In 500 BC, for example, priests in India required any subject who was accused of a crime to enter a dark tent where a donkey was tied up and pull its tail. According to the priests, if the donkey brayed when its tail was pulled, the subject was considered a liar. If, however, the donkey remained quiet, the suspect would be deemed truthful. Little did the suspects know that the donkey’s tail had been covered in soot. If the subjects exited the tent with clean hands, the priests knew they had never touched the tail, thus finding them guilty.
