The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-08-10
TRIED FOR SORCERY.
How the zunis Punish Witchcraft
and Sorcery.
Frank Gushing, the Noted Explorer, De-
scribes His Experience at "a Trial
by the Priesthood of the
how.

Ideas OF witchcraft and sorcery exist
among the Zuni Indians, and as mat
ter Of course resemble those which in
past time have existed universally
among people of that status.
! myself was under suspicion on one
occasion. It was due to a party exist
ing in the pueblo who were DESTROYS of
defeating party which had formed
some Americans who were inimical to
me.
The American lived about twenty
miles of the pueblo. They mistOol
my mission much more than 1 mistook
theirs, and they thought my conduct
i'm living among these Indians, wear
ing their costume, eating their food,
practieing their ceremonials and al
ways revering every thing that they
reverenced was in the highest degree
reprehensible and paganistic.
However, it happened on a certain
occasion that I went to Fort Wingate
and procured some turpentine and lin
seed oil with the design of painting
red the door of my house.. which faced
westward, whence come all the
storms.
Unfortunately, just at this time the
measles broke out in the pueblo and
the children wore dying every day. 1t
IS an extremely fatal disease with In
dams. One day woman, a clan sister
of mine, came to me and said that her
little child was extremely i'll of this
disease. She asked me if had medi-
cines that l could give for that dis
case
said l had, and she asked me if I
would give the medicines to her little
one.
Eyes, provided you will keep the
little girl in the northwest corner of
your house, within line three steps
from one wall and three steps from the
other. Then I will go when the sun is
so high and when the sun is so low and
treat your child"
laid out this formula because for
mule are supposed to have quite as
much value among them rs medicines,
and in the hope that it would appeal to
her more forcibly.
If she permitted the child to run
about the room and to encounter cold
draughts it would inevitably die with
in four 10 eight days.
But the woman said, "Oh, can't
promise to do that"
''WhyP" said /.
''Because," she answered, "the little
one will cry to go out"
LET her cry. For il you let her go
out, you and all your people will cry
when she is lost"
"Weu," she said, sit would not do,
though it were the last relation that
they should have"
well, then" said, ''you have no
faith that I will cure the child, else
YOU would, for the sake OF its life, re-
strain IT."
I'm their estimation il is wrong ia
coerce a child, since it may in some
mysterious way, interfere with the
good development and fortunate life OF
the child.
Unfortunately the child died within
four or Ave days. Weeks passed and
] heard nothing of it, but, one night,
after / had been asleep some time.
there was a sound in the room. ]
woke up and gszed mistily around.
Standing near the door was the form
OF "a man. The embers were just diving
out on my hearth in the opposite cor,
ner. and l was lying on the ground.
Gazing about me / realized that an
other man was moving my foot to wake
mo up; it is their belief that a mar
must not be awakened except by touch
ing him at the least vulnerable point
inasmuch as the soul is very loosely
bound to the body during sleep
Therefore. the soul must not be rudelv
called back for fear that its connection
may be severed. l mention this {,
show you how extremely courtroom
these priests are even when they con
template taking a mans life. 1 turne,
over and saw i'm the dim light badQ,
across the breast of this man standins
near the door and knew at once that i
was a serious matter.
What could have occurred I had n,
idea. ] therefore had recourse at ono,
30 a weapon that had thus far nevet
failed me-sarcasm.
said: ''Why do you pull me from
II, dreamsP When / have been talkins
with my friends i'm Washington, yol
call me back suddenly, and in this rud,
manner. Be as rude with the Ere, an,
shake the blaze out Of il that we ma,
see one anotherm
And they said: ''Ah, little brother
this Is no ordinary occasion. IL is no
60 ask questions that we come here
bui 20 Is for you that we come
replied. "Ali right. Is IL "a coun