Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-07-03
Witch.Ffnding In India.

The ordeal by water IS unlversAE
among the barbarots Non Aryan tribes
of. Central India, from the Bheels in
the W estscountry to the wild men in the
almost unexplored jungles OF Bustar
ana tke far East, toward the Bay Of
Bengal. Here. is . description of one
water test taken b few years sgo from
the mouth of an expert witch-finder
among the Bheels, who got into q
scrape for applying it to an old woman:
IA bamboo is stuck up in the middle
of any piece Of water. The accused Il
taken to it. lays. hold Of it, and BY It
descends to the bottom. In the mean
time one tof the villagers shoots an ar
row from his bow and ''anothef runs 10
pick it up and bring it back to the place
whence twas shot, il the, woman is
able to remain under water until this is
done she is declared innocent, but If
She comes up to breathe before the
arrow is returned into the bowman's
hand she is 8 true witch and must be-
swung as such.',ss In the case from
which this account is taken the woman
failed in the test, and was consequent
Nv swung to and fro, rOped to Astree,
with 80 a sbandagenaofe red pepper
ON her saeyes;a but NJ it VI is obvious
that this kind of ordeal like AL
most all primitive ordeals, Is con-
trived sspsg as to depend for its effect
much upon the manner in which it is
conducted, + whereby the operators
favor becomes worth gaining. A skill
full archer WIN shoot just as far as he
ehoosesI Ordeal by water is the ques-
ton ordinary, which may probably be-
constructed 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 explanation OF q world-
wide custom. Another ordeal IL by
heat, as for instance, the picking OF .
coin out of burning Oil. But the ques7
ton extraordinary is by swinging on
q sacred tree, or by hogging with
switches of q particular wood: swing
| ing before an idol, with q hook through
the muscles Of the back. is the Welt
known rite by which Hindu devotes
himself to- the god. and logging with
rods from q sacred tree mapitestly adds
superhumans virtue 70 the ordinary
a woman suspected Of bringing cholera
into the village was deliberately beaten
to death with rods Of the castor oil
i tkees Which is aexcellent for purging
| witchcraftJ 1t is usual also to knock
out the front teeth of an0toriops WITCH
the practice appears to be connect
ed with the belief, well known in all
countries. that witches assume animal
| shapes; for iii India they are supposed
| occasionally to transform themselves
into wild beasts, q superstition analo-
gous to our European lycanthropy.
a good many years ago there wa, an
old.man practicing as. a physician near
Sringar in the Himalayas who was no.
torious as a sorcerer, insomuch that
| his reputation Of having devoured
MANY persons under the form of tiger
cost him most OF his teeth. which were
extracted by the Rajah who then held
that country, so as to render him less
formidable during his constant meta
morphoses. 4 Shaving the heads OF
4 female witches is very common among
/ the tribes much infested by sorcerers; it
4 is employed as an antidote. not merely
IS degrading punishment. 50 that one
is tempted to trace its origin to- some
reconcile notion Of power residing in
the hair, and thus even back towards
i Samson, to Gree with the beautiful
i locks ana to the familiar devils OF
1 early. Christian times. who are said to
4 have peculiar attachment tor women
with fine tresses. ST. a. Lyutrs Ast-
Gtac Ot10teS.sa@ss q 4sssts 4s.ys sy4ts "a s0g