The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-03-14
HUMAN SACRIFICES.
noDERn RsueioUs FANATICS WHO
ssnssE - THEa

Many Peculiar sects IN fAe old
world. Particularly In Rnsxia-
whose Members XIII and cracify
That sassasiou May Be Attained
That human sacrifices have been
made even in the nineteenth century.
and by processing Christians. too. Is
brought oui hy The American Journal
of Sociology in striking article:
The ConyulsionISss. sect existing In
T,sr.s about 100. were wont 10 cruelty
ladders O. their order. in emulation
OF The crucirxIon Of the Saviour. in the
belief that tie souls Of the surviving
mer.ilsers world be saved by tie saeri-
f,,es of rireir fellows. In 1917 the
--f,asclelians." az Austrian sect. mur-
dered q man. bis wife and daughter
unaer the deiusion that the trio. who
rsf,,spd 10 20 with the fanatics. were
r.ossess,.d OF the devil ol the follow
ing day ;hey crueified one Of their own
number. girl Of 10 years. who bad
suffered herSelf for the death. in imi-
rst:ou Of the death OF the San Dur. n
order 20 save the souls Of her fellow
believers
Ia ls23 tse leader OF Pietistie cir
-le in Switzerland after having dis
Matched her sister. who gave her life
as 4 means Of saving the souls Of her
relatives. was crucified by her follow
ers AZ her own command in order that
she might die. rise again after three
dars and restore to life tie sister she
had slain. Ia 1876 two mothers. ad-
hereuis Of the Holy Men." slew their
sick children. believing them TO be vic
tins Of deinoniacal possession. In
1879 q Hungarian miller. belonging TO
tie "Na.areEes." Killed his sen as an
Offering for his own sins after the
fashion Of Abraham. In 1870. in lr-
i.utsk. IiusSia. one OF the -SchisnIat-
les" convinced himself by prayer and
fasting and much Scripture reading
thar 10 save his soul be nIusi he cruel
fed Ar,-ordincly he attempted self
crucifxien and succeeded 80 far IS
fhp circumstances OF the ease wouid
permit
In 1880. iE the government OF Perm.
Russia. n peasant Killed bis child as
IN Offering for sin and buried the body
in an ant hin Likewise. in the gov
ernment Of Vladimir another peasant
killed both his ehildre., g due Abra-
hamic form. and while the babies hled
under the fathers knife the devoui
mother celebrated the service by read
ing aloud selected portions Of the twen-
ty-second chapter Of Genesis. In 1874.
80 the government Of TambOv. Russia.
a peasant. convinced that TO save his
soul a man must have a sin 10 repent
Of. killed a neich,or with an ax in or
der to satisfy this highly imperative
condition
II iSa 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
naugai to do with governmental ar
fairs Of any sort In conformity with
this belief n man murdered in various
Ingenious ways - men. women and
children. Including his own wife and
babies. IN order 10 free them from the
danger Of losing their souls by suffer
ing the communicating contact of the
government census taker- This occur
red in 1897.
The ~Denier5." another quite inter
esting Russian sect. believe that eyi
iaints all earthly good and that the
only escape is death. In 1923 GO OF
these men. strong in the faith. after
having murdered their wives and chill
dren permitted themselves 10 be PM
10 death. one 10y one. by their leaders
The 'Scourg gers" who also form Z
widespread and influential sect in Rus
sia. in obedience 10 the behesgs of theil
''saviOrs." are In the habit of indulg
ing in human sacrifices. cannibalistiS
feasts. erotic dances and other lewd
procedures as an extremely efiicaciOuS
method Of keeping the hand of evil
from of their immortal souls. SO ID,
''Muckers" Of Konissherg and the eel
ebrants Of the black mass In Paris af-
ford further examples of the use Of 4
ritual Of croiism coupled with prac-
iice Of the most abandoned and OBJ
scene behavior. TO promote the eternal
welfare OF the soul