Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-04-28
wTrCHCRAFT.
A Papago Immolated Upon the Altar of
 superstiti Singular Belief.

A faritso lmmolated upon the Altar of
 superstition-A Singular Belief.
 A shor' time ago a report was published of the discovery of the remains of human being in small glich near the pest house. but the sequel of that discovery has never been made public, althoueh furu .shing quite interesting chapter. City Marshal A. G. Buttner has unraveled the mystery connected with the death and partial burial of the person whose body was found and the details herewith given were obtained from him.
 Upou the disoovery of the remains, the Msr- shal and "thers repaired to the spot and found the body m a sitting posture m the narrow l,ulch cut by the waters m the cement rock, partly coverec wIth =t lnes. and wrapped with blanket and other articles of c.othing.' Bei unable to determine the nationality of The dead man. ow- ing to lis expo-ed condition and length fl time that had elapsed since his death. Mir. Buttuer took a snife and cut one of his socks from his feet. aI m SO doing noticed that the sole of the foot wsl, as hard and trm a stone. Prompted by further curiosity. Mir. Buttnar took a stick and struck sharp blows upon different parts of the body, producing a metallic sound m every in- stance. indicative of at least partial petrifac- ton. he whole body seemed to be undergoing the chanse and but faint unpleasant odor was given of- although at least two weeks had elapsed since death occurred
 Hav z sscertalued that the body was that Of a Paparu Indian. and other Indian graves being seen n that vicinity, the Marshal began the work of ascertaiEing the cause leading to the death and such a peculiar disposition of the remain. and on yesterday he was rewarded with full and comDlete statement of the eircum- stances.
 Some time REQ a PapagO lost four children and his s4uaw. in rapid succession and from no strkiIely apparent or adequate cause. They simply sIckered and die iu few days time and wese buried, although the mysterious sick uess Was not understood. Shortly afterwards. in | drur ken debauch. a Papago I.dian told a | comrad- that he bad killed the family by his ! poWer- If witchcraft, and the story came in dns ! time Co the ears of the bereaVed husband. He said no word. but quietly took his gun, found the tal sorcerer, and put bullet through his hestrt. Ills tribe did not modest him; it is a l custom among them to thus end life obnoxious to them. and suspected witch always meets this fate and his slsyers motive IS unquesti0ned and the deatA unavenged. They united in re- moving the body to the gulch. but would not give it burial. They placed It m A sitting posture and piled the stones about 1t. These they re- novt for few days interval, from time to time, unde- the super~utious belief that the elements of his -orceries will enter his body and decay with hun.
 Jud-lng. however. from the fact that his ob- -tin@t body utterly refuses to decay, 1t is likely that the apagos will yet be obliged to elect a substitute whom they will proceed formally to immolate as the bearer of the burden of sins that could not penetrate the solidifying carcass of the mummifed Papago.