Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-11-06
Witch Finding in India.

The ordeal BIZ water is universal among
the barbarous non-Aryan tribes of Central
India. from the Bheels of the west country
to the wild men in the almost UNEMPLOYED
jungles of Buster and the far east, toward
the Bay of Bengal. Here is description
of one water test, taken a few years age
from the mouth of witch-finder among
the Bheels who got into a scrape for APP
plying it to an old woman a bamboo
is stuck up in the middle of any piece OF
water. The accused is taken to it, lays
hold of it, and by it descends to the
bottom. In the meantime one of the
villagers shoots an arrow from his bow and
another runs to pick it up and bring ii
back to the place where it was shot. II
the woman is able to remain under water
until this is done she is declared innocent,
but if she comes up 10 breathe before the
arrow is returned into the bowman's hand
she is a true witch and must be swung as
such"
In the case from which this account is
taken the woman failed in the test, and
was consequently swung to and fro, roped
ND to tree, with bandage of red pepper
on her ewes but it is obvious that this
kind of ordeal, like almost all primitive
ordeals, is contrived so as to depend for It's
effect much upon the manner in which it
is conducted, whereby the operators favor
became worth gaining. \ skillfJl archer
will shoot Just rs far as he chooses. Or
deal by water is the question ordinary,
which may probably he construed as an
inquiry whether the water fetch or water
spirit will accept or reject the witch
whether he is on her side or against her
and this seems the best general explana
| ion of worldwide CUSTOM
Another ordeal is by heat as, for III
stance, the picking of Il coin oUt Of burn
ing oil But the question extraordinary
is by swinging on 4 sacred tree, or by
fogging with the switches of particulal
wood. Swinging before an idol, with ;
hook through the muscles of the back, i
the weil-inown rite by which the iIindoc
dcvotes himself to the god, and hoggins
with rods from Il sacred tree manifcst!y
adds superhuman virtue to the ordinary
effect of vigorous laying on. In 1865 ;
woman suspected of bringing cholera int
| the village was deliberately beaten to dealt
with rods of the castor oil tree, which i,
! excellent for purging withcrah. Ii is us.iaI
also to knock out the front teeth of no
torious WITCH the practice appears to be
connected with the belief. well known il
all countries, that witches assume animal
shapes, for in India they are supposed o.
casionally to transform themselves int
wild beasts superstition analogous TO on
European lycanthropv.
\ good many years ago there was an old
man practicing as 4 physician near Strin-
gar, in the Himalayas, who was notorious
as 4 sorcerer, insomuch that his reputation
of having devoured many persons under
| the form of tiger cost him most of hi,
teeth, which were extracted by the rajah
who then held that country, 50 as to rem
der him less formidable during his con
slant metamorphoses. Shaving the heads
Of female witches IS very common among
the tribes most infested by sorcerers; it is
employed as an antidote, not merely as a
degrading punishment, so that one is
tempted to trace its origin to some recon
dite notion of power residing in the
hair, and thus, even back toward Samson
to Gree, with the beautiful locks, and tc
the familiar devils of early Christian
times, who are said to have a peculiar
attachment for women with fine trcsSes.-
I.yell's Asiatic Studies