The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-04-13


The Hermanos penitents, q fanatical
religious sect, numbering about two
thousand. in the Territory of New Mex
leo, who believe in periodical atonement
for sin by indicting on the bodies ago
oizing tortures, were originally within
the Roman Catholic Church, but Arch
bishop Lamy, shocked by the barbarous
cruelties, promulgated q decree Danish
ing them from the communion. Their
numbers have greatly thinned since,
and they now inhabit principally but
four counties in the Territory. Great
care is taken to prevent the discovery
of their identity by spectators, and all
are masked while they conduct the an
hundreds of miles to undergo prescribed
torture. Los Griegos, small Mexican
village near Albuquerque, boasts body
of penitents, fact known only by the
brutal ceremonies taking place there
every year. This morning the ceremo-
MES were inaugurated by the introduc-
ton of procession containing about
thirty men and women. The process OF
publication by torture began at ten
o'clock. Five men naked to the waist,
barefooted, wearing black robes,
and hoods to completely conceal
their identity, were seen to issue
from the adobe lodge house
of the sect, led by the master of cere.
monies carrying veritable cato mine.
tails. Two huge wooden crosses weigh
ing two hundred and fifty pounds each
were placed on the naked shoulders ei
two self-torturers. The sharp edges
cutting into the naked flesh caused the
blood to squirt out and drop to the
ground. One penitent produced a
sharp goad which he thrust into the
flesh of fellow-sufferers from time to
time while the procession moved up the
street. to wild gibberish chant in Span
ish. Hating once, the crosses were
transferred to the other shoulders, at
PENDANTS applying the raw-hide whips
mercilessly, each blow taking off the
skin and bits of flesh. The procession
took its way to the goal, half mile
away. During the march not a groan
was heard or word spoken, but Just
before reaching the goal, a small adobe
hut, an ordeal was encountered which
tried the nerve of the boldest. For
some distance before the door cacti
plant had been strewn thickly on the
ground, and as the barefooted cross
bearers approached it one hesitated.
Instantly half a dozen whips de-
scended on the bare shoulders, and
with bound he sprang into the
cacti, his every step and follow
ers marked with blood. As the
torture grew more terrible, the chant
grew louder and the thongs fell with
more vigor. Reaching the door of the
house they were lost sight of. Sentinels
guarded the entrance, and only broken
whips and pools of blood, bore witness
to what transpired within. Issuing
from the house the procession re-
formed, turned to the house of worship,
and so the horrifying exercises con-
tinued, one batch of sentinels succeed
ing another until night, when the grand
procession and chant wound up the
exercises for the day. During these
marches to and from the House of
Refuge, the scene at times was too sick
ening for description. Powerful men
submitted their bodies to most merciless
flagellation, until in some instances the
bare muscles were seen quivering at
every blow. The whole proceedings
were savage attempt to honor the
Easter season. Hitherto the law has
made no attempt to check the wild ex-
ercises, although one penitent who
threw another bearing the cross into the
river near San Juan and drowned him
was lynched by Infatuated Witnesses
Recent Denrer (Col.) Dispatch