The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-18
PUT TO DEATHB BY SNAKES
The Awful Sacrifice on "Montezu-
mas Head" In ArIzona-A Hand i.
to-Hand Battle with Thou
sands OF Serpents,

dianso OF Arizona that whenever one of
their number il pronounced to be be-
witched he shall be put to death, as his
presence threatens the lives of all with
whom he comes I'm contact. A writer in
the San Francisco Erdmiaer gives the fol-
lowing realistic description of the execu-
ton Of q Pima suspected of witchcraft.
The writer was hidden behind a large
rock some three hundred yards away, but
was able to follow The minutest details of
The horrible scene by means of his field
glass.
After waiting for about an hour, he says,
my vigil was rewarded by hearing the
mo~notonous sounds of an Indian song,
and about half nm hour later some twenty
or twenty-five Indians, who by means of
my glass l was able to recognize as chiefs,
medicine men and prominent members
of the tribe, made their appearance on
the summit OF the peak. II was then
about 0 o'clock in the morning and very
warm, the month being May, and The
lazy Pimas seemed somewhat overcome
as the result Of their e~xertions in making
the precipitous ascent. They sat dow
i'm q circle surrounding, as / was able
to determine, the accused witch. For
half an hour they made no move
ment, when the chief medicine man
arose and started a little fire, which put
IoTtu iittit uhtic " ~ heafy Noibiiit Vi
smoke. After the smoke arose in sufil-
cient quantities. he began tanning it i'm
different directions by means OF a blanket,
breaking forth in n weird, momentous
chant, the refrain Of which was taken up
by all the Indians present. On the side OF
the peak which l was facing arose a sheer.
precipice fully 200 feet high from which at
q distance of about forty feet from the top
a ledge OF rocks, perhaps twenty feet in
width, projected. As the song reached its
| Ixs.lt r.u,. Dir, a ,Sa.s.<< e.. Tho 49, -
the precipice and began hurting rocks
upon the ledge below, and l could
also see that others were doing some
thing with the prisoner. In q few min
utes the unfortunate victim walked firmly
to the precipice, standing as erect as u
soldier on dress parade and giving no
evidence OF trepidation or dismay. He
was entirely stripped of his clothing and
was a beautiful specimen OF physical
manhood who, to my horror, ] momenta-
mighty bluff into eternity. My surprise,
however, was greatly excited when / saw
him seat himself OH the edge of the preci-
pice and swing gently into the air, being
suspended by a stout rope which was
attached to straps around the breast,
der-blades, where IL would be inn
possible for him to reach the knot with
his free hands. Several more rocks were
hurled down upon the rocky ledge and
i IleIl III WAS tlltnts NUlle Il aNdlkeu sup-
sequent developments i'm painful sus-
pense i'm order to determine the object of
the strange actions of the Indians, the I'M
fortunate wretch was being slowly and
carefully lowered to his fate, and when
but a few feet from The projecting rocks l
heard a sound resembling escaping steam
from a distant engine. Fixing my glass
es upon the place where he would soon
step, / noticed hat the little rocky shelf
seemed TO be in notion. Great heavens!
l L.-l ~.a - ~ 80,
such sickening and horrible atrocity
/ could not witness, and ! turned my head
away from the revolving sight. The poor
Indian was being. lowered into n den of
thousands n thousands of loathsome
r~attlesnakes, made blindly mad by the
rocks thrown upon them n were watt
ing for revenge to strike his naked body
when il came within reach-and the hiss
ing sounds / heard 300 yards away were
their signals of warning. The poor re-
plunging over the cliff was denied the
wretch, Tor the six stalwart bucks who
held the rope above would never give
play enough to permit Of such action.
There is an undefinable attraction
about a scene Of horror which few can re-
sist, and just as the Indians feet touched
the ledge of rock my glasses were again
fastened upon him Then ensued the
most exciting though disgusting and une-
quail contest l ever witnessed In my life.
line young IcllOW was as nitnDie as u cat,
and brushing away the angry serpents
with his feet, so as to be able to stand on
the rock, he moved with wonderful dex-
terity, born of desperation. Hundreds of
~rattlers he grabbed i'm his hands and threw
them over the clitf without seeming injury
would at last be able to clear a spot
where he would be safe from their attacks.
For two or three seconds his arms shot
out like flashes of light, n he APP.
peared to be able to look in all
directions at one time as he caught the
reptiles in his hands and flung them from
him. Suddenly a cry of derision arose
from the group OF savages on the peak.
and as the gladiator arose ! saw that an
immense RATHER had fastened to the back
of his neck. Still he went on with his flu
tile work of self-preservation, but his
movements grew slower and slower. In
n minute from the time his feet touched
the r~attlesnakes' den he staggered and
fell. and when the Indians began hauling
him up to the top OF the precipice l could
see hat fully a dozen of the poisonous
reptiles had fastened their fangs in his
flesh in n manner so as to be unable To
extract them. He was then in the convul-
sions OF death, and I hurriedly returned
TO my horse N rode home, being anxious
TO leave the spot where l had unfortun-
ately witnessed such horrible barbarity,
and TO prevent which / was totally power
less.
Juan afterward told me that II the con-
demned witch had succeeded i'm cleaning
a place around him where he could have
lived for half an hour without being bit
ten by a snake his life would have been
spared and the medicine men would have
been the ones to suffer. / fancy, how
ever, that being bitten to death by squaws
is preferable To being bitten 10 death by
rattlesnakes, and that nom of the unfor-
Inmates who fall under the face of witch
craft law of Pima superstition ever
resort to an appeal to the higher supreme
court.
United for Life.
From the Chicago Times.
STRANGE that your educated friend