Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10
WITCH-FINDING IN INDIA.
The Ordeal by Water Among the Tribes
OF Central India.

Oh CenbEal lnUIa.
The ordeal by water is universal among
the barbarOus NOn-Aryan tribes of Central
India, from the Bheels in the west coun-
try to the wild men in the almost uneX-
plored jungles of Bustar and the far east,
toward the Bay of Bengal. Here is a
description of one water test, taken few
years ago from the mouth of an expert
witch-1inder among the Bheels, who got
into a scrape for applying it to an old
woman. ga bamboo is stuck up in the
middle Of any piece Of water. The ac-
cused is taken tOit, lays hold of it, and by
it descends to the bottom. In the mean
time one of the villagers shoots an arrow
from his bow, and another runs to pick it
up and bring it back to the place whence
1t was shot. If 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 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 up
to a tree, with a bandage of red pepper on
her eyes; but it is obvious that this kind
of ordeal, like almost all primitive ordeals,
is cOntriYed so as to depend for its effect
much upon the manner in which it is con-
Quoted, whereby the operators favor
becomes worth gaining. A skillful archer
will shoot just as far as he chooses. Or
deal by water is the question 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 explana-
tion of a worldwide custom. Another
ordeal is by heat, as, for instance, the
picking of coin out of burning oil. But
the question extraordinary is by swinging
on sacred tree,@Or by fOgging with
switches of particular wood. Swinging
before an idol, with q hook through the
muscles of the back, is the well-known
rite by which a HindOo devotes himself to
the god, and flOgging with rods from a
sacred tree manifestlY adds superhuman
virtue to the ordinary effect of vigorous
laying on. In 1865 woman suspected Of
bringing cholera into the village was
deliberately beaten to death with rods Of
the castor oil tree, which is excellent for
purging witchcraft. 1t is usual also to
knock out the front teeth of a notorious
witch; the practice appears to be con-
necred with the belief, well known in all
countries, that witches assume animal
shapes; for in India they are supposed
occasionally to transform themselves into
wild beasts, a superstition analogous to
our European lycanthrOpy. A good many
years ago there was an old man practic-
ing as physician near Sringar, in the
Himalayas, who was notorious as sOr-
cerer, 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 raiah who
then held that country, so as to render
him less formidable during his constant
metamorphOses. Shaving the heads of
female witches is very common among
the tribes much 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 to the
familiar devils of early Christian times,
who are said to have peculiar attach
ment for women with fine tresses.