The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-12
HOLY DOLL OF MEXICO
STRANGE MIRAUE-WORKIN
IMAGE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

shrine at Which Faithful Make
Their Appeal - Escape of People
for Whom the Protection OF the
Image Was Invoked.
From the Mexico Two Republics.
A few days ago coach containing a
priest and assistants, who were on their
way from the City of Mexico to admins
ter the service the church renders to the
dying, fen into a ditch, horses and all.
The excavation was a very deep one, and
the fan one which would generally be con-
sdered fatal, but driver and passengers
escaped without hurt, the coach was not
injured to speak of, and the horses al
though they had to remain for hours in
the water exposed to the danger of drown
ing, are said to be In fair way to com
pete recovery. There is a story connected
with this apparently miraculous escape
which Is well worth telling, incredible
though 1t may appear TO many The coach
was private turnout, and had practical
ly never been used before. 1t had been
imported at a considerable expense by a
wealthy family, and was lent for the oe-
casiOn because the wife of the owner had
expressed a wish that the first use of the
coach should be used to convey the bless
lngs OF the church to some one who stood
IN the greatest need of 1t. But to tell the
story so as TO be fully understood, it will
be necessary to go back a considerable
time.
There lives in the southern part Of Mex
leo In street not far from the national
library, a maiden lady of great personal
piety whose modest home has become a
shrine for many of the most prominent
Mexican people, including high ministers
OF the church, not on her own account,
however, but because she is the owner of
woodworking image, which is the OBJ
Ject Of as fervent alteration as Is bestow-
ed on the miraculous painting of the Vir-
gin In Guadalupe church.
This image is one of the little dolls rep
resenting the Virgin Mary, which are
found in nearly every Mexican household
and particularly in the apartments occu-
pied by the feminine members of the fam
liy. IL was given to the present owner
many years ago by a nun who taught her
In convent school. Strange to say, the
nun does not seem to have been at all
aware of the miraculous power possessed
by this image formed by human hands
for 1t is related that she was surprised al
her pupils modesty, when of all the nice
things offered her to choose present from
she would have none, but asked instead
for the doll, which lay. forgotten and neg
lected, In the closet of the nuns cell
The girl, however, felt herself wonder
fully attached to the clay image. and be-
slowed upon il all the devotion of her
young nature Her devotion, indeed, be-
came so exclusive that she became differ
ent from other girls of her age. and posi-
lively refused to be wooed and won, which
would have been no difficulty, as she was
comedy to took upon and belonged to a
well-to-do-family. How she ever became
acquainted with the fact that the image
she so highly cherished was more than an
Dnfii = 10 Fsnll and 80 a
answer prayers addressed to 1t the present
writer has not learned, but It is under
stood that the present reputation of the
Image has been learned by years of won
der-Working. II Is looked upon by MANY
people who by no means belong to the
classes generally suspect of ignorance and
superstition as the most efficient represen
tative of divine power on earth. ana a
prayer to the "Infantita," as the doh Is
reverently called is considered as eff
ficient as the alteration of any of the es-
tablished woodworking shrines that
have the express authority of the church.
During the beginning of the career of
the image its owner would lend it to those
who felt In need of miraculous interfer-
ence in the course of nature. 1t is claimed
that the presence of the image in a sick
room rarely failed to bring recovery To
those whom the physicians had declared
TO be beyond human help. Barren wo-
men prayed to the image for offspring
and their prayers were heard Wives
prayed for their husbands, mothers for
their children, and 1t is claimed that pro- |
vided the prayer was offered In sincere |
faith and with absolute trust Il was AL |
ways answered. The fame of the image |
spread among the people of the city. I'M
til few years ago the demand for ito |
presence became so great that the owner |
refused to let 1t pass out of her abode |
and established a shrine instead, which |
is said to-day to be the most popular |
among the city's most prominent families |
The woman who has been the keeper. Of |
this wondrous doll ever since her girIhood |
has developed into kind-hearted, sincere |
ly pious old maid, and has the reputa- |
ton of possessing all the qualities of a |
saint. She refuses all and every gift for |
herself, having means sufficient Of her
own. and, besides, a devoted brother ro |
shield her from want. But the graft |
tude OF those who ascribe to the image |
their recoveries from sickness and their
miraculous salvation in the hour of dam
ger has made this image wonderfully ricn !
in personal property.
A room has been set aside I'm the wo- |
mans modest home for the exclusive hab-
itation of the "Infantta." The image re-
clines in a beautifully worked canopIed
bed of solid silver, the gift of a ladies' |
circle which arranged q bazaar and ra0o
III a ptlNdtc ilOuat SOhit year ago 10 raise
the necessary funds. 1t is the owner Of a |
large number OF costly dresses and of rich /
jewelry valued at many thousands of dol |
lars. Among the latest gifts offered up at |
its shrine Is a magnificent grand piano, |
which is played by devout visitors as q |
part of the alteration offered up to the |
Holy Virgin, who is fondly believed to |
hover around this image at all times and |
70 impart her own woodworking power
to this miraculous piece of clay.
The wealth and the importance Of the
shrine has become so great of late that /
1t viii be taken under the wings OF the
church, az soon as the chapel, the gift of /