The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-04-22
Qhe gaseILfaeltla1s.
onloei Nos. 90 and "a Fourteaatli Street,


@eA@- = A-~fa . f4st eAs@+
a. Peculiar Religious Feet in New Mexico
Darbatous Customs.
Correspondence u ne Iatelliga,eN.
WAooS MOUND, MORA County, NV
AIExlco, April 12,-1n accordance viii
their usual custom, the Penitentes, OF
Flagalantes, assembled at their place o.
worship for this neighborhood the frsl
week Of April, to beat themselves as pen.
ance for their manifold sins. We organ.
lied q company and started to their place,
seven miles from here, called Servaleta.
This little Mexican village Is situated at
the foot of Turkey mountain, and the
view OF Santa Clara and for miles and
miles over the plains Is q very fine one
indeed.
Tho quaint manners Of the people, tho
strange dialect, the peculiar adobe or mud
houses, the foreign sights, sounds and
habits, right here near the very center Of
the United States Is a good theme for an
Imagination more poetic thanyour cor
respondent possesses. In company with
Mrs. Il. o. Stevenson, a very cultured and
charming English lady, Miss Rayos Lu.
cera, q beautiful and lively black-eyed
Cast llian signoreta and Mr.. Maldarnado,
OF this place, We amply proyisioned our.
selves, entered our spring wagon and
started. The roads here are very line, and
in an hour we were at the consecrated
place. The Pcnitentcs had their place OF
worship about a half mile outside the
townand which they never allowed .des-
ecrated with thepresence Of outside bar.
barians during holy week. 1tdid notl6ok
like more than one hundred could enter;
1t was built OF mud and as is the custom
here, fat mud roofs, large cross was
erected some thirty feet from the door,
and every hour some member OF the or
ganization would emerge from the church
on their knees and pray the blessed Nir-
gin to watch and protect them for the
coming year, the entire congregation
following chanting some weird, wild, Pc
culiar melody and the ones on their
knees would embrace the cross and re.en.
ter the house to engage in prayer and
song until the time for the next one TO
make the Journey. Once during tho day
they would 90 to the regular church and
for an hour kneel before the different
saints and crosses, repeating the same kind
OF dirge or song with horn accompani-
meut that sounded TO me very much like
q ten cent toy ike the children play with
in the East.
Now, we fancy we have an ear for
and can appreciate music, and fully
ara we convinced now that twill soothe
the savage breast, but never before could
We conceive such IN incongruous harmo-
ny that even the brayiug OF q iackass
would be infinitely preferable, 1t being
kept up at regular intervals for week,
aud yet some OF these people listened to IL
and lived. The idea OF these ignorant, IA
natical creatures is, and it has been the
custom 10 Spain for ages, THAT ifthey in
dict punishment on themselves they will
appeasc an angry God and atons for all
their sins. Generally three out OF the
crowd beat themselves most numerically.
One man broke beer bottle, took apiece
OF the glass and cut his back all over, so
his whip made from the tough soap weed
plant, would bring the blood at every
stroke. Another had a bow which had a
piece OF raw hide stretched across 1t, and
when the hide was fresh, inches made in
II, so when dry tile edges were as sharp as
q razor, and he would rub this instrument
OF torture across his back until the blood
would saturate bis pants, as this one
article constituted his entire apparel, aud
then be whipped himself until exhaustion
alone caused him To desist. Others had
tied so tightly to huge heavy
crosses, that the blood oozed from the
wounds, tho right arm being left free in
order To beat and seourge and lash them.
selves untilto weak to walk, while some
died from sheer exhaustion.
Others have piles OF cactus prickles piled
on their backs and beat on it. Some walk
I'd on their knees over the NAL pals rocks.
Half tie fesh came oil, presenting q most
borril appearance. One man near Albu.
luefqae and othersin Lincoln county are
reported dad from tho lashlpgs. The
most singular part TO nue. was the fearful,
earnest faces OF the participants, and even
some quite intelligent looking ones We're
engaged this barbarouB worship. They
were all Niexicans and but few understood |
n word Of English. The grant consum.
nation OF the worship was the night per.
formance. twas Holy Friday night and
the winding up OF the week ofdeyotion.
The church was lighted up with two dozen
candles placed before the altar on the
earthen floor, and the same crowd, the
same noise or music, the same exercises as
In the day, until O'clock at night, when
the devil, II he had been there, could not
but have felt at home. The night
was intensely dark, and the slow, drissling
rain showedth even the heavens weepel
at such ssereligous procedure. AT
nine, when tho lights were extinguished,
so as to more perfectly represent the cha
otiC darkness that is supposed to have oc.
CURED jus. after the crucihxtion, the doors
we're locked, the men commenced their
beatings, the chains rafting, the moaning
bowling, sbriekIng lnass going through
their regular work, with lightning flash.
ing into the windows, ever and anon
showing the hiaeous faces Of some Of the
pihless sufferers, tho low mutteTing thpn-
der keeping up q worthy accompaniment
to this terrible meeting.
Is 1t any wonder we would now
and then pinch ourselves TO really
knoy whether we were in hades
or not. We certainly did ocaupy o small
space against the wall, and 1t was q great
relief 10 get out OF the house even in the
rain. Upon arriving home ut midnight
we eopid not sleep Tor thinking Of the Pc
cnliar experience Eve had 50 recently
passed through. AsG. srALSAKRR.
JFOsRy CATTLE ROOM.