Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-25
THE PENITE NTES.
A Horrible Narrative OF IdiOtic Fanat-
ieism-GOOd Erfday Operations of
the Order in the Vicinity of
Trinidad, Colorado.

the Order in the Vicinity of
Trinidad, Colorado.
A correspondent OF the Chicago Tribune, |
writing from Trinidad, Colorado, under date |
Of the twelfth, tells the following strange |
story: In New Mexico and Colorado exists |
an order of men known here as Penitentes.
How widely the organization is spread am |
unable to say, but understand that 1t exists |
in some form or other among all the Spanish |
speaking peoples of America. 1t is said to |
be an offspring from the order of Flagellant |
monks; but the Penitentes are neither clerics |
nor recluses. The society is secret one;
lodges exist In various localities; and it is
difficult in the extreme to gather any accu-
rate knowledge of them, except what may
be learned by actual observation at the Good |
Friday season, once year. There are three
lodges in the neighborhood of Trinidad, and
yesterday went down the Purgatoir5 about |
two miles 40
TO SEE WHAT COULD
of their public exercises. The lodge build |
ing does not differ from the ordinary Mexi- |
can house. except that it has no windows. |
Its walls are of mud, its roof of mud; it is
low, gloomy and forbidding, and looks like a
big brick of dirty gray clay lying open on the |
the river bank. a rude wooden cross was
erected. and, on the opposite side, among
willows and cottonwoods, hid myself. The
Penitentes are jealous in the extreme of out
side observation. They say they are afraid
of Americans if they come too close; and the
Americans say that it is as much as a single
mans life Is worth to pry too curiously into
their secrets. l had scarce hidden myself
when a procession of twenty-five or thirty
men emerged from the lodgehouse. One in
front staggered under a huge cross. Those
following came three abreast, the men in the
center, wearing nothing but their drawers.
and each Cd frying In his hand stem ct
cactus about three feet long. Your readers
are probably aware that the cactus is thickly
set with needle-like spikes about an inch in
length. These needles are very sharp
and slightly barbed, so that when they
once enter the flesh 1t Is not easy to
extract them. Slowly the fantastic procession
wound its way toward the cross on the river
bank, singing most lugubrious cha1t-the
harsh voices now rising to a howl, and now,
falling away to an indistict and monotone
wall. Having reached the cross, those who
retained their clothes fell upon their knees,
at a little distance, in a circle round the OBJ
jeet of their alteration, while the undressed
ones went inside and FRUSTRATED themselves.
Aud then l noticed that the ground around
the cross was thickly strewn with cactus.
The sharp spikes pierced the naked flesh
of the devotees lin a million places. The
blood
POURED OUT IN sTEAMs;
but they groveled and rolled around, while
the wild, barbaric chant rose even 10 Lder and
louder. In sympathy with the scene, the
wind shrieked and moaned among the trees
that fringed the river, and vast clouds of yell
low dust rolled down the valley, as though
nature were striving to drown the noise and
cover the spectacle of mans fanaticism and
folly. A quarter of an hour. perhaps, ended the
prostrations and prayer; and then the pro-
cesslon reformed and staI ted to return to the
lodge. AS they did so the naked men began
f1ugging themselves with their long cactus
whips. Every blow left long trail of blood,
which actually ran down to the ground. Red
lines crossed the mems shoulders In every d.
rection, and soon every bare back was mass
of red. raw, quivering flesh. 1t was sicken-
ing-homble. The chant rose to a shrek.
The wind moaned and raved. The flying dust
caught and lodged on the raw flesh. The
fools reeled and staggered like drunken men;
but still tine cruel spiked cactus fell with sick
ening regularity. How slowly that dcvilish
procession marches Will it never reach the
lodge? Surely no human nature can stand
this brutal punishment much longer. 1t can
not! Two of tine victims
FALL sENsELEss TO THE GROUND.
Water is dashed upon them, and their COM
rades pick them up and bear them onward.
One RECEIVERS himself and begins the horrible
liberation afresh. The other has to be car
ried to the door. At last, thank God, the
hedge is reached, and the bloody spectacle is
at an end. The internal chant still comes
down the wind from the closed house; but no
profane eye may see what is enacted within.
Presently two women were seen approaching
the lodge from a neighboxing house. When
about hundred yards from it they fell upon
their knees and walked upon them to the
lodge. They were kneeIing upon cactus.
hnF thnrT Nod + LII
tiently an hour, but only occasional messen.
gers came forth from the lodge, seeming to
go to neighboring houses for something re-
CURED by the deVotees, and as nothing of in
terest seemed likely to occur returned home.
1t has been the custom in former years for a
second pilgrimage to the cross to be made
upon Good Friday afternoon, and yesterday
hundreds OF people repaired to the hill above
the lodge to witness the spectacle. But they
were disappointed, for the Penitentes
REMAINED oBsTINATELY WITHIN DOORS.
l had friendly notice, however, that more
was to be seen this morning; and, before
nine o'clock, accompanied by friend, l was
at my former post of observation. After
waiting until we had made up our minds to
be again disappointed, the procession once
more emerged from the lodge; but this time
ali were dressed, One in the center, how.
ever. was bound with ropes, the ends of
which were firmly held by several of his
companions. l had been told that it was
nothing unusual for one of the Penitentes to
personate the Christ, and to be actually
nailed 10 the cross; and death had been
known to result. l was afraid | might &C.
tually be called upon to witness tragedy;
but my companion explained that the bound
man represented, not Jesus, but Judas. He
was pulled and jerked round continually;
and when he fell to the ground, as he fire.
quently did, he was kicked and beaten till he
regained his feet. Arrived at the cross, the
pilgrims Frustrated themselves once more
Judas being held bound, at little distance
The procession then marched back to the
lodge,
TREATING JUDAS AS BEFORE.
This ends what | know from personal OBJ.
servation of the Penitentes. l have asked
many Mexicans for information respecting
them, but the invariable answer is, 81 don t
know" Old American residents of this
country, some of them Catholics tell me, In
substance, this: The Penltentes have COM
mandate to each lodge, and to him the mem
beTs confess their sins. lie does not impose
any penance, but intimates to each in some
way how much he owes the Almighty be-
cause of his transgressions, and leaves it to
the conscience of each to punish himself as
he sees fit. This punishment is generally in
| filcted during Lent, but more particularly on
| Good Friday and the days before and after.
| These are the only days on which there are
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