Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-06-27
MEXICAN COWBOYS.
sCoURGING THEIR BODIES
WITH CACTUS SPIKES.

SCoURGING THEIR BODIES
WITH CACTUS SPIKES.
Faith that Sustains Them Through
Great Torture--How " Bad Lopez !"
Was Purified.
Any one who has ever been on the
cattle trail in Texas or New Mexico has
seen many illustrations of the profound
fear and religious faith of the Mexican
cowboys, said 9. p. Horton, proprietor
OF the Loupas cattle ranch in New Mex
leo. "The liberation of their flesh with
thorny cactus in time of danger or
trouble, as penance for their sins, is
common act among them, and many is
the herd of cattle that has suffered
enormous loss through Mexicans in
charge of them attaching more import
ance to their barbarolls atonement for
past wickedness than they did to the
cattle IN their custody. I once knew
herd of $500 cattle to be stampeded in
q thunder storm because the Mexicans
who were trailing them were afraid of
thunder and lightning, and threw them
selves from their horses, stripped them
selves, and lashed their naked bodies
with cactus as Precipitation of the ele-
ments, while the herd rushed wildly
away in oil directions, and hundreds
were lost.
1t is not an uncommon thing for
4 ;aSican cowboys to stop on the trail to
u themselves for their sins. FIRE.
ing NY their cries while giving them
.es IN the thorny fagellation cause q
. #pus stampede of the cattle they
nVe coen entrusted with. I have many
w deaighn these Mexicans walk bare
. ol;.;..8 rods over patches of cactus
F" Poi'''ole companion followed and
royed their naked backs with the same
WEN plant - the formidable cane
Once was in town in North.
these &ico and witnessed an astonish-
, 1S73$hibition.
Mad friend down there who was
loer ing after the interests of q mining
ty.$pany, and as had been asked to go
.shto the concern, went down to look
the ground over. I arrived in the place
on Friday-just o year ago last Good
Friday.
You're just in time exclaimed my
friend when we met. They're going to
give this community its annual sin
cleaning by flashing a greaser till you
can't tell him from side of dressed beef,
and We'll 60 and see em do it,
''He then explained to me that on
every Good Friday at least one Mexican
in the parish had to submit to public
flagellation with cane cactus, as pen
ance not only for his sins for the year
past, but for those of the community in
general. / accompanied my friend to
see how an official fagellation was con-
Quoted.
eve went first to the church, which
was an ancient one. In the altar stood
a young Mexican stripped to the waist.
The priest was saying prayers over him
and oil the people were kneeling and
telling their beads.
That's chap they call Bad Lopez
whispered my friend. He has evident
ly beaten the record for wickedness this
year, and will get the ticker.
"The ceremonies at the church were
soon over. Then Bad Lopez took up
heavy cross that lay near the alter,
threw it across his shoulder, and followed
the priest out Of the church. The cross
was made of timber eight inches square.
1t was not less than eight feet long,
with cross arms in proportion. Lopez
bent under its weight. The people in
church followed Lopez. I didn't see
the priest after we left the church. The
procession marched nearly half mile,
and the Mexican couldn't have carried
that heavy cross another rod. But the
destination had been reached. A cross
had been raised on the spot, and around
this Lopez walked once and laid his
cross on the ground. The crowd sur
rounded the standing cross. Two stout
Mexicans stepped forward. Each had in
his hand stalk of cane cactus. A stalk
OF cane cactus is about four feet long.
A man can just nicely reach around
its butt and get a firm hold Of it. The
stalk tapers to point, and has numer-
GUS branches, four or five inches long.
Stalk and branches are covered with
thousands of needle-like thorns. These
are an inch long, and as poisonous as a
bee-stinger. Every wound made by one
OF these spikes is bound to swell, and
tester and itch worse than nettles.
cit was with one of these encouraging
weapons that each of Lopez's scourgers
was armed. They were apparently anx-
ious to purify that parish without delay,
for they did not hesitate a moment
when they stepped from the crowd, but
started right in to thrashing the young
Mexican's bare back as if they were
simply rafting out floor of grain.
Around and around that crop Lopez
marched, his fagellators at his heels,
and welding their frightful Weapons
with vigor and regularity, while the
spectators chanted weird and discor-
dant hymn. At the first blow of the cac
tus the Mexican's back was lacerated as if
it had been cut by lances, and the blood
ran down in streams. A visible tremor
shook his frame, and he drew himself
down convulsively under the pain of the
first blow, but not sound escaped his
lips. The poison spikes were pounded
into his flesh as long as there were any
branches to the cactus stalk. By the
the time the terrible scourgers
we're worn out there was not a spot of
whole skin or uniform flesh from the
Mexican's shoulders to his waist. Scores
of the thorns were broken off in his
flesh, and protruded from the lacerated
mass like porcupine quills.