The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1883-04-07
HONORIyG EASTER.
The Psnanc- practfced by 81 Of
FANATICS.

A Denver Col. dispatch Of the oath
says: The Hermanos Penitentes, a ia
natical religious sect, numbering about
two thousand members, in the Territory
Of New Mexico, who believe in periodical
atonement for sin by inficting on their
bodies agonizing fortunes, were originally
within the 70 nan Catholic Church, but
Archbishop Lamy, shocked at their bar
barous cruelties, promulgated a decree
banishing them from communion. In
numbers they have been greatly thinned
since, and they are now inhabitants prin-
cipally of but four counties in the Terri
tory. Great care is taken to prevent
discovery OF their identity by spectators,
and all are masked while conducting
their annual pennance. Devotees often
travel hundreds of miles to undergo the
prescribed torture. Los Griegos, a small
Mexican village noar Albuquerque, boasts
a body OF the penitents, the fact only
being known by the brutal ceremonies
taking place there every year. This
morning the ceremonies were inaugurated
by an Introductory procession, contain
ing about thirty men and women. The
process of publication by torture began
at ten o'clock. Five men, naked to the
waist, barefooted and wearing black
robes and hoods, so as to completely con-
ceal their identity, were seen to issue
from the adobe lodge-house OF the sect
led by the master OF ceremonies, carrying
veritable cato -nine-tails. Two huge
crosses, weighing $50 pounds each, were
placed upon the naked shoulders OF two
of the self-torturers. The sharp edge
cutting into the naked flesh caused the
blood to squirt out and drop to the ground.
One penitent produced sharp goad,
which he thrust into the flesh OF his
ow-sufferers from time to time while
the procession moved up the street to a
wild gibberish in Spanish. Hating they
applied rawhide whips mercilessly, each
blow taking oil pieces of skin and bits OF
flesh. The procession took its way to
the goal, half mile away. Daring the
march not groan was heard, not word
spoken, but just before reaching the goal,
small adobe hut, an ordeal was encoun-
tered to try the nerves of the boldest.
For some distance before the door leaves
of cacti plant had been strewn thickly
on the ground, and as the barefooted
penitents approached it one hesitated.
Instantly half dozen whips descended
on his bare shoulders, and with bound
he sprang into the cacti, his every step
and those of his followers marked with
blood. As tho torture grew more terri
BILE the chants grew louder and the thongs
fell with more yigor. Reaching the door
of the house they were lost sight of; SEN
tinels guarding the entrance and only
broken whips and pools of blood bore
witness TO what had TRANSFERRED within.
Issuing from the house the procession re-
formed and returned to the house of wor-
ship. And so the horrifying exerci :es
continued, one batch of penitents suc-
ceeding another until night, when a grand
procession and chant wound up the ex-
ercises for the day. During these
marches to and from the house OF refuge
the scene at times was too sickening for
description. Powerful men submitted
their bodies to the most merciless flagel-
lation, until, in some instances, bare
muscles could be seen quiyering at every
blow. The whole proceedings were a
savage attempt to honor the Easter sea,
son. Hitherto the law has made no at
tempt to check these wild exercises, al.
though once penitent, who threw an
other bearing cross into the river near
San Juan and drowned him, was lynched
by the infuliated witnesses. - y