The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-05-12
RELIGIOUS FANATICISM.
CrucIdetiOn in COIOradO-HOrrIbIe Tor
Iure of Mexfcans.
Colorado Correspondence Of the St. Louis Globe

Colorado Correspondence Of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat
To the south of Saguache, about fifteen
miles, there is large settlement of Mex
leans, called Carneros. 1t sits close to
the foot of the mountain range, and its
inhabitants are engaged in stock herding
and agriculture. In company with ex-
Mayor Barker, of Denver, your cores
pondent left Saguache at 10 a. m, to
witness this strange performance. We
arrived at Mr.. Royals ranch at p. M,
and, after hasty lunch, repaired to the
scene which was taking place about a
mile up the creek from his house, and
Immediately back of his ranch. We
were informed by Mr.. Royal that the fun
had just commenced, and were in time.
FOUR HEAVY, WOODEN CROSSES,
about fifteen feet high, had been erected
at intervals of 500 feet each, with one
exception, bearing Latin inscription.
On the first cross was this legend ::
M nisi cruci'-" Naught but the
cross" On the next, "Nisi DOmiauS
frustra"-" Lest God be with you, toll is
vain" and on the third, Onnia ad Del
gLoridm -" All things to the glory of
Ged." The fourth your correspondent
penitents, divided up into groups of four,
and six attendants in each group. Each
penitent, with two exceptions, wore a
black mask or sack drawn completely
over the head and fastened about the
neck. The other two wore led marks
Whether the difference of color in the
masks represented different degree of
crime or not we failed to ascertain. The
leader of each band carried something
resembling a watchman's rattle. He was
followed by another attendant playing
small reed flute. The other four attend
ants chanted in
Low, MONOTONOUS TONE
some Spanish words that we could not
understand. Aside from the mask, the
penitents wore nothing but pair of the
thinnest kind of knit drawers. Each
one of the group, penitents and attend
ants, carried an ''azote," or scourge,
made from the leaf OF the sOap-weed. 1t
is very tough and fibrOus, and was
braided into clubs, about four inches
wide and perhaps three feet long. The
line of march was from one cross to the
other, and at each cross a halt was made
of about five minutes.
At every step they lashed themselves
with these 'azotes" until the blood fair
ly spurted from every pore. They took
sharp pieces of flint, and lacerated the
feshy part of the body until they were
literally a mass of bleeding flesh.
Whenever one fell down from exhaus-
ten and loss of blood, which occurred
every moment or two, one of the attend
ants took his scourge and beat him until
he got up again.
In one group heavy log-chain was
fastened to each ankle of the penltent,
and the attendants took hold and
DRAGGED HIM FEET FOREMOST
over beds of cactus, or prickly-pear
plants, which abound in this country.
occasionally they would all give a sud
den jerk together, and fairly lift him
from the ground. This dragging would
perhaps continue ten minutes each time.
Another penitent had a cOwhide cut up
into strips, and would wind it as tightly
as possible around his arms and legs
until the circulation was completely
stopped, and the flesh seemed to be
bursting and black. He remained, or
was to remain, in this condition twenty
four hours. Every time they reached
a cabin that stood near the upper cross,
an attendant came out, and washed them
with vinegar. Occasionally the monot
Ony was varied by a penitent taking on
his back a huge cross, and bearing 1t
until he fell PROSTATE under its weight.
This cross was about foot thick either
way, about eighteen feet long, and the
arm about nine feet On this cross was
actually painted in letters of blood La
Passion en- Credo," Spanish, and signi-
flying
"sUFFERING BY FAITH"
Two Penitentes had died the night
before we got there from this treatment,
and one had been actually crucified. We
were not permitted to go to the spot
where the crucifxion took place, as, being
total strangers, they feared our mission
on the grounds. The only American
gentleman who saw the body on the cross
was a ranchman living in the immediate
neighborhood. Nails had been driven
through each foot, just above the ankle,
and through tpe hands.f A gentleman
who was on the ground on Saturday says
that three more will net recover.
Last year, on the same spot, man was
crucified also, and these same atrocities
perpetrated. No one dare say a word,
and the whites in the vicinity are pow
erless to interfere, as their stock, barns
and houses are at the mercy of these
people.
These Penitentes believe that if they
die undergoing this selfimposed torture
they and all their relatives go straight
to heaven. If they survive, their sins
are pardoned for the remainder of their
lives.