The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-07-11
WITHDRAWING In India.

The ordeal by water is universal
among the barbarous Non -Aryan tribes
of Central India, from the fhee's in
the West country to the wild men in the
almost UNEMPLOYED jungles of Bustar
Bengal. Here is description of one
water test, taken a few years ago from
the mouth of an expert witch-finder
among the Bheels, who got into a
scrape for applying it to an old woman,
"a bamboo is stuck up in the middle
of any piece of water. The &c FUSED is
taken to it, lays hold of it, and by il
descends to the bottom. In the mean
time one of the villagers shoots an ar
row from his bow and another runs to
pick it up and bring it back to the place
whence it 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 9
hand she is 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 consequent
ly swung to and fro, roped to tree,
with q bandage of red pepper
on her eyes; but it is obvious
that this kind of ordeal. like al
most all primitive ordeals, is con-
trived 80 as to depend for its effect
much upon the manner in which it is
conducted. whereby the operator 8
favor becomes worth gaining. A skill
full archer will shoot just as far IS he
chooses. Ordeal by water is the ques-
ton ordinary, which may probably be
constructed as an in Iuiry 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 void
wide Gust I'M. Another ordeal is by
heat, as for instance, the picking of a
coin out of burning oil. But the ques-
ton extraordinary is by swinging ON
a sacred tree. or by fiogging with
switches of a particular wood. swing
ing before an IDOL. with hook through
the muscles of the back, is the we'll
known rite by which a Hindu devotes
himself to the god. and logging with
rods from sacred tree manifestly add
superhuman virtue to the ordinary
effect Of vigorous laying on. In 1S6j
a 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 notorious witch
the practice appears to be connect
ed with the belief, well known in all
countries, that witches assume animal
shapes; for in India they are supposed
occasiona " to transform themsel, es
into wild beasts, superstition analo
gous to our European Iycanthropy
A good many years ago there was an
old man practicing as a physician neal
Sringar in the Himalayas who was no
torious as a sorcerer, insOmuch thai
his reputation of having devouret
many persons under the form of ti9el
cost him most of his teeth, which wer,
extracted by the Rajah who then hello
that country, SO as to render him les:
formidable during his constant meta
morphoses. Shaving the heads Of
female witches is very common among
the tribes much infested by sorcerers; il
is employed as an antidote. not merely
as degrading punishment. 50 that ont
is tempted to trace its origin to som,
reconcile notion of power residing in
the ha r; and thus even back towards
Samson. to Gree with the beautiful
Dcks ana to the familiar devils o
early Christian times, who are said t.
have peculiar attachment for womer
with fine tresSes. Il Lydlhs ISi
| q L. StudieS.