Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1883-03-26
HORRIBLE CEREMONIES.
Beastly Religious Rites OF q New
Mexican Sect.
Special Dispatch to The BHs.

special Dlspatch TO TIN BEE.
DENVER, Col. March 25 The Her
mano penitent Is a fanatic religions
sect, numbering about 1000, in the
territory of New Mexico, who believe
In periodical atonement of sin by In
ficting on the body agonlzing tortures.
They inhabit principally but four
counties in the territory. Great care
Is taken to prevent discovery of their
identity by spectators and all are
masked while conducting the snnua 81
penance. A body of the penants re.
side at Les Griegos, a small Mexican
village near Albuquerque. Friday
morning the ceremonies were inaugu-
rated by introducing procession con.
tanning t7, about thirty pon and women.
by torture began at 10
o'clock. Five men, naked
TO the waist, barefooted and wearing
black hoods to conceal their identity,
were seen to issue from an adobe
lodge house of the sect, ,ledby the master
of ceremonies carrying q veritable cat.
o'.nine tails. Two huge wooden
CROSSES, Weighing two hundred and
fifty pounds each, were placed on their
naked shoulders of the two self. tortur.
ers, the sharp edges cutting Into the ma.
ked fl Ssh, causing the blood to squirt out
and drop to the ground. One penitent
produced sharp goad, which he
thrust into the flesh of fellow sufferers
from time to time while the proc cesslon
moved up the street, to wild gibbsr-
ish chant in Spanish. Hating once,
the CROSSES were transferred to Others
shoulders, the attendants apply
Ing the rawhide whips merc!lessly,
each blow taking of the skin and bils
of flash. The procession took les
way to a good half mile away. Dur.
Ing the march not groan was heard
or Q word spoken, but Just before
reaching the goal, small adobe hut
the ordeal encountered tried the
nerves of the boldest. For some dis.
tance before the door cactus had been
strewn thickly on the ground, and as
the bRrefooted cross bearers approach
ed 1t one hesitated. instantly a half
dozen whips descended on his bare
shoulders and with bound he sprang
Into the oacti. His every stop and
that of his followers was, marked
with blood. As the torture
grew more terrible the chant
grew louder, and the lashes fell with
more vigor. Reaching the door Of
the house they were lost sight of.
Sentinels guarding the entrance and
only broken whips and pools of blood
bear witness to what transpired with.
in. Issuing from the house, the pro.
oesslon reformed and turned to the
house OF worship, and so the horrIty.
ing exercises were continued, one
batch of penitents succeeding another
until night, when a grand procession
and chant wound up the exercises for
the day. During these marches to and
from the house of refuge the see ns at
times was too sickening for descrip
tion. Powerful men submitted their
bodies to be most mercllessly fogged,
until IN some instances the bare mus
cles had been seen, covering every
blow. The whole proceedings we're q
savage attempt to honor the Easter
season. Hitherto the men made no
attempt TO check the wild exercises,
although one penitent, who threw an
other bearing cross into the river
near San Juan aud drowned him, was
lynched by ,nfuriated witnesses.