Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-23
WITH CACTUS SPIKES.
HOW MEXICAN COWBOYS SCOURGA : THEMsELYEs FOR SINS.

Thunder Storm While the TrafIers pitiate tho Eismsnts-One Man Pune ished Annually for Others' Sins.
 ''Any one who has ever been on the battle trail in Texas or New Mexico has seen many illustrations of the profound fear and religious faith of the Mexican cowboys" said O. P. Horton, proprietor of the Loupas cattle ranch in New Mexico. ''The laceration of their flesh with thorny cactus in time of danger or trouble, as 0 penance for their sins Is . common act among them, and many is the herd of cattle that has suffered enor- nous loss through Mexicans in charge of them attaching more importance to their barbarous atonenaent for past wicked ness than they did to the cattle in their custody. l once knew herd of $500 cattle 10 be stampeded in 0 thunder storm because the Mexicans who were trailing themswere afraid of thunder and lightning, and threw themselves from their horses, stripped themselves, and dashed their naked bodies with cactus as a propitlatiOn of thu elements. while the herd rushed wildly away in all directions and hundreds were lost
 '1t Is not an uncommon thing for Mexican cowboys to stop on the trail to puAAoh CilCuIpC1SCS 1OE tLSlI 6luS. ET6- quently their cries while giving them selves the thorny fiagellation cause disastrous stampede of the cattle they have been entrusted with. have many time seen these Mexicans walk bare footed for rods over patches of cactus ep!kes, while a companion followed and lashed their naked backs with the same thorny plant-the formidable cane cac- tus. Once I was in town in Northern and xxyitn sch{ {N~ hibition.
 II had 0 friend down there who was looking after the interest. of 0 mining company, and as had been asked to go into the concern, went down to look the ground over. I arrived in the place on Friday - just year ago last Good Friday.
 friend when we met. They're going to give this community its annual sin-clean- ing by flashing greaser till you can't tell him from side of dressed beef, and we'll go and see 'efn do it.
 'tHe then explained to me that on Good Friday at least one Mexican in the par ish had to submit to public fagllation with cane cactus, as penance not only for his sins for the year past, but for those of the community in general. I accompanied my friend to see how an official fagellation was conducted.
 i've went first to the church, which was an ancient one. In the altar stood . young Mexican stripped to tho waist. The priest was saying prayers over him and all the people were kneelihg and tell | ing their beads.
 :" That's chap they call Bad Lopez, whispered my friend. He has evidently beaten the record for wickedness this l year, and will get the tickler.
 "The ceremonies at the church were soon over. Then Bad Lopez took up a heavy cross that lay near the altar. threw 1t across his shoulder and followed the | priest out of the church. The cross was was not less than eight feet long. with cross arms in proportion. Lopez bent under It's weight. The people in the 1 church followed Lopez. 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 had been raised on the spot, and around l this Lopez walked once and laid his cross on the ground. The crowd surrounded Mexicans stepped forward. Each had in his hand a stalk of cane cactus. A stalk of cane cactus Is about four feet long. A man can just nicely reach around it's butt and get firm hold of it. The stalk tapers to a point, and has numerous 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 8 bee stinger. Every
 wound made by one of these spikes k
 bound to swell, and fester and itch worse than nettles.
 Ut was with one of these encouraging I hot nh oR nb1 was armed. They were apparently anx
 ious to purify that parish without delay
 for they did not hesitate moment wher
 they stepped from the crowd, but started
 right in to threshing the young Mexican's
 bare back as if they were simply rattlint
 out floor of grain. Around and around
 that cross Lopez marched, his f1agellator.
 at his heels, and welding their frig htfu
 weapons with vigor and regularity, while
 the spectators chanted weird and dis
 cordant hymn. At the first blow o
 the cactus the Mexican's back wa.
 lacerated as If 1t had been cut by lances
 and the blood ran down in streams
 A visible trepOr shook his frame, and h
 drew himself down convulsively unde
 the pain of the first blow, but not soun'
 escaped his lips. The poison spikes
 were pounded into the flesh as long a.
 there were any branches to the cactu
 stalk. By the time the terrible scourg ers were worn out there was not spot o whole skin or untorn flesh from the Mexi
 cans shoulders to his waist. Scores o
 the thorns had broken off in the flesh
 and protruded from the lacerated mas ! like porcupine Quills.
 "As soon as the merciless beating wa over, Lopez was marched back again
 the church. At the church a smooth ba
 of wood was passed over his mangle
 back from the shoulders down, to remov
 such of the spikes and adhering section ! of the cactus as would come off with tn scraping. Those, with other bits of tn !. cacfus that the spectators had picked u around the cross, were thrown on tn
 ground in front of tue church doc,
 and over these Lopez walked , hts bare feet, to and fro several times s Then the sacrifice was over. The Mexica : had atoned for whole parishs sins an d his friends took him home. don't kno,
 whether he ever got we'll or not. but
 was told that 1t was a common thing fo :. the vlctims of these Negotiations to be si | montha recOvorfn0 from tho offectS Of th