vi.                Karmatar to Howrah

In the early 1950's my younger sister, Audrey, was teaching at St. Thomas's School in Calcutta. She had spent Christmas at the Karmatar Homestead and was returning to Calcutta by a night train. She considered herself lucky to have a compartment to herself. It was a cold night and when Audrey heard the voice of a man pleading to be let in, she thought of the poor wretch hanging on outside the carriage and opened the door for him. She was a little alarmed when two men climbed in, neither of whom was the miserable wretch she had imagined. Then one of the men began combing his longish hair, which made Audrey more uneasy. The man combing his hair suddenly brandished a knife and said "This is a stick up." Audrey began to scream. The man thrust a hand into Audrey's mouth and seized her tongue. The other man looked through Audrey's purse and removed the three hundred rupees in it. The man with the knife took the money and left the carriage, the train still in motion.

Audrey decided she could risk grappling with the man who was still with her. It was a desperate struggle for Audrey, but slowly her weight and strength forced the man toward the open door -and she pushed him out. He must have fallen awkwardly because he was killed by the fall; his body was picked up beside the track the next day. Audrey was met by her husband, Charles Ferdinands. She was very shaken and could barely speak for a very swollen tongue. The police were informed at Howrah, and Audrey later learned from them of the death of the man she had pushed out. Audrey met the knife-man again at his trial, where Audrey had to give evidence. This was a trip that turned into a nightmare. If there is a moral it is to be extremely careful who you let in, and never if there are two.