The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-05

Danger of Acute Indigestion,
The Mexican Indians of the many tribes
hving in remote parts Of the country are
happily not yet crushed under the heavy
roller of our prosaic civilization with its
uniformity OF customs and ideas. Wherever
the white man does not come into intimate
contact with him, the Indian continues
happy in his own way, preserving tradi-
tions and ancient ceremonies and refrac-
tory to the efforts of the Jealous mission
priests, who admit, very frequently, that
about all they can accomplish is to get him
TO make use of soap and a comb!
Far south of Lake Chapala is a tribe OF
Indians living IN the good old way, and
hardly ever seriously interfered with by
the State authorities, SO long as they con-
form to the laws. In one of these tribes
they have a singular custom which is an
nually observed, the details Of which were
related to me by the jefe poiitico of that
canton, friend on whose word ! can i'm
plicitly rely:
During my term OF Office in that can
ton,'' he said, 81 was asked by the priests
to put a step to what they called "a most
barbarous CUSTOM nothing less than the
ordeal of fire through which a young man
had to pass TO gain the right OF choosing
whatever maiden of the tribe he desiI ed
Tor wife. The priests described the o-deal
70 me, but / wanted to see 1t with my Own
eyes, and SO l went to the town inhabited
by these Indians at the time of their year
y fiesta. They received me Hospitality and
pressed me TO remain and see the brave
young man ascend the tower. / wondered
what they meant by that but soon found
put.
The Fire Ordeal.
They had built wooden tower some
sixty feet high, with a platform on top,
and from the platform rose stout post.
I was told that many young men of the
tribe were in competition for the honor
of mounting the tower to undergo the fire
ordeal I do not know how the matter
was settled among the young men, but
this saw. A young man, tall, straight,
with bright eyes, was brought forward on
a certain day and presented to me as the
selected one. the chosen. of the people.
Indians had climbed the tower and had
arranged thongs to bind the young man
10 the post and had also prepared fire.
works, revolving wheels, rockets, and
queer things that sputtered and fixed
u
er and close TO the post. The young man
mounted nimbly, accompanied by some Of
the chief men Of the tribe, who bound him
to the stake. Down below the plaza was
crowded with the Indian people, talking
with unusual earnestness, and young girls
were there dressed in all their Indian fin
cry. Everybody was talking of Jose, who
was on top of the tower. They could see
him very clearly by standing away from
its base.
AT a signal all but one of the conduct
1fs of the ceremony descended and he, re-
naming aloft, set the fireworks off, hastily
coming down to the ground to avoid being
burnt. II was dusk, and the young man
tied TO the stake could be seen amid the
red and yellow glare; sometimes We would
lose sight OF him in the smoke and then
the wind would blow It away and We
would note his strong, manly face brightly
Illuminated. The people were as SPELL
bound; they stood in groups straining
their eyes upward to the top of the tower,
eager to see everything, not gloating over
the young man undergoing the fire ordeal,
but rejoicing in his manliness and eudur-
ance. And with their keen Indian ears
they listened for some sound of complain
ing from him, some demand that the trial
be ended.
But Jose was no coward and his rela-
tives down there at the foot of the tower
rejoiced. He is brave our boyi they said.
The ordeal lasted perhaps half an hour; It
seemed longer to me, for l, being an Of
heer Of the law, felt that I was perhaps a
voluntary witness Of mans death by fire
or gunocation. But ! reasoned that ought
to see the end of it, in order TO decide
whether the trial by fire was to be pro-
hibited. 1t won't do to take away all the
old customs OF the Indian people who de-
rive much pleasure from them.
Weird Scene.
so I waited till the end; the fireworks
had burned out; the stars shone in the sky
of the summer night, and a faint crescent
Of moon was rising softly. Illuminating the
weird scene. The Indian elder men then
climbed the tower like agile sailors, and
we saw them above. loosening the thongs
that had bound Jose to the stake. They
shouted down some words ! could not un-
derstand, but the crowd shouted and a ma
tive band made rude music. 1t was in sign
of rejoicing. Jose had stood the proof
Everybody congratulated his relatives; the
family had won prestige.
Presently the men came down from the
tower Jose descending easily He was
brought to me; aside from some burns not
deep but which might have been serious
had the ordeal continued a few minutes
with pleasure. He was the hero Of the
tribe, and a great feast would be given in
his honor. The Indian maidens looked on
MIN with ardent eyes; here was the hero
who was to choose from among them his
bride. Now these Indians are a good lot;
they are chaste strong, no thieves, truth
full. and marriage with them is for life, for
they are strictly homogeneous. The vices
Of our Mexican cities have not tainted
their blood nor eaten into their clean
flesh
Next day there was big dinner. which
! attended. q rude and simple. but abund-
ant, repast, and everybody was supremacy
happy. The tribe as a whole felt hoBored
by the fact that Jose had stood the test
like man. His father and mother were
surrounded by people congratulating them
On having such a son. / 20, into the
spirit Of the thing. and told the Young
nun that he was 'muy veleroso' VERY
Jrave), and gave him a dollar l had en-
joyed the picturesque scene and admired
the lad. l saw no harm in it. IL it con
tributed so much to the felicity OF the
tribe, to the natural and proper sentiment
Of self-respect among the Indians. II was
an ancient test modified since the Span
lards brought in gunpowder
Il was told that very rarely was young
man seriously injured; there had been
cases of fatal burning, and OF suffocation
from the smoke lying close 10 the lads
head. Well. the end Of it was that l re-
fused 10 trouble anybody, but had, for
forms sake, 10 tell the elder men of the
tribe that the law was strict, and that they
must devise some way of proving their
young mems valor aside from the test of
IRE Perhaps they are still at 1t; some