Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-07-16
wren KILLING

The ttoflos from Alaska regafdinr
the killing OF alleged witches there q
strongly suggestive Of Incidents Of
Scottish history three or four centurie.
ago. The Alaska official. report that
an Indian doctor Il now 10 jail there
awaiting trial for murder His oRenso
WIS Ia charging n native woman with
being witch aud ia heading crowd
Of people who seized the accusoi, beat
her severely, AMI deprived her of ioos
for nine days, causing her death. A..
other case reported is where woman
accused Of wiiohcran was tied up IN o.
tent Tor seven days, without food or
water iil she died. II u said
the govcrumen, will take Ac,iye meas.
ures to prevent recurrence Of tuch
awful deeds on the part Of the super.
stiti0us inhabitants.
The people Of today have learned TO
look with COMMUNICATION uuon those
who are 40 bVnighted ne to believe Ia
the practice Of witchery ~ the Indians
OF tue north are reported 10 DO. Yet II
IL not very long time ago, corparn.
lively, when many civilized people,
under the teachings OF supposed
Chrisiianily, were a. deeply STEPPED In
the supertition Ne are the Alaskan
ualivcs, anu when their rel gous iu-
alfuciors led In tue slaughter OF
alleged Witches. In Scotland, for
inslquce, there Il n terrible record
Of procedure In this respect from
1880 10 1851, during which period up
waide Of tnrue thousand women were
executed for wltchcrsft. Some Of them
were siraugled before being consigned
to the names, aud othcrs were burned
alive but all we're under Judicial sem
tenor. Ia the fret persecution, as II IL
now termoi, from 1900 to 1897, there
were $50 thus treated, or mn average Of
90 per Huuum; Ia this second prr.ecu.
ton, from 1910 to 1850. there were
1000 vlcilms; and Ia the thifI persc.
ouiion, from 1860 10 1858, there were
400 women put TO death Ms witches, or
100 per annum; from 1898 to 1850,
there were 900 slain tor this cause-a
total during the % yeArs. officially re.
ported, Of 3. 800.
Cromwell was tho hrst 10 pul "A
check ON this barbatous procedure,
In the years between 1851 aud 1853
when ho sought 10 unite Englsnd and
Scotland undor one system Of law. HE
"commiislonofs for the Naturalization
Of justice" found Ia their frst circuit
In scolpnd upwards OF sixty persons
awaiting ttlal for witchcran, who were /
released. When tho Protectors ain.
pedlmuuts 10 Justice" ns they wers
called, were removed TIE triala for
wilehery again began, and IN 1853
thlrty.eighl women aud two men wore
executed In Eiluburgb and vicinity.
IL n Interesting 10 note the mraus
that were taken TO establish that
certain pursoua were witches, "a IT,
ported by Cfomweii's commissioners.
rney found at Leith two women
who had been brought before
tho klrs, aud having confessed
were turaed over to the civil
Tor punishmenL The
demanded 70 know
how these women oam6 to bs proved
witches. ana 1t was learned that 1t was
through the exceeding torture they
were put 10, which was by tying their
humbs behind IA N, anu after hang.
ug them up by them, Two highlnnders
whipped thonr, after when thoy set
lighted candles TO the soles OF their feet
lnd between thclr toes, then burned
hem by putting lighted candles Into
heir months, aud by burning different
parts Of their heads, There were ok
u tho accused la all, four Of whom
lied II their torture. Another woman
hat was suspected OF boing witch
mad been placed twenty -sight days ana
lights on q bread and water diet, being
.lnpped uud laid upon u cold stone,
sith only "a hair cloth over her. O,hers
bad hnirshiTts diprei In vinegar put on
hem 10 fetch Of the skin. Those who
usugnted anu engaged In iu-
liouDg those eXOTuciatiug tormcuta
Eere ministers aud Inferior occlcsIa,-
ical and civil oilccrs. ltisA notable
act that there wuu taclt understand.
ng between the mobiles aud che clergy
bat tho charge OF wilchcrun should
io1 be brought against person OF
position; anu the chief sulerrrs were
hose whose views ON questions OF the
lay, rtlgiouB or otherwise, rendered
hem unpopular with tpe clergy.
The fact that legal wlichkuung is q
ygouo !u Europo aud America is
mo OF The marks which Indicate the
humanity and enlightenment OF mod,
ru progrcs, as extmplifei Ia the
work. OF his leader. Yet in
iyllized nations there are many
r0plo VIII are not wholly
rec from the spirit which bounded
housunds Of innocent people TO death
- witches. Some OF this class are
Quad even in comparatively proml-