The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-05
TORTURE FOR CHARITY.
south Africans Slash and stab Them
selves ms "A Spectacle.

South africans slash and stab Til en-
selves ms "A Spectacle.
From the London News South African
Letter. e..
This week the Malays have shown their
loyalty In their own peculiar way by get
ting up strange sort of entertainment
in aid of the fund for the sick and wound
ed. The Khalifa," as the performance
is called, consists of exercises and feats
with swords and other sharp Instruments.
to the accompaniment OF tambourine pay
Ing and various lamentations. The indi-
vlduals who perform the tricks make a
vigorous pretense OF infiic;ing upon them
selves all sorts of injuries Apparently.
they run the most imminent risk, but for
some reason or other the weapons, effect
i've as they undoubtedly are, seem power
less to penetrate their bodies and limbs.
II appears that accidents do occur some
times, FOR during a representation OF a
similar character in Cape Town recently
a man severed an artery and bled To
death. An Old member of the Cape DO
lice, with whom | was conyersing on the
subject, told me that he once witnessed
private exhibition OF the kind some
where out here at which, through a sim
liar piece of misfortune, one OF the actors
disemboweled himself. All the same. when
| told him that the Cape Town papers
had been decrying the show and express
ing the hope that nothing OF the kind
would be permitted to take place there
again, he said What rotw 1t was not
the first time, l believe, that THE
khalifa' had been staged in Kimberley,
but II was, at all events, comparatively
novel 10 the public, and was matter OF
special interest TO our military visitors,
Sir Charles Parsons and other officers be-
Ing patrons of the show / quote some
further details from the description
given In the local journal:
when the curtain rose II revealed q
miniature representation OF Malay tenn
pie, around which were seated twenty
performers with the tambourlnes on which
to beat out the weird Accomplishments.
The first Item was by the Khailfa him
self, lshmael Knem, and consisted in
sword exercise OF a very novel ana rather
startling kind. With "A heavy, keen
edged sword, which was afterward hand
ed around among the spectators the
khalifa seemed to make every effort to
mutilate himself, in vain. lie tried chop
ping off his arms, but to no purpose he
hacked at himself In various ways. and
finally, exasperated at himself with i'll
success, tried TO cut his throat, but IL was
no use, II would not cut, and so, wearied
out, he had TO give up. Next there was
the Item called the Tampboo. by Baredin
Mora ana Fatah Doley. Armed with
great steel skewers. with iron heads
Mera and Doiey cut and dug in very
energetic manner. but their skins appared
In toughness and power OF resistance TO
put the rhinoceros to shame skewers
were no more effective than the sword
and let the chant go never SO fast, and
the tambourne beat never so loud, the
mpervious bodies resisted every seif-In-
hicted attempt. After this Mamie Kamed
and Obdulah Jardin gave an exhibition
with long pointed knives which they tried
20 drive through their heads and pare
their arms with. In the Tsmpboo by Tsn-
lin. Ishmael. Mamie and Majabo selo, the
risk OF injury appeared imminent the
four performers dancing around ana
nourishing the dangerous weapons with
vigur and seeming reck,essness. strsnK-
est OF all was the performance Of Mamie
and Taslim, who had long steel pins stuck