St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-05-31

exposure to the WIND OF the GILL
March day would in itself under any
circumstances have been brutal pun
iShment to most mOrtalS. The helQ
was covered with a rank growth OF
thorn. cactus, sage-brush, and stones,
and these blindfolded men must
have suffered untold agony as their
bare feet were pierced and bruised at
every step. Hating until the line
had closed up, the leader then start
ed again at a slow pace, and the
two men who were stripped to the
waist commenced to apply to their
backs fierce blows with the cactus
whips which they carried IN their
hands. At every other step the whip
was brought first over one shoulder,
then over the other, and at every
blow sank deeper and deeper into
their already torn and bleeding
bodies. So sharp were these needle
like 'disciplinas" that it was only
by a stong effort they could be
wrenched from out their bed of flesh.
Not 1nurmur or a sound, however,
escaped from the lips of the hagel-
lants as they walked along in their
slow and terrible march. Frequent
stops were made during which the
blows fell even more rapidly, till 1t
seemed an eternity before the cross
reached. We estimated that at least
FIVE hundred Of these selfinAicted
blows were administered in this
journey, and not in a single instance
could we discover any falling off in
their severity. Arriving finally at
the cross, the entire party fell on
their knees and continued their
mournful chant, while the two
scourge1s, as though their endurance
had not yet been fully tested, COM
menced to move around IN a wide
circle about the cross. still on their
knees, and still applying this awful
knout. When they had completed
this, the line of march was again
resumed, and the procession passed,
the on-lookers involuntarily closed
up slightly to obtain a nearer view.
Weak and exhausted by this time,
but still bringing that terrible whip
to fall on their quivering and bleed
ing backs, they repassed US at the
same slow and painful walk. We
were then very close, but it was i'm
possible to use our camera at this
range, as the Mexicans were all
| around and about us So terrible
had been the punishment admins
| tered, and so sharp and knife-like
were the whips, that the entire COW
ering of flesh had been torn off, leav-
ing the bones of the ribs exposed to
full view.
Had this punishment been admin
istered as a penalty for crime, our
whole nature must have revOlted,
and the victim could never summon
sufficient nerve to stand it, but so
strong a hold has religious enthusi-
assn upon this poor benighted, super
stitious people, that an unnatural
fortitude enabled them to bear it
uncompiainingly, and this fact made
it possible for us to witness it with
less repugnance.
AS soon as this party had entered
the doors of the morada, or Peni-
tente house of worship, another and
much larger one started on the same
pilgrimage. In this second party,
Immediately following the chanters,
came two men stripped and masked
like the others, but bearing on their
shoulders high crosses about fifteen
feet in length, made of rough tim bers
twelve inches in diameter, weighing,
should judge, between three hun
dred and four hundred pounds. AS
this procession started, at the same
pace adopted by the first, two men
armed with whips took their places
behind the cross-bearers and at
every step applied vicious blows
upon the naked backs of the men in
front. Following them came a par
ty of eight fagellants, and behind
them about dozen more rough,
uncouth, unshaven Penitentes, car
rying in their hands and elevated in
| front of them primitive and uncouth
figures OF all the saints in the litany
Again the cruel blows resounded
across the silent field, for not a
sound was heard save the OCCASION
al chant. Every head was uncov-
cred, and the aspect of the specta-
tors during the passing of the pro-
! cessiOn was most reverential All
the way to that far-off cross the for
mer scene was repeated, and upon
! the return OF THIS party we tried to
perpetuate the picture upon the
films. The distance, however, was
too great to do it full justice. In
every case the blood flowed in tor
rents down the backs of the f1agel-
lants, staining the drawers to the
ground, and leaving the subjects OF
this terrible sacrifice so weak they
were hardly able to complete the
journey.
We had seen enough for one day,
and drove back to Taos, trying hard
to fight against the feeling of de-
preston which fell upon our whole
| party.
That night, as we sat in the doc
tors cosy Office, discussing the
scenes of the eventful day, a call
came for him to attend one of this