The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-23
A SUPERSTITIOUS PEOPLE
WEIRD TALES OF EVIL SPIRITS RE-
LATED By FILIPINOS.
Demons Enter Into Human Beings
and Do NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of
the "Arabian Nights"
Of the Indianapolis Journal.

Correspondence Of the indianapolis Journal.
SARA, Panay, via Iloilo, p. l.. July a.
The bewitchment OF Senior Perdigon and
the no less weird adventures Of the four
merchants, sojourning for a night in the
pueblo of Dumangas. are related by every
Filipino OF the Visayan islands proofs
OF diabolism and withcraft strong as holy
writ He who doubts the existence of the
evil legion OF Asuang and her Internal
familiar spirit, Tic-tic, the black bird of the
neither regions, hears Of the merchants of
Dumangas and the unhappy Senior Perdi-
gon with fear and trembling, and hearing
believes that the evil one indeed has power
to make unholy compacts with mortals.
Senior Perdigon, some twenty years ago,
was a Spanish merchant enjoying fair
degree of prosperity in Iloilo. While not
wealthy, he was the happy possessor of
fair and good wife and some eight children
had blessed their union. His business in
Iloilo was always improving and enlarging.
At that time the Island Of Panay was in
period of sweet security and peace, with
out a cloud of rebellion or instruction to
excite apprehensions. but Perdigon was not
contented at Iloilo and determined to try
his fortunes in Capiz, hundred miles or
so away. on the northern end Of the island.
Accordingly, he embarked on a lorcha and
in few days time, with his family and all
his earthly possessions. arrived at Capiz.
There he again established himself in bust
ness, engaging in small way in exporting
vino, spirituous liquor produced in large
quantities by a number of distilleries in
Cspiz province. Besides this. he found con-
siderable profit in the expectation of sugar
bags, woven in Capiz by the women from
nipa palm straw, as well as fine hats and
other native products. In short time he
enjoyed the esteem of the large circle of
wealthy Spaniards and Filipinos of the
town. who observed in him man with
many admirable traits. He was noted for
his open-handed charity and the dignity
and affection of his bearing toward his low
able wife and interesting children. His
fortunes, too, We're increasing materially,
and It was not without considerable salts
faction that he looked forward to the day
when he might return to his native Spain.
HIS EVIL GENIUS.
But in an evil hour he encountered one
Senorita Concilacion de Ruiz, Filipino
woman OF great wealth and beauty, but
with q something about her. underlined and
rather vaguely mysterious, which caused
the grandes of the pueblo to ignore her.
Her father had but recently died, leaving
Ter an immense estate, beside fine distil-
lery, and handsomely furnished palace In
Capiz, second in style and grandeur only
to that of the governor general. Senior
Perdigon never heard the words that were
whispered against her, or if he did, he
despised them as base and as scandalous
rumors circulated by envious people.
Senorita Concilacion passed the greater
occasion when Perdigon was negotiating a
rather large purchase of vino in the Of
flee of the distillery, through the trusted
servant who was the young woman's man
of affairs, she CHANGED TO enter. unaware
Of his presence. The young woman was
at once deeply impressed by his fine bear
ing and gentle Spanish courtesy, while he,
on the other hand, was in a fair way to
forget his marriage vows, in the presence
of such grace and beauty as he saw be-
fore him. III a moment she was gone.
Perdigon, much excited, inquired of her
man who the bewitching young senorita
might be; he was somewhat surprised TO
learn that this was the owner of the vast
Ruiz estate, and marveled not little that
he had never encountered her in the gay
and extravagant society of Capiz. But a
delicacy of feeling prevented him from in
curing as to the reason for her retired life.
He, however, expressed his regret at the
unkind fortune which had prevented him
from meeting such a charming young
q;
Senorita Cancellation and she, as much i'm
pressed with his handsome person he
had been with her youth and feminine
charms, addressed him a graceful little
note, inviting him TO call at her hacienda,
where she wished to consult him with re-
gard to certain details in the management
of the estate. She had heard him spoken
of as very wise and discriminating
gentleman, and as she was practically
alone and without advisers, might she
hope that he would oblige her? etc, etc.
Perdigon was something of a gallant, the
story. runs, and smiled softly at the in
genious ruse 1t will be unnecessary to
inform the discriminating reader that
Perdigon was soon mounted and gallop-
ing to the hacienda of Senorita Concilacion
on the tiresome details of the counting and
billing and cooling that followed. One love
story is very much like any other love
story, whether the man and the maid are
Spanish and khaiak or American and
Chino, the race of passion with reason
and conscience is much the same, whether
under the snowy shroud of perpetual night
and winter at the north pole, or the glow
ing tropic of the equator. The way of an
eagle in the air, of a ship in the sea, of a
serpent on the rock and of man with q
maid is much the same as some thousand
of years ago. when the first philosopher
of the world remarked that these things
are all past finding out But the seque
of this romance was more horrible thar
any other recounted in history.
BECAME A DEMON.
Senorita Concilacion de Ruiz wa:
.Asuang." her body was the dwelling place
of one of the legion of witches and its IA
miliar spirit s"Tic-tic." This Perdigon never
knew until the evil night of his bewitch
ment, when all his nature changed and h
became at once the most vile and detesta
BILE of all the abhorrent host that infested
this island. AS he lay asleep, Senorita Con
| oiIacion de Ruiz, smiling with all the dia
| tolical cruelty and pleasure of a wickes