The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-09-27
SORCERY AMONG INDIANS.
Some Things That the Red Men VIII Not
Put Up With.

Some Things That the Red Men Will Not
Put Up With.
TIE belief of the Indians in sorcery
is very practical one, and if their
medicine chiefs fail in any appointed
exploit they are promptly tortured.
Frank Gushing, in his experiences
among the Zunis, the wonderful castle
building Indians of western New Mex
leo, tells that upon returning one day to
the Huni town he found one of the old
men of the tribe on trial for sorcery, or
rather for misusing his powers. There
had been no rain for weeks, wells were
drying up and water famine stared
the nation in the face. The chiefs de-
cldcd that the medicine man had turned
witch After a long aad exhaustive
trial the old man was sentenced to be,
suspended from the wall until he would
confess. His hands We're tied behind
his back and he was then suspended by
his wrists from a rope. The torture
was eNcruciating and the old man
howled piteously for mercy.
Say something" shouted the Zuni
chief
What shall say?" whined the old
man.
Say yes or no. yelled the chief.
The old man finally confessed and
was let down. He went through an
elaborate series Of promises as to his
future behavior and promised that rain
would fall within four days. At the
end of four days no rain had fallen, but
the old medicine man had disappeared.
party of Iunis went out in search of
him. and had he been found he would
undoubtedly have been killed.
On the night Of the fifth day, how
ever, and while the search was still in
progress, the rain came in torrents.
The next day the old man marched
proudly into the village and was re-
ceived with acclamations of great joy.
But, however deep is the faith of the
red man in the Great Spirit and in the
power Of sorcary and magic, he has
very little belief in spirits, as we know
them, or in ghosts Magician Baldwin
relates a little incident which took
place in Cheyenne number Of years
ago, when the Wyoming town was the
habitat only of Indians and cowboys.
Baldwin had stopped one night to give
his representation of the matcrializa-
ton of spirits-a clever variation Of
the familiar cabinet trick.
In the audience was a renowned In
dian chief of great bravery. Now to
call an Indian "a dog" is to hurl at
him the vilest imputation against his
bravery that an Indian knows Among
other ma terializations which Baldwin
made that evening was the face of
famous Indian warrior, then dead, who
had long been an opponent of the great
chief in the audience. This face APP
peared at the window of the cabinet
and in Indian dialect denounced the
old chief with the offensive epithet, "a
dog" In wild anger the Old chief drew
his tOmahawk and made Il rush for the
stage. Some such maneuver had
been expected and he was stopped for
moment. But he was not easily re-
strained and yelled eXcitedly that he
would kill his old enemy over again.
A second later the curtains of the cabi-
net We're thrown open and the chief
was allowed to see that it was occupied
only by the magicians assistant, who
was tightly bounds But the old chief
was hardly satlsfie.l-1=I' s=s--llt ! s,,,a5
and round the cabinet, explored every
recess, went all over the stage and was
certain, in some way. that his insult
ing foe had been allowed to escape. He
retired, muttering threats of vengeance.
Magician Baldwin got out of that
town on the very first traiu.-N. Y.
Herald