Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-06-26
ANNUAL SIN-CLEANING.
An Astonishing Ceremony Wit
messed in Northern Mexico.


messed in Northern Mexico.
a Young Greaser Scourged with Cactus
Spikes-Faith That Sustains Penitents
Through Great Torture-Atone-
ment for the Sins of Many.
ANY one who has ever been on the cat.
tie trail in Texas or New Mexico has seen
many illustrations of the profound fear and
religious faith of the Mexican COWBOYS"
SAID Z. z. Horton, proprietor of the Loupas
cattle ranch in New Mexico, to New York
sun reporter. ''The laceration of their
nesn with thorny cactus in time of danger
or trouble, as penance for their sins, is
common act among them, and many is the
nerd OF cattle that has suffered enormous
loss through Mexicans in charge Of them at
tachlng more Importance to their barbarous
atonement for past wickedness than they
did to the cattle in their custody. I once
knew q herd of 8, 500 cattle to be stampeded
IN thunderstorm because the Mexicans
who were trailing them were afraid of
thunder and lightning, and threw them
selves from their horses, stripped them
selves, aud lashed their naked bodies with
cactus as precipitation of the elements,
while the herd rushed wildly away In ali
directions and hundreds were lost.
"ltis not an uncommon thing for Mexican
COWBOYS to stop on the trail to punish them
seiyes for their sins. frequently their
cries while giving themselves the thorny
nagellatlon cause disastrous stampede Of
the cattle they have been entrusted with.
L have many time seen these Mexicans
walk barefooted for rods over patches of
cactus spikes while companion followed
and lashed their naked backs with the
same thorny plant-the formidable cane
cactus. Once l was in town in Northern
Mexico and witnessed an astonishing exhi-
bition.
~ had friend down there who was look
ing after the interests of a mining COM
pany, and as had been asked TO go into the
concern, went down to look the ground
over. arrived in the place on Friday-just
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
lashing a greaser till you can't tell him
from side of dressed beef, and we'n go
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 f1agellation
with cane cactus, as a penance 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 flagellation
was conducted
"We 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 all the
people were kneeling and telling their
beads.
"'That's chap they call Bad Lopez
whispered my friend. He has evidently
beaten the record for wickedness this year,
and will get the tickler.'
"Tbe ceremonies at the church were soon
over. Then Bad Lopez took UP heavy
cross that lay near the altar, threw it across
his shoulder, and followed the priest out of
the church. The cross was made of timber
eight inches square. It was not less than
eight feet long, with cross arms in proper
ton. Lopez bent under its weight. The
people in the church followed Lopez. The
procession marched nearly half a mile, and
theMexican 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 surrounded the standing cross Two
stout 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 oft. The stalk tapers to
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 a bee stinger Every wound
made by one of these spikes is bound to
swell and foster and itch worse than nettles.
Of
weapons that each of Lopez scourgers was
armed. They were apparently anxious to
purify that parish without delay, for they
did not hesitate q moment when they
stepped from the crowd, but started right
In to threshlng the young Mexican's bare
back as If they were simply rafting out q
floor of grain. Around and around that
cross Lopez marched, his fiagellators at his
heels, and welding their frightful weapons
with vigor and regularity, while the spec
tators chanted weird and discordant
hymn. At the first blow Of the cactus the
Mexiean's S back was lacerated as if 1t had
been cut by lances, and the blood ran down
in streams. A visible tremor shook his
frame, and he drew himself down convul-
sively 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 time the terrible scohrgers
were worn out there was not a spot of
whole skin or untorn flesh from the Mexi-
cans shoulders to his waist. Scores of the
thorns had broken off in the flesh, and pro-
truded from the lacerated mass like porcu-
pine quills.
HAs Soon ss tha mereiless beating was
over, Lopez was marched back again to the,
church. At the church door smooth bar
of wood was passed over his mangled back
from the shonlders down, TO remove such
OF the spikes and adhering sections of the
cactus as would come of with the serapine.
Those, with other bits of cactus that the
-->-"tators had picked up around the cross,
were thrown on the ground in front of the
church door, and over these Lopez walked
IN his bare feet, to and fro several times.
Then the sacrifice was over. The Mexican
had atoned for whole parish's sins and his
friends took him home. l don't know;
whether he ever got well or not, but / was
told that it was common thing for the VIC
tins of these tiagellations to be six months
recovering from the effects of the punish
ment and that once in awhile one died.