The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-17
NJ MCHIMMED-iN HIR4CLES.
Tho Shcikh Russian Aboutan and His Dor
rishcs-.Sc1f TOrturey inflicted with
Impunlty.


Tho shcikh Russian Aboutan and His Dor
rishcs-.Sclf Tortures inflicted Will
Impunlty.
Correspondent Of the N. Y. Times.[
DAMASCUS, May 30.--In this most
quaint and ancient of cities is little
house containing u remarkable person.
age, the Sheikh Russian head OF the Der.
wish order Of tho Bcdawi, founded in
1900. at the present moment the
order numbers about 10000 members,
scattered throughout Islam, but they
all own allegiance to the Shcikh Rus
at Damascus, who claims to be q lincal
descendant Of the great founder, and
to whom have boon transmitted the
supernatural powers with which his
ancestor was endowed.
was anxious TO see his powers put
to the test, and. accompanied by some
friends, we made an expedition to the
Nlcdinn one afternoon, and found the
little courtyard half full Of people, and
the ncjghboring housctops thiokly oc-
cup1cd by female spectators. Among
those assembled in the courtyard were
two or three Withholding men, strip
ped to the waist, while others, clothed,
but apparently not altogether in their
right mind, were about to take part in
the performance. The Shcikh's eldest
son, Il particularly handsome boy with
the large, lustrous eyes Of the gazellc,
was Il conspicuous figure in the group
while the Shoikh himself was n man
whose countcnance and bearing ::::.aainu.
! S;' MN at once as not being of the
common herd. His face was somc-
what of aJcwish type; the short grey
Dcard and moustachc partially conceal
cd mouth decidedly pleasing in its
expression; the eyes were bright and
piercing, ana the nos" was aquilinc.
TAKING a IL ~rruL OF sKEwERs
similar to those used for cooking pur-
poses, each about foot long, he called
the widest halEstrippcd disciple to
nm, and opening his mouth, muticring
the while with great apparent intcnsi-
" Oh concentration prayer or invoca-
tloh, he with a sudden jerk forced the
point clean through the cheek so that
II could pc seen projecting OH the 9TH
crsloe. tic repeated the process with the
other cheek, the man showing no sign
or dain and not drop Of blood flow
ing from the wound. He then went
I" ms son, who calmly gazed at him
| with his large swimming eyes, opcncd
ms mouth, and received similar slabs
through the cheek without the culver of
all eyclld. l. was watching him closely
ana could not observe the slightest
muscular contraction. The point was
clearly projecting through the skin, and
deception was impossible, as there was
every opportunity afforded for the
closest Inspection. Leaving the two
victims with their mouths thus trusscd,
as it were, the Sheikl, took q square
box, which, when it was opened, was
found to contain
. SEVERAL LIVE SCORPIONS
of unusual size. Taking up one Of
these, as large as an ordinary land
crab, he handed it all wriggling, dart
ing its tail in its efforts to sting, to a
man who came forward, and calmly
but rapidly dropped it into his mouth
and crunchcd it with great apparent
relish, eating it completely up. Then
we saw much larger box, containing
scrpcnts Of various sizes. These he
turned out upon the floor, dominating
them after the manner Of fserpcnt charm
ers, and allowing them to twinc and
curl round him. In this, Of course,
there was nothing. marvellous, nor
indeed in what Immediately followed,
though it was sickcning to behold.
Drawing a live snake about two feet
long out Of the box, he held it up by
the tail, when suddenly tall man,
afflicted apparently with st. Vitus's
dance, with hair dishcvcllcd, rushed
forward wi th II loud cry, and with foam
! ing lips seized tho snake with both
| hands, tore il violently asundcr. and
plunged its bloody and palpitating end
into Ills mouth. This seemed tic sio-
nal fora general scramble. In mo-
mcnt three or four men were tearing
the Writhing fragments with their
teeth, and with eager grccdncss de-
Vourcd them in large mouthfuls
until not a particle Of the snake re-
manned. They then drew back with
seeming reluctance, wiping their
bloody lips with their hands.
Eut the excitement seemed to have
produce sors of fit in the man who
had first seized the snake, from which
the Shcikh restored him by clasping
his head with both hands and pressing
violently, while he again concentrat-
cd himself on incantations, the veins
starting out on his forehead with the
intensity ofhis efforts. In few mo-
mcnts tho dcrvish had become com
paatiycly calm, though for tho rest of
the time I observed that he continued
to twitch and jerk convulsiycly, while
his eyes rolled wildly.
| Meantime the man and boy who had
been pierced watched the PROCEEDINGS
with the utmost unconcern. As it was
difficult to believe that to remain with
ones checks skcwcrcd did not at all
events produce feeling Of discomfort
and as they must have been standing
for at least q quarter of an hour in tho
same attitude, told the Shcikh to pull
out the skcwers. This no did, in eacl
case preceding tho sharp pull will
which he extracted them by an carnes
invocation. When they wcro drawn
out tho points were bloodlcss, while
) excepting that there wasan apparent
induration Of tho check ut the spots
through which the showers had passed
there was no sign ofwhat had happen
ed.