, 1876-05-05


BpaldnB7
A.-Yea, ssr.
sELF-TOETURE.
mcxicnns In Colorado Suffering by
Entth-rerrlbIo Atrocities Com mts-
ted s,y IkcliKtous Fanatics.
Corr-soondencs 81. Louh Glott- -Dtm.sal
sAauAc'tr, Col, April 10, 1ss9:-a1eittng
mining news from this Hsn Jukn FL Dorado has
been completely orershadowod thus weok BY the
terrible ADD disgusting performances Of tho
In Baguact.e County there IA quite numerous
Moricau population and during the las. three
days Of Lent, In Holy Week, their ponanoo cul-
mlnases III the most strocious acts. These Pom
itchtos' aro nosor members Of tbs community in
which they do thei, peuance.
papttenteA from this neighborhood 70 10 other
Mexican villages at distance, aad thoso from
othor places come hero to perform their Acta.
They make thor Appearance unuslly Ia tho night,
heavily masked, and the members Of the com
munlty wherever they present themselves never
aAk OF care fron whonco they come, but receive
them without word.
These ponisentes are supposed to bo people
WHO have committed nome honoua crime agsinst
tho Church or State, aud Aro sentenced bY tho
priesthood to certain acts Of soiftorture.
Early IN tbs week here 1t was reported In town
thht man was 10 30 cruclhed On the Friday fol.
lowing. To tho touti OF eaguacilc, about It
mica. t!Icra is large settement Of Nexicans,
called Carnotos. 1t sits close 10 the foot Of tho
mountain range. and lis inhshltants are engaged
10 atock hcraing. and agriculture. In company
with ex-atAyof Barker, OF Denver, your torre-
spondent left ssguacls At 10 =. m. 70 witness
thia strange performance We arr,,od At Mr.
Royals ranch nt about p. n., and, after \ lAstY
lunch. repaired 70 the aceue which wAa taking
place ahoat milo up The crock from his house,
informed BY lIr. 1loyal that the fun had iust
commenced, and were In time.
Four heavy, wooden crosscB, about IL feet high,
hnd been erscsod at intervals OF about 800 feet,
each, with Que exception. bearing Latin in
scription.
On the drst cross was this logend-" Nil mini
Cruel" nnueht but the cross. On the noxt,
"N1st Dominus ftuatra." ~" Les: God bo With you,
glorlnm." :" All things to tho glory Of God"
tho fourth your correspondent has forgotten.
Thora wore elQhteen penitente-dlvided up into
groups Of four, and six attendants in each
group. Each pcpiteut, With Two exceptions,
| over tho head, and fastened about tho
! neck. The other two wors red nasks.
| Whether the difference OF color 10 tho
not as e FSs s s'@f o
each band carried something resembling 4
watchman's rattle. He was followed BY anothor
| attendant playing small reed luto. Thu other
four attendants chsnted In \ low. noputoppus
tone aome Spanish words that NO could not
understand. Aside from tho mnaIs, the psnltents
woro nothing but pair OF the thinncet Kind OF
knit drawers. Each one Of tho group, penitcuta
| and attendants. carried m "Azoto, or acourge,
very tough aud lbrous, and was braided into
clubs, about 4 inches vide and perhaps foot
long, Tho line OF march was from ono croes 10
the othor, and at each erosa halt Has made Of
| about five mluutes.
At every stop they lnahcd themselves with
| these "hzotcs," Until tho blood fairly spirited
from oyery pore. They took sharp pisces OF
3int aud lacerated tho iieshy pa1ts Of The body
mt thav 1ifsrAiIr a eHn ~ Nau
Whenever enc foil down from exhaustion and
loss of blood, which occurred every moment or
two. ono of the attendants took hia scoufes and
best him until he got up again.
In ono group heavy log-clnln was fastened
to each ankle Of tho penltent, and the attend
! ants took hold and dragged him feet foramos.
oyer beds Of cactus OF priokly pear p'ants, which
.5ound iu thls country oeeasionaliy t4sy Tonld
him from the ground. This dragging would
| coutlnne perhaps ten minutes each t.mo
Another penitent had eowllde cut up into
s..ips. ana would WIND it as Nightly a. possible
completely ttopped aud tho flesh seemed to DO
| bursting, aud black. lie romRincd, or was to
1oinain, tuenty-four honrs. Every ttme they
reached cabin that stood nsnr tho upper csoar,
an attendant came out, aud NTH largo sponge
] washcd thcm with vinegar. OocasioDnily tls
| HonotouJ wNB yAsind by penitont taking OF
his back huge cross aud bearing 1t until ho fell
PROSTATE under it's weight. This cross wasab ont
| the arm about feet. On this cross mas aetu-
| ally paintol in letters Of blood. LA Passion On
Credo," span!ah, and siRnsfying "suroriug BY
| faith"
Two renitentos had died tho night before NO
| got thoro from this treatment und one Lad been
| actually cr,.citled. We were not permitted to
| 90 10 the spot whoro tho crucidxion took place,
~. being total strangers, thoy feared our mis-
| son on tho grounds. The only American Ecn-
tlsnan who Saw tho body on tl,e crosa was
! rapehman living 10 tho immediate neighbor-
hood. Nails had been driven through each foot.
| Just aboya tho ankle, and through tho hands. A
| gentleman who was On the ground on Saturday
| aava thst three more will not recover.
Last year, on this name Bpot, man WAS cruci-
fod also and theGo sa,no atrocities porpetrAted.
| No ono dhre ray d word, and the Whites In the
vicinity arc powesoss to tntorfere, aa the!r
| stock, barns, and honaea arc 1t tho mercy ct
! these people. - ....-
These Peniteutos helieyo that II they die uader-
| going this aetf-tmpooed torture they and all
! their relatives 60 straight to Heaven. II they
survive. thelr sins arc pstdonod for the remain-
| dor OF thoir lives.