On this day, a huge crowd had gathered at Town Hall to witness the trial of Abdullah, who had murdered John Paxton Norman, the acting Chief Justice in the High Court at Fort William in Bengal. Abdullah, who was from Punjab, had killed Norman on September 21 on the steps of on the steps of Town Hall, striking at him with “a tapering Goorkha knife”.
The trial lasted two hours and Abdullah was sentenced to be executed two weeks later. Some felt the murder was connected to the transportation of Wahabi leader Amit Khan to the Andamans. Abdullah, on arriving from Punjab, had been living in a mosque in the city as its caretaker. When examined, he made no defence but seemed to speak in riddles. Replying to a question, he said: “The earth is sunk below the water, and the men have gone up to the sky; the dog is eating the wall.” No political motive could be established behind the murder.
Abdullah’s execution finally took place on November 4, 1871.