Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-04-20
LOS FARISEOS."
A Further Account of Apache Dev.
 iitry at San Xavier.

From inquiries made of some old Mex
 jeans, natives of this territory, we gay
 the recital of the episode alluded to il
 our issue of last Monday about the Apa
 che raid at San Xavier while masquer
 adlDg as 'fariseos" during Holy Week
 long ago. The following are the req
 facts of the case so far as can be learned
 from some of those who participated.
 During the Holy Week of 1852, .
 priest had come specially from San Yg J nacio, Sonora, to celebrate the custom
 ary religious services at the mission ol
 San Xavier, that being then the only church north of Imuris, Magdslena dis
 trict. Naturally enough many of the people round about for fifty or more
 miles gathered at the old mission much as they do at a fiesta.
 Masses, processions, rosaries and the
 way of the cross, with sermons and shoutings, had occupied the pious null titudes during the first part of the week till the eliminating event had been reached on Holy Thursday, when Judas betrsys his master. Jesus is appre- hended, lead to calvary and crucified. All these events had been vividIy repres- ented after the style of the times by dramatic impersonations, till an effigy of the Christ lay prone on 8 sepulcre, and guard ofnngarrison soldiers kept watch iD immitatIon of the Roman sold
 ers that eighteen centuries before had watched the body of Christ near Jerus- alem. With contrIte hearts and pended heads the devout faithful prayed, and really saw and felt the very scenes of the specification. The church was de- corated with black cloth and the em- blems of mourning covered the sltars and even the people assumed somber colors in their apparel.
 But not so with several bands of men and boys, who, dressed in the most grot- =sque and fantastic attres, and dis Zuised beyond recognition, went about playing havoc with the pious people every where. They entered the houses 4nd at and drank whatever they found, and even invaded the church playing tricks on the contrite worshippers, for we're they not supposed to represent the Pharesees, Sadducees and devils who had triumphed over Christ, who lay lead and inert, while the world was all theirs?
 Rough and Irreligeous as these things 1 ppear, 1t must not be forgotten that at this time the same style of celebrating | he Passion was in vogue in every town | of Mexico, though excesses and abuses | were more common in the rural dis | tricts, among which might be counted | San Xavier.
 While this religious gathering wss ;onscientlC usy intended to celebrate the mysteries of the church, and the older | md more sedate people had no other thought in coming, great many, and | he young ln particular, gave loose rein D more boyant spirits, and they were ready for every chance to Gmuse them selves. The contingent of pilgrims took kindly to the m8squeraders m as Pharlsees | and devils, and the forebearance of the | aithful could be easily accounted for, that their young sons and relatives were surely participants in the pranks that annoyed them.
 BatEeen the evening of Thursday and mid day of Friday IS always the period Jf interest to he masqueraders, and 1t ften happens that at that time some of he more secretive and mischievOus | serve themself for these hours, so ii | was not strange, that about 10 o'clock, an extra number of Pharisees made | their appearance, and not only joined | the others in their prauks but exhibit | ted marked aggressiveness and activity. i The new masqueraders affected the |
 pache disguise; but es the people of | ,; n XavIer, were not sticklers to costu- | hes, nor had an idea of how phsrisees | -houlo dress, they assumed any disguise | nd not | nfi equently that of the Apache, | yho i7 tt, minds of the people were the | of the Evil One on earth. | Hence it was not particularly noticed l hat the new corners had Apache | apparels, or that they initiated their | savage dances, nor that they tried to | play tricks of practical nature, like | going into the houses ard devouring all the tama,es and eatable they lay hands | )n, and swaIlowed with avidity tbe eecal and tesGll7 whenever they could | ind it. Towards m dniaht, when the | excitement was at fever heat, wild | dance was indulged In at the plaza. and | then the new c0mers showed greater | hRllllN III tAcCuliOD, lO tue | great delight of the people who applaud | ed them to the echo.
 Soon after this exciting dance which | had attracted the people, these mas 1ueraders graius'y disappeared. and the | next day, upon investigator, it was learned that this extra bunch of "Fari- | seos" were none of the people or Papa l gos. Il was also discovered that from many houses they had carried away mall articles, and driven away a large number of horses, not only of the town out of the visiting devotees, and hsd killed the herder who had been assigned t0 guard and watch the animals.
 I, was suppos d that the stampeding of the horses was done while the people were admirlrg the wild war dances at
 he plpzt O. learning the true sta'e # affairs the people were stricken with horror. They had uncoEtiously been near to a great calamity, as the wild Apache might have turned the war lance into an uuslaught and massacred them by an unexpected attack upon them.
 This lasson was long remembered and he enthusiasm for the "Fariseos" was greatly reduced io after years.
 Help Wanted.