Viscount Dunedin. -

The appellants and respondents are lambardars and the principal inhabitants in the village of Mohiuddinpur. The suit arises out of circumstances of a remarkable character, which took place in connexion with a crime as to which the complete truth will in all likelihood never be discovered.

One Sheo Bux, a humble inhabitant of the village, was last seen alive on the evening of the 17th September 1919. As he was under police supervision his ab sence after that date was noticed by the village policeman, but it was supposed that he had gone to some other village.

On the 20th September, a little after noon, a party of four persons arrived at the police office, which is situated at a place called Pasgawan, about two miles from the village. These were Badri Sah, a lambardar in the village, and one of the respondents, Hazari, a cultivator, his son, Raghunath, aged 18, and Bharat, a cultivator. The sub-inspector of Police was, at the moment, absent, and a policeman was in charge. Raghunath then proceeded to make a confession, which was recorded in the police diary of the day. The confession was to this effect :

The appellants had, some time ago, offered him Rs. 500 if he wou