The Washington times., 1901-09-22
TERRIBLE SELF F-TORTURE.
Customs of a Religious Order in
Colorado and New Mexico.

Actual Crucifxions With Frequent
Deaths-Ar Eyewitness Tells of
Remarkable Fanaticism in the
Southwest-Man Nailed to n Cross.
On June 80 Major E. H. Cooper, the
cliff dweller. explorer, and anthropo-
logist, told in the Indianapolis Jour
nar' of ''Witchcraft and Other Super
stitions of the Pueblos." The incidents
related were of very unusual order,
In a recent interview, however, he re
lates still mere remarkable things that
take place on American soil in the far
West He tells of actual crucifixions
6 Mexico and Colorado, with frequent
: deaths. These would seem incredible
were it not that Major Cooper has been
an eyewitness of four such crucifix-
ions, from which there resulted three
deaths.
I'VE have in our country" he says,
'in the far West, a remarkable fanati-
cism, possibly the most wonderful in
the civilized world, relic of barbaTism
possible of belief From the early his
tory of Europe we learn that in the
middle ages nearly the whole of that
country had a strange epidemic-a
fever of penitential self-whipping. The
Flagellants. as they were called, parad-
ed the streets. lashing themselves with
scourges, or used whips at home. Even
kings caught the infection and abused
their own royal backs. 1t took CEN
turies to eradicate this remarkable Gus
tom. There is nothing left of it now in
Europe.
rBut here in some of the neglected
corners of our own land more astound-
ing sights may be seen. In my boyhood
days, when l read of the awful self
tortures of the India fakirs l little
dreamed that l should ever live among
a class of people who parallel their
worst self f-cruelties, and whose votes
count equal with my own. The great
Passion Play at Oberammergau is
known TO most of our American people,
and hundreds have crossed IT, ocean,
spent much money and undergone
many hardships to see it, never dream
ing that greater passion reality, an
absolute flesh. and blood crucifixion,
representing the death of Christ on the
cross. might be witnessed every year in
our own country.
1.-The Penitents, or Penitente Brothers,
were once very numerous in New Mex
leo, Utah. Arizona. and Colorado. Less
than thirty years ago there were about
forty-two places where these cruel
fxions occurred annually. By the ear
nest and persistent work of Rev. DR..
Darling. aided by both church and
state laws, they have been quietly
stamped out, until but few active bands
remain, and they are in the most out
of-the-way places.
This strange brotherhood is of very
ancient origin. 1t was in vogue and
general practice at the time when the
Jesuit priests entered that country for
the purpose of establishing missions
and teaching the religion of their faith
but a few years after the conquest of
Mexico, which, from the traditions of
these people, began as early as 1870 At
that time the Jesuits rather encour-
aged than dissuaded the practice, hold
ing up as an example for them TO fol-
low the cross of their church. with the
crucined Christ upon it. These Jesuit
priests were very successful among
these Mexicans. establishing many
churches and missions and gaining
thousands of converts. Nearly the en-
tire Mexican population of Colorado,
New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah still
clings to the Catholic faith, for the
most part without these early practices,
and many of the churches and missions
established and built 33o years ago are
yet occupied as places of worship and
devotion by the Mexican people.
THE Penitente Brotherhood is made
,up of Mexicans. mostly, of course, very
ignorant ones, although white men who
have married Mexican women have
been known to join the order. This
strange custom seems to be a perver-
sion of the penitent orders Of the middle
ages. Here there are but forty DAYS in
the year in which to scourge, whip, and
cruelty. the time corresponding TO that
of our lenten days. The crucifixion,
however, only takes place on a Friday,
usually between the fourth and tenth
days of March, corresponding to our
Good Friday.
Il shall never forget my first ex-
perience with the Penitentes at La Lo-
ma, a Mexican plaza near the present
town of Del Norte. Col, In the year
1872. had already heard and seen the
weeping and wailing Of the Mexican
men and women as the naked Peni-
tentes were fagellating and whipping
themselves on their own bare backs
with cruel scourges Of oloe fiber and
catus plants. These were fashioned like
the cato nine tails used in former days
by slave drivers in Furnishing an offend
ing slave. They grasped 1t in both
hands. swinging II with all possible
force. as each advancing step was
made. first over the right. then over the
left shoulder, bringing blood at each