, 1879-04-20
THE PENITENNEES.
= Horrible Narrative OF idiotic
Fanaticism.
nood- Friday Operations of the Order
in the Vicinity Of Trlnl~
dad, Colo.
ca,f-Tnhicted Tortures with Cac-
tus-Spikcs.

.,, c,]orado exists an order Of men known
.aro a. peuitentes. How widely the organiza-
ton is snread, am unable to say, but under
rt.nd that it exists in some form or other among
al thc Spanish-spcnking peoples of America
=. :. said to he m ot7shoot from the order of
r,.re,tant monks; b1t the Penitcntcs are
r,o;:her clerics nor rccluses. The society is a
..ocret ono: lodges exist in various localities;
,,1 It IS difficult in the extreme to gather any
.ccnratc knowledge OF them, except what may
h.. learned by actual observation at the Good
Friday season, once 4 year.
There arc three lodges in the neiehborhood Of
Trinidad, and yesterday went down the Purga-
toirc about two miles
TO SEE WHAT COULD
ri their public exercises. The lolge-building
ooes not differ from the ordinary Mexican house,
orccnt that 1t has no windows. Its walls arc OF
7nnd its roof Of mud; it is low, gloomy, and
forbi]ding, and looks like big brick Of dirty
c7ay rIay lying open On the hillside. a quarter
of mile away, close TO The ryer-bank, rude
wooden cross was erected, and, on the opposite
hank. among willows and cottouwoods. hid
nyselt The Penitcntes are jealous in the e1-
tremc Of outside observation. They say they
are afraid Of Americans ii they come too close;
tue S0f k1l41t ~ 10 10 u
single mans life is worth to pry too curiously
into their secrets.
/ had scarce hidden myself when procession
OF TWENTY-FIVE or thirty men emerged from the
lodge-kousc. One in front staggered ulder
huge cross Those following CAME three abreast,
the men in the centre wearing nothing but
their drawers, and each carrying in his hand
stem Of cactus about three feet long. Your
readers arc probably aware that the cactus
il thiclly set with neellc-likc spikes about an
inch in length. These needles are. very sharp
and slightly barbed, so tllat, when they once
enter tic flesh, it is not easy to extract them.
Slowly the fantastic procession wound its
way toward the cross On the riycr-bank, singing
Il mos; lugubrions clant.-thc harsh voices
now rising to howl, and nov falling away to IN
inlistinct and monotone wall. having reached
the Cross, those who retained their clothes fell
upon their knees, at little distance, in circle
round the object Of their alteration, while the
undr es6ed ones went inside nnd prostrated
themselves.
And then noticed that the ground around
the cross was tlicklv strcwn with cactus. The
sharp spikes pierced the naked flesh Of the
deyotces in i million places. The blood
POURED OUT IN STREAMS;
but they grovelcd and rolled around, while the
wild, barbaric chant rose ever louder and loud
cr. In sympathy with tie scene, the wind
shriekcd and moane1 anon. the trees that
frnged the river, aud vast clouds OF yellow dust
rolled down the valley, as though Nature were
striving to drown the noise and cover the spec
tacle OF mans fanaticism and folly.
4 quarter Of an hour, perhaps, ended the
prostrations and prayers; End then the process
sion reformed and started to return to the
Ac &bnr.t a. n bad ry1nr.
logging 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 di-
red, raw, quivering flesh. It was sickeuing.--
horrible. The chant rose TO Shrek The wind
moa13ed and raved. The flying dust caught and
lodged on the raw flesh. The poor fools reeled
and staggered like drunken men: but still the
cruel spiked cactus fell with sickening regular;
t.. How slowly that devilish procession
marches! Will it never reach the lodge! Sure
II no human nature can stand this brutal pun
jslsment much longer. 1t cannot! Two Ut the
victims
FALL sEssELEss TO THE GROUND.
Water is dashed upon them, and their comrades
cick them up and bear them onward. One re- /!
towers himself, and begins the horrible laccra-
ton airesh. The other has to be carried TO the
door. At last, thank Godt the lodge is reached,
and the bloody spectacle is at uu end. The i'll !
fcrnai chant still comes down the wind from
the closed house; but no profanc eye may see |
ThaI is enacted within.
Presently two women were seen approaching |
the lodge from a ueignbo-lnE house. When |
about hundred yards from 1t, they fell upon |
their knees, and walked upon them to the |
lodge. They were kueeing upon cactus! |
Wien they had disappeared, waited patient I
II an hour. but only occasional messengers !
came forth from the lodge. seeming tt' 60 to |
peicAboring houses for something required by +
the hiflv nf ir1taraCt |