St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-06-30
EASTER IN YUCATAN,
tgnonlinfous Fate of Judge Iscariot at tn,
Hands of a Noisy Mob.

fgnonlinfous Fate of Judge Iscariot at the
j Hands of a Noisy Mob.
It was the dawn of Easter Sunday
Suddenly the bells Of all the churches
broke loose. Again and again they
rang out at their loudest, till the all
seemed to flash with the strokes and
the drowsy earth to reel and culver.
Then came the rumbling of drums, nc
longer muff1ed, the shrill chorusing OF
the fighting cooks, the yelping of dogs
and the bleating and lowing of focks
and herds in the suburbs In less than
half an hour every house poured forth
its inmates pOnchas and mantillas.
Zarapes and embroidered jackets, vel
vet-collared coats and shirt-sleeves-
all bound for the plaza. And there, as
the sun suddenly leaped from behind
the clouds that vailed the eastern
horizon, a startling spectacle was pre-
sented. The plaza was packed with
people. The steps ard spacious es-
planade of the cathedral were thronged
to Overlooking and the balconies and
windows of overlooking houses were
filled with spectators. Everybody was
laughing and chattering, most of them
smoking, many on tiptoe, and all nerv-
Gus, impatient and excited. Clearly,
something was in the wind! In the
center Of the plaza, high above the
crowd, were four lines of cleaning steel,
where the troops had formed hollow
square, and overlapping the lifted
bayonets by twenty feet stood mon
strous gibbet. Fastened together by
throngs of raw-hide and bits of old
rope, the rude continuance looked
gaunt and ghastly enough to
brighten the boldest malefactor.
From the cross-beam there dangled
an effigy-that of the despised
Judas Iscariot. It was clothed in
a waistcoat of yellow flannel striped
with black, a red night-cap. pair of
torn, brown breeches, and its musty
old boots were wonderfully down at the
heels and crumpled at the toes. Poor
Judas! Night-cap, boots and waist
coat were stuffed with squibs, crackers
and Roman candles, while the breeches
We're burdened with bomb-shell made
of the toughest pasteboard and swollen
with combustibles. There, in the
dewy dawn, with the soft light of the
Easter morning playing on his GRO
tesque habiliments, hung the SINH
lacrum of the traitor in view of thou
sands, slowly turning half way around
at times, having been ANONYMOUSLY
elbowed by vagrant breezes. The
trumpet sounded, barfooted COR
poral stepped from the ranks and,
erect, emotionless, with the cold
solemnity of an executioner, APP
preached the gibbet carrying a long
at the end of which was
tuft of lighted tow. Instantly the hub
bub of the multitude subsidized and a
profound calm set in. Even the |
gamin, frenzied as they were with fun
and mischief, huddled together and
held their breath. Step by step |
marched the corporal till at last he |
came to an abrupt halt right under
the cross-beam. The sugar-cane was
lifted it touched the betrayer's left |
heel, and in the twinkling of an eye
there was a terrific explosion. The
boots flew into shreds, flames leaped
from the stomach, the bomb
shell burst and split the brown
breaches into a shower of
rags, rockets whizzed from the
ribs, the outstretched arms vanished
rom their sockets and the might
cap shot skyward clean out of sight,
Ill in less than two minutes, amid the
of drums, the ringing of bells,
he ear-splitting screams of the boys
md the hooting, maldieiones and up
merriment of soldiers, civil
ans, priests, paupers and patricians.
Half an hour later not living creature
vas left in the plaza, for there were
and cock-fghts, balls and
gambling bouts yet to be attended be-
ore the celebration of Easter Sunday
could be considered satisfactorily COM
'leted in strictly religious manner
Cor. Philadelphia Record.