Evening journal., 1900-05-02
HUMAN SACRIFICES.
MODERN RELIGIOUS FANATICS WHO
BELIEVE IN THEM.

Many PeculInr sects In the old
World. Particularly In Russia.
whose Members KIN and Cruelty
That Salvation May BE Attained.
That human sacrifices have been
made even In the nineteenth century,
and by processing Christians. too. is
brought out by The American Journal
OF Sociology in a striking article:
The Conyulsionlsts. a sect existing in
Paris about 1160, were wont to cruelty
members Of their order in emulation
of the cruclnxion Of the Saviour, in the
belief that the souls OF the surviving
members would be saved by the sacri-
fees Of their fellows. In 1917 the
"Paschellans." an Austrian sect. muir
dered a man. his wife and daughter
under the delusion that the trio. who
refused 10 go with the fanatics. were
possessed OF the devil. On the follow
ing day they crucifed one Of their own
number. a girl of 10 years. who had
suffered herself for the death. in inii-
tation Of the death OF the Saviour, in
order TO save the souls Of her fellow
believers.
In 1928 the leader Of a Pietistic cir
Gle In Switzerland. after having dis
patched her sister. who gave her life
as a means Of saving the souls of her
relatives. was crucified by her follow
ers at her own command In order that
she might die, rise again after three
days and restore TO life the sister she
had slain. In 1865 two mothers. ad-
herents OF the "Holy Men," slew their
sick children. believing them to be VIC
tins OF demoniacal possession. In
1873 a Hungarian miller, belonging to
the "Nazarenes," killed his son as an
offering for his own sins after the
fashion Of Abraham. In 1870. In Ir-
kutsk. Russia. one Of the "Schismat-
ics' convinced himself by prayer and
fasting and much Scripture reading
that to save his soul he must be cruel
fed. Accordingly he attempted self
crucidxsSn and succeeded so far as
the circumstances Of the case would
permit
In 1880. In the government OF Perm,
Russia, a peasant Killed his child as
an offering for sin and buried the body
In an ant hill Likewise. IN the gov
ernment Of Vladimir, another peasant
/ killed both his children in due Abra-
hamic form. and while the babies bled
under the fathers knife the devout
mother celebrated the service by read
4 Ing aloud selected portions Of the TWEEN
I ty-second chapter Of Genesis. In 1854,
in the government Of Tambov. Russia,
a peasant convinced that to save his
soul a man must have a sin to repent
of. killed a neighbor with an ax In or.
der to satisfy this highly imperative
/ condition.
1t Is n part OF the creed OF the ''Wan-
/ derers," a Russian sect, that anti
Christ rules in high places there and
that accordingly good men must have
naught to do with governmental af
fairs Of any sort. In conformity wltl
this belief a man murdered In various
Ingenious ways % men. women and
children. including his own wife ant
babies, in order to free them from thu
danger Of losing their souls by suffer
ing the communicating contact Of the
government census taker. This occur
red In 1897.
The "Denlerc." another quite inter
estIng Russian sect. believe that evi
taints all earthly good and that tn
only escape is death. In 1925 60 o
these men. strong in the faith, afte
having murdered their wives and chill
dren, permitted themselves TO be pu
to death. one by one. by their leaders
The "Scourgers." who also form
widespread and influential sect In Rus
sia. In obedience to the behests of thei
"sayiors." are In the habit OF lndulg
ing in human sacrifices cannibalisti
feasts. erotic dances and other lew
procedures as an extremely efiicaciou
method OF keeping the hand Of ey
from OF their immortal souls. So th
"Muckers" OF Konigsberg and the ce
ebrants Of the black mass In Paris ai
ford further examples of the use OF
ritual OF erotism. coupled with praC
tice of the most abandoned and Oh
scene behavior. to promote the eternf
welfare Of the soul