern means of communication did not exist. Sleeman handpicked the best men for the Department of Thugee. Sleeman depended on information from inside the Thug gangs. His methods were far ahead of his times. The Compstat system, introduced by the New York Police in the 1990’s, is a refined computerised version of Sleeman’s methods. Sleeman won the trust and confidence of the Indian public by his good work as an administrator. Easy accessibility and hands on approach as an administrator were his hallmarks. Sleeman’s understanding of the Thug mind, Thug practices and their secret language, Ramasi, were great assets to the Department.

Changes were incorporated in the laws to provide for severe and deterrent punishment to Thugs. Removal of Court Jurisdictions was carried out since this hampered the speed of trials. Extradition treaties were signed with Indian states. Approvers and informers received reprieves and were protected. Thugs and their progeny were even taught alternate professions. It is interesting to note that some Thugs interned in a village wove a carpet 80 feet by 40 feet weighing two tons for Queen Victoria. This was taken to the Waterloo Chambers in the Windsor castle.

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Set in turbulent Central India in the early 19th century, the story revolves around an Englishman in the employ of the East India Company, his French wife from a noble émigré family, businessmen, policemen and a sect of divine stranglers, who have escaped the clutches of law for centuries.

The Englishman sets out to exterminate the sect, using the first ever modern scientific methods of criminal investigation and detection. This results in the arrest of 3689 Thugs, 466 of whom are hanged and 2497 imprisoned for life. Based on historical facts, the story takes you through early 19th century customs and practises in England , France and India.

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Author has carried out an exhaustive and authoritative study on 'Thuggee' Sleeman.

While I was in the Civil charge of the district of Narsinghpur, no robbery or theft could be

committed without my being acquainted with it;....if any man had told me, that a gang of

assassins by profession resided in the village of Kandelee, nearly 100 yards from my

court ,and that...only one stage from me..was the largest Beles, or place of murder in all

India ;and large gangs of Hindustan and the Deccan used to rendezvous in these groves,

remain in them for many days every year, and carry their dreadful trade along the

roads that pass by and branch off them ,with the knowledge and connivance of the two

landholders by whose ancestors these groves had been planted ,I should have thought

For details about the book THE DIVINE STRANGLERS – A STORY OF THUGS AND THUGGEE SLEEMAN.

A brief life sketch of Major General Sir W. H. Sleeman K. C. B.

Sir William Henry Sleeman was born at Stratton, Cornwall on August 8^th 1788 to Philip and Mary Sleeman. Mary’s maiden name was Spry. The Spry’s and Sleeman’s were Cornish in blood and bone.

A brief life sketch of Major General Sir W. H. Sleeman K. C. B.

Sir William Henry Sleeman was born at Stratton, Cornwall on August 8th 1788 to Philip and Mary Sleeman. Mary’s maiden name was Spry. The Spry’s and Sleeman’s were Cornish in blood and bone.

Sir William Henry Sleeman was born at Stratton, Cornwall on August 8^th 1788 to Philip and Mary Sleeman. Mary’s maiden name was Spry. The Spry’s and Sleeman’s were Cornish in blood and bone.