The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-26
HOOK SWINGING.
A Brutal Exhibition Which Is Being
Revived la India.

A Brutal Exhibition Which IS Being
Revived la India.
Aadurd Letter in Missionary Herald.
Having heard that the old cruel practice
Of hook swinging was about TO be revived,
after having been abolished for twenty-five
/ years. the Madura mission directed me to
memorabilia the Madras government, and
pray it TO prohibit this revival The gov
erGment replied that it would discourage it
| in every way. but was not willing to abso-
lutely prohibit it. This encouragement
/ amounted to nothing at all, and il came off
Jan. p in the presence of 10000 people.
| DR.. Van Allen and l went out to see it, for
the sake OF being able TO give an authentic
account of 1t.
There are four little villages In the vicin-
ity Of Solavandan inhabited by the people
of the Kellar or Robber caste. In each
village is family that has the right Of Sc
Letting two candidates for the operation.
| Out of the eight thus chosen one was Sc
lected by lot, and the lot fell upon young
man OF % years. thick-set aud muscular.
and rather short Of stature
| These people worship the demoness MARI
amman, said to be the spirit OF a parish
woman, who formerly was attacked by
| smallpox and was left to die without as
| sjstance She has now become the patron
Of smallpox and cholera, and is believed to
have the power TO send or withhold rain.
and hook swinging is thought to be a means
OF propitiating her. so as to influence her to
send rain in abundance.
In 1867 this practice was revived, after
having been prohibited for many years.
j But, upon representation to Lord Napier at
that time. he again prohibited it; and now,
after twenty-four years, the people. having
learned from the present power that it
would do no more than discourage it, have
| revived 1t again with great eclat.
1t is said that, previous to the insertion OF
the hooks into the middle of the back, the
muscles and skin are rendered insensble by
slapning and plnching. However that may
be, there is no doubt that arrack was given
to the man at the time. He was brought to
the police station with the two hooks in
| serted back to back. one each side of the
spine. The hooks were not large, and the
flesh taken up by them seemed very little
| The wonderful strength of the muscles in
the back was shown by this performance.
The car consisted of a rough platform on
wheels, supporting great frame about 10
feet in length and breadth and Is feet in
| hight, the platform itself being feet from
the ground. Up through the middle of the
great frame rose a stout circular beam OF
great strength, 8 feet above the frame, and
on the top of this beam was pivoted the
| pole, 80 feet in length, from which the man
| hung 35 feet from the ground.
Promptly at o'clock the hooks were in
serted within some building, and the man
came rushing along the street, escorted by
| constables and others, who beat back the
crowd and kept up vigorous tanning.
| After the short stay at the police station
! they made great rush for the car, which
| stood on an ad jacent street, and there the
end of the sweep was lowered to receive its
victim. Soon il was carried up again with
the man attached. AS he went up he
IL IL n l.. l..
measured way, and this he kept up during
the whole performance. His ankles had
jingles on them that could be heard as
they beat together with a sturdy "ching,
ching"
Before carrying him up to the greatest
hight the pole was held horizontally, and
the man was carried around in a complete
circle, swinging around over the tops of the
houses. Then the car was drawn forward
to the first corner, where 1t was delayed
that kid might be sacrificed. Once in a
| while the man would draw up, with rope,
plsntains and flowers, and throw them
down to the crowd below. In one place
there was ditch to be crossed, and the
jolt caused him to seize the rope that hung
by his side, but with that exception he
seemed to hang entirely by the two hooks
in his back. The flesh was gathered up,
showing great tension, and his back was
bent.
After an hour and a quarter the car re-
turned to its starting place aud the man
was released. The hooks were not taken
out, but were kept in that they might move
the people to be more liberal in giving
presents to the performer. His pulse was
good and his condition seemed normal, but
| the flesh of the back was so drawn up as to
leave deep holes for the hooks. He put on
an air Of bravado, and even offered to
swing for a second time il a suitable
present should be given. 1t was only in
the evening that the hooks we're taken out.
The image Of the goddess was carried
around on a wooden bull behind the car,
but the great object was to get money, and
for three months the man can have the
hooks and cord and knife used TO show peo-
pie and beg for presents.