The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-01-06
RELIGION In FEE.
Men Who Eat Scorpions and Handle
Hot Goals.

Sheik Mahammed Ben Aissa, who vas
supposed to be directly inspired by
the Prophet.
He performed many miracles, giving
sight to the blind, healing the dumb
and curing the sick-and his fame
grew throughout the land. The Sui
tan of Morocco, then at Mequinez,
heard of him and desired to see him,
for the power of Ben Aissa was grown
on a level with his own. At last the
saint acceded to the Sultan's request
and left Fez for Mequinez, followed by
p crowd of dicciples and followers, q
mighty gathering. After six days
journeying in the desert the provis-
ions gave out and the people began to
complain bitterly.
Ben Aissa, who vas generally n
gagged in prayer, did not pay much
heed at first, but after awhile, angered
by their lamentations, he said:-"Go,
and as a punishment for your wicked
ness you shall eat whatever YOU meet
with on the road, whether it be poi
son, reptiles or stones The curse of the
saint scattered them in all directions,
and they seized upon and ate every
noxious thing they found on their
way, for Allah had listened to the
words of Ben Aissa.
Thus runs the quaint Arab legend,
trying to account for the existence OF
the strange sect of the Aissouas, whose
seeming supernatural powers have
helped to confirm many a travellers
tale when returning from the Far
East.
During an interview with a repre-
| sentative of the Gazette, the Comte de
Lavergny, a soldierly looking French
man, decorated with the Legion d'Hon-
neur, spoke as follows:-
Il have been living in Algiers and
| Morocco for the last five years. and of
course, in common with other Euro
peans, went to see the Aissouas per-
form their strange and blood-curdling
religious ceremonies, and the thought
suggested itself to me that If | could
only persuade a few Aissouas to colne
to Europe, a real sensation must be
caused by them, not only among sight
seers, but among those scientific men
who devote their lives to the science
of hypnotism and kindred phenomena.
For IN what other way car one ex-
plain the extraordinary feats they per-
form?n
"But what do they do? Is it true
lIldU UllSH 6WtllOW IODCltCS dllo hOAd
hot Goals in their hands?" s.There is
nothing, literally nothing, in the way
of physical pain that they will not
endure. They allow themselves to be
bitten by vipers and scorpions, as
well as swallowing them alive: they
/ grid themselves with blazing straw
and lick red-hot shovels; they thrust
long pins, swords and daggers into
their persons without leaving any
marks, and, perhaps, strangest OF all
things, put a rope round their bodies
! tied with a running knot, and allow,
nay, even beg and entreat, twenty
strong men to pull at each end till the
knot comes together. But even this
seems to cause them no pain and GER
tainly leaves no mark"
us it a large sect9n mo; there are
| only seventy members in the whole of
Africa. As a rule they are recruited
from their own families, but occasion
ally an outsider joins and is initiated
into their mysteries"
Have they ever performed in
Europe before?n5 mo, eve / be-
lieve that there is an Aissoua at the
Paris Exhibition, but he does nothing.
| have brought eight of them and
their chief Abdud, who is said to be
himself directly descended from Ben
Aissa."
but why do they do these extraor-
binary things?"
Oh, it is a religion to them; you
will see. They begin with prayers;
it partakes with them of the nature
of a religious ceremony"
Zone word more-where will you
next hold your strange shown
"ll New York, where | expect we
sha3 make a considerable sensation.
Wo9 id you like to see them before we
begin p And he led the way to the
familiar artistes' room, filled when 1
last saw it with half a dozen of our
most charming English ballad singers.
Now what a change! A circle of
swarthy turbaned Arabs squatting on
the floor around an iron brazier full
of the burning charcoal. which is to
serve in a few moments to make the
| shovel hot, etc, s'They are tired; sew
eral of them only arrived last night
Eyes, but they are very sober.
Eggs, rice and water form the chief of
their diet. They are not long-lived
men; in fact, they live to grow
old. / suppose that the excitement
wears them out"
At eight o'clock, in the large hall,
the performance began. Slowly the
eight Aissouas filed in, each carrying
a kind of tambourine drum covered
with small hieroglyphics. Behind
came the charcoal brazier.
Sitting in a circle facing the audi
ence, their chief, Abdud, began to
pray, shutting his eyes and bending
rhythmically to the sound of his own
voice. Loud CALCULATIONS broke from
time to time from his companions, and
the scene, impressive in its solemn
simplicity, reminded one of a Saliva
ZIONIST all-night meeting. Soon an
other took up the theiie and then
another, breaking forth into a low
chant. For fully twenty minutes this
went on, their prayers, CALCULATIONS
Land chants growing in intensity and
fervor. we can do nothing to hurry
them,n whispered Count de Lavergny.
"See, Abdud is putting incense on to
the fire. Suddenly an Aissona sprang
up and, uttering hoarse cries, went
and bent his head over the brazier,
from which was ascending the fumes
of the incense.
Then began a strange sight. Slowly
turning on himself, he began twisting,
as do the dancing dervishes, quicker
and quicker every moment, his com
panions beating a sort of time on