NYASALAND SIR EDGAR & THE ELDERS ONE DAY IN MARCH 1959, IN 
THE BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA PROTECTORATE OF NYASALAND, HARMLESS-LOOKING ELARD CHIPANDALE, 31, 
TIED A HANDFUL OF MAGIC TWIGS ABOUT HIS WAIST, DONNED A 
COAT OF TREE BARK, AND TURNED HIMSELF INTO A CROCODILE . 
HE LAY IN WAIT BY THE BANK OF THE MWANZA RIVER 
FOR AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL NAMED MPONDA SIMENTI . WHEN MPONDA AMBLED 
BY ON THE WAY TO FETCH WATER FOR HER FAMILY, ELARD 
THE CROCODILE DRAGGED HER INTO THE RIVER, BROKE HER ARM WITH 
HIS LASHING TAIL, AND FINISHED HER OFF WITH HIS FINGER-LONG TEETH 
. THIS WAS ELARD'S OWN MYSTICAL VERSION OF WHAT SOME MIGHT 
CONSIDER MERELY A CASE OF MURDER FOR PAY . THE GIRL'S 
GRANDFATHER, ODRECK KASOCI, HAD SOUGHT OUT ELARD TO GET RID OF 
THE ANNOYING CHILD BECAUSE ELARD WAS WELL KNOWN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD 
AS A " MAGIC MAN, " AND THEREFORE QUALIFIED TO DEAL 
WITH THE PROBLEM . ODRECK AGREED TO PAY $13.50 FOR THE 
ASSASSINATION, BUT WHEN THE DEED WAS DONE, HE RENEGED . CHIPANDALE 
SUED IN A NATIVE COURT FOR HIS FEE AND WON . 
BUT A GOVERNMENT POLICEMAN HAPPENED IN ON THE PROCEEDINGS AND REPORTED 
THE TWO MEN . LAST WEEK, IN NYASALAND'S COMMERCIAL CENTER OF 
BLANTYRE BOTH MEN WERE ON TRIAL FOR MURDER . ELARD'S READY 
ADMISSION OF THE KILLING DID NOT MAKE THINGS ANY EASIER FOR 
CHIEF JUSTICE SIR EDGAR UNSWORTH . FOR ELARD INSISTED THAT HE 
WAS NOT GUILY BECAUSE HE WAS A CROCODILE AT THE TIME 
. SIR EDGAR CALLED IN THE GOVERNMENT'S PSYCHIATRIST TO TEST ELARD'S 
SANITY . HE WAS JUDGED NOT INSANE, BUT THE PSYCHIATRIST ADDED, 
" WE MUST ADMIT WE ARE DEALING WITH A MENTALITY COMPLETELY 
FOREIGN TO US . " SIR EDGAR TURNED TO THE COURT 
ASSESSORS THREE TRIBAL ELDERS FOR EXPERT GUIDANCE . " ARE YOU 
SATISFIED, " HE ASKED, " THAT THE PROSECUTION HAS ESTABLISHED THAT 
ELARD WAS NOT, ON ACCOUNT OF HIS SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEF, UNDER THE 
DELUSION THAT HE WAS A CROCODILE ? " THE THREE WERE 
UNANIMOUS IN THEIR ANSWER : " HE TURNED HIMSELF INTO A 
MAGIC CROCODILE AND SEIZED THE CHILD . " SIR EDGAR WAS 
FACED WITH ANOTHER CLASSIC CLASH OF WHITE MAN'S RULES WITH DEEPROOTED 
AFRICAN BELIEFS . SINCE THE TWO COULD NOT BE RESOLVED, SIR 
EDGAR WAS FORCED TO MAKE HIS DECISION ON THE BASIS OF 
SOCIAL PATTERNS HE COULD UNDERSTAND . IGNORING THE ELDERS' TESTIMONY, HE 
SENTENCED BOTH MEN TO BE HANGED . 