The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-01-26
VILLAGE OF MADMEN.
THE ONLY VILLAGE WHERE ALL
gs ARE INSANE.
This Awful Place Is in Indo-China
and Its Inhabitants Are Called s'Pipops''
"A Pipop" Is Supposed to Be "Pos4
sassed.'' "l<
..z5tgH-
gsssed.''

lndo-China has the only village OF
madmen in the world. This village,
which is called Ban-Keune. is compos-
ed of some SEQ families, is highly or
gained as community, is industri-
ously prosperous and pays yearly a
goodly tribute to France. Yet it has
not single sane inhabitant.
Admission to Ban-Keune is, it must
be confessed, trying affair. No mere
victims Of melancholia or shattered
nerves" or hypochondria or any of the
similar ailments so fashionable in the
opposite quarter of the world are
granted a dwelling place in this most
exclusive of towns.
To enter it one must be downright
mad-or as the natives call it "pi.
pop The conception of insanity prs
valling in this part of the world is not
that of a disease, but of posses
sion." Therefore, if an inhabitant of
this region, as is frequently the case,
displays Authorizations or conducts
himself in a fashion not consistent
with Indo-Chinese etiquette his neigh
bors take it upon themselves to deter
mine whether any malign spirit pos
sess HMM other words, whether he
is "pipop." This is the way it is
done:
The unfortunate person, whether it
be man, woman or child. who has fall
en- under suspicion of possession" is
made the subject of ceremony on the
banks of the River Namngume, par
ticipated in by hundreds of persons
gathered from all the country for
miles about. The victims hands and
feet are first bound by the native
priest, who is master of ceremo-
MES.
Absolutely helpless from this time
on, the supposed maniac, in spite Of
his cries and struggles, is cast into the
river. 1t is firmly believed by the ma
tives that supernatural agencies then
reveal the victims true, state. If he is
genuinely "pipop" he sinks to the bot
tom of the river and stays there until
he is rescued, revived and formally
committed to the famous village OF
madmen. On the other hand, if he is
not ''possessed' he rises again like an
ordinary drowning person to the top
of the river, where he is more easily
rescued and then set free
Probably no secret society in the
world has so severe and dangerous
Initiation as this. Yet so conscien-
tiously is it performed and so care
fully are the half-drowned victims
watched and rescued that the INNER
sion, it is said, never proves fatal Nor
has the justice of the performance
ever been questioned.
So generally topsy-turvy are the
conditions in the Laos, that portions
OF Indo-China through which the
Namngume river flows, that only ac-
knoWledged maniacs live in any sort
OF social relation with each other
The majority of the people lead soil
tary life, living at most in groups #
twos and threes.
Ban-Keune, with it's 300 families, is
therefore, the most densely populated
spot in the country. It's inhabitants
cultivate to their hearts delight the
idiosyncrasies which have served to
commit them. They not only live
peaceably but fall in love-, marry and
have children, who in most cases. are
even more eccentric than their par
ents. Nobody ever RECEIVERS or is "dis-
charged" They remain 'pipop'' to
the end of their days-Philadelphia
Times.