The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-19
GOOD FRIDAY IN MEXICO.
HOw the Fast Was Observed-The Cere-
mony of Crncifying the Devil.

mOny OF CrucIylng the Devil.
Monterey Correspondence New York Times
The letter of the law goes good way in
Mexico. On Good Friday, by order OF the
Alcalde Piemero, all the shops were closed,
ali the butchers were forbidden to sell meat,
all the bakers were forbidden to bake bread,
the hackney coaches were not suffered to APP
pear upon the streets, and even the new
morse cars, of which we are vastly proud just
now in Monterey, were driven into retire
ment. Timidly, when the afternoon
train came in on the Mexican National two
horse cars stole down to the station, the
probability of stoppage by police
men being imminent all the way, and
this was the only appearance of public con-
veyance of any sort on the streets within the
sacred time. But while the shops were
closed the streets were alive with vendors of
duces of various toothsome sorts and of
things drinkable and of ice cream-and all of
them made hay gleefully with the aid of
so rarely favorable a sun. Moreover, if the
the public conveyances were under embargo,
the private ones were not, and each citizen
to whom fortune had not given a coach was
blessed by heaven with serviceable pair of
legs that on an occasion of this joyful sort
could carry their owners right gladly about
on CHEEKY visits to equally CHEEKY
friends u
The most curious of all the demonstra-
tions, religious or popular, which took place
during Holy Week was that carried out on
this same Saturday by the cargadors-a mock
crucfiXion The cargadors or public por-
tiers, form considerable body in the town
man power largely taking the place of beast
power-and among them are few negroes
from the States. Most of these darkies are
coffee colored, but one is jet black, and be-
cause of his eccentric color he is STYLED.
thought not at all in an ill-natured way be
it understood, ell diabolo. After the
Judases had been burned. the cargadors,
10 hal Of bair holt
signing for something more in the way of
frolic, and it is not improbable that their
spirits were stimulated by mescal. Under
these conditions one of them made a speech
to the general effect that Judas now was
punished for his sins, but that the prime sin
ner had not been punished at all; therefore,
he proposed that they should proceed to
cruelty 1.-The devil This was such good
idea that it was seized upon instantly and so
was the unlucky Diaboo who, much against
his will, was given the chief part in their
blasphemous farce. Near the top of a ladder
fifteen or twenty feet long CROSSE piece was
dashed fast. thus making an effective repre-
sentation of the cross. The ladder was held
at slight angle from the ground-the
crowd surging around it the while in great
delight-and the darby was laid upon it on
his back so that the cross-piece was level
with his shoulders. With broad bands of
coarse cotton cloth-used so that his flesh
would not be cut as by rope-his feet were
seized firmly to the rungs of the ladder, his
extended arms to the cross-piece, and band
was passed under his shoulders and clewed
fast to the rung above his head, so that the
weight of his body would not come upon his
arms. These preparations being completed,
the ladder was raised in the air, and was
borne through the principal streets OF the
city, while the crowd of cargadors followed
with shouts of laughter and coarse jests and
jeers. Truly, for city that for a whole
week had been given over to attendance at
religious ceremonies, this travesty, as foul as
well could be devised, o. the most solemn
and most sorrowful event in all human his
tory was pleasing speotaclel