The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-08-14
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Busssxsa sy ,raissfcr. s! ss,.i tsut In the Bib
Heal .sss:sfps... q IS e hanfstaR.


Heal sss:st,tr.s s. lsanfstaR.
eye for aa eye and tooth
Tor q sootii. Tie ttan, of the old
law still holls s-cssll Il Afghanistan,
says Che Sheffield Telegraph. In fact,
Che manners. c,,stts ms and trroundings
of shc Afghans OF to-day might be pro
totyped In the pages of the old tesla
nens as ffai Gull " Us the life OF the Is
raelites. The 4. ffs...;;:%s::i,s are Mohan1r1e-
dams, it is true, hut their religion is
built on old law lines, md their social
life isas simple and patriarchal as when
the great lawgivcr Moses ruledsthe des-
tries OF the people of Israel.
For in Afghanistan of to-day oxen
tread out the corn and plow the fields;
and the pIow itself is q counterpartsof
the Mosaical instrument. Corn is
ground in shand-mills and goatssin
serves as a watcr-bottlc. Household
and farming utensils have changed
nothing during the centuries that have
elapsed since the Tsraelites tramped the
desert by the Red sea. In short, you
could find series of .'tableaux wants"
ID the surroundings of Afghanistan Of
to-day to fill up chapter by chapter the
scenes depicted in the old testament. 1t
is said that the Afghans are one OF the
lost tribes, and certainly so far as q
logged adherence to Israelitish notions
is concerned they might be.
There is no mistaking the Mosaicai
parallel as far. as the social customs
present themselves; but | was aston
ished one evening, during the Russian
scare, when was on the Afghan from
tier, to see the very sirnilitude of the old
law punishment of stoning to death put
in practice.
A yelling mob Of people came rushing
from all directions toward the outskirts
Of the village of Puclxta, picking up
pieces of stone by the way and piling
them in little heaps by their feet. |
thought at the time they were going to
have a pitched battle, with stones as
missiles. But shortly a man came run
ming forward, followed by a splitting,
hooting mob, shouting: 'Sag! SagH'
(dog! dogD. The unfortunate runaway
evidently knew his fate, for his long,
earnest appeal to Heaven as he stopped
short and threw his arms up was but
the preliminary to his fearful fate-his
final appeal for mcrcyon his. soul, for
from that bowling mob he well knew
he need expect none.
The man had scarcely time to finish
his Invocation, when from all directions
O literal shower of stones fell on him:
For a moment he swayed to and fro
under the onslaught. Soon the terrible
shower had battered him into a iellied,
blood-bespattercd mass his very clothes
showing great rents through which tho
blood found vent and spurted freely.
He wavered for q moment with his chin
bobbing his chest, and then, after
doubling up at the knees and middle,
fell in a heap, dead.
I Still the bowling mob continued their
terrible fnsillade of stones until around
the already 1ifeless body a cairn was
4, formed, completely covering in the
corpse. And then the mob clapped
their hands, crowed, and went their
way. "That dog is done for said
they. Done for! Yes, it was terrible
doing; for there under the heap of
stones the mans nerves and muscles
still vibrated in their post-deatll
struggle, causing the stone heap to rise
and fall as if in labor with thing of
life; rose and fell in their horrible
parturition for few moments until. the
switching of nerve and muscle ceased,
and all was still. ''Consulnmatum est. .
The murderer of Afghanistan has
breathed his last and his jacet is writ
ten around the tombstone in those blood
marks that bespatter the ground about
~, cr.o 10 o.;,r,