The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-09
TWO ABLE FIRE WALKERS.
PORAL MURRAY OF THE SIXTH
ARTILLERY.
The Ancient POIynesinn Rite Impress
siveIy Performed by the Tahitian,
After which the Yankee Corporal
Did the stunt without Regalia or
Mystical lamentations.

Did the stunt without Regalia or
Mystical lamentations.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Honolulu, Jan. 26.AHonolulu has been
treated to an exhibition of the mystic
rite of fire walking The wonder worker
who has enthrailed the superstttious faith
of many of the Hawaiians and rearoused
belief in the old Polynesian superstiions,
is a Tahitian known as Papa tia. Papa
Ita is a rather fine specimen of the Poly
nesian, tall, erect, dignified, though the
expression of his face is rather common
place. The first exhibition given was at
night.
\ pit was dug about twenty feet square
and about six feet deep. Into this several
cords of firewood were thrown, and on
top OF the wood enough of the common
lava stones of the volcanic formation OF
the island to fill the pit a little above the
level of the surrounding ground ABOUT
eight hours before the ceremony of walk
ing over the heated stones was to take
place the cordwood at the bottom of the
pit was fired in several places and soon
became a mass of burning fuel, heating
many of the stones or rocks to Whlte
heat. almost melting some of them. BY
o'clock at night, when the ceremony was
to begin. the bottom of the pit was
deep bed of glowing Goals beneath the
fercely heated lava boulders. The lower
strata of these bou,ders were white hot,
glowing in the darkness and even the up
permost of the laval boulders were white
hot on their under side. When the cere-
money was about to begin number or
assistants with long poles turned the
rocks which were the uppermost OF the
pyre over, bringing their heated SIDE up
and it was upon these that the FIRE walker
proposed to pass over in his bare rect
This process of turning these stones over
stirred the fire beneath them so that an
intense heat, with some flame, rose from
the pit
This process completed, Papa Ita ap-
naared within the inclosed arena lie
| was clad in flowing robes which reached
| lust below the knees. From the hem
| downward Papa Itas legs and feet were
| bare. Around his waist he wore sort
| Of skirt or lawalawam of green Il leaves
| and around his head a chaplet OF the
| same material Under his arm he car
| ried bundle of ii leaves, closely tied
up with cocoanut fibre. He seated him
self for a few minutes in an attitude of
silence. Then, rising suddenly and ut
| tering a few words in Tahitian, as of in
| vocation, he strobe carefully across the
| loosely plled glowing ToChS' IlO icPcatON
! the journey four times.
| Following each of his four journeys
! Papa Itas feet were examined by physl-
! clans who were present. There was no
Indication found Of soaring or burning.
From the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.
| Papa tia again walked over hot stones
| yesterday Early in the morning the fire
| was lighted and fed during the day with
ten cords of wood. The pit, which since
the last performance had been narrowed
four feet was flied with more than ten
tons of lava rock Half an hour before
| Papa tia put in an appearance ripping
| waves of heat danced over the pit and.
carried first here and then there, as the
| wind shifted. brought sense OF tncon-
venience to the assembled spectators.
! Presently half a dozen natives appear
| ed on the scene armed with long wooden
! poles with which they turned over the
topmost layer OF rocks. There could be
no doubt that the heat in the furnace
was intense, for at times the wooden
| poles smoked from contact with the
| heated boulders. Three minutes after the
| rock turning had been completed, Papa
tia arrived, clad in red and white
petticoat and wearing around his Shout
ders a thin white cloth cape In his hand
he carried a bundle of Il leaves with
stalks intertwined.
| Papa tia is now ready to walk through
the fiery furnace" announced Manager
Lewis, and at this the ancient Lewa-
Lewa man came up smiling.
His first proceeding was to pedes TRAN
ate a time or so around the pit, uttering
the while strange nominations. Then he
stood stil for a moment and looked dag
gers at the ground at his feet. This evil
IDENTIFY did not satisfy the Old man. for
uplifting his bunch OF vegetation he dealt
Mother Earth couple of sockdolagers
which fairly made tho dirt fly. After
which he stepped lightly on the nearest
stone and ambled across the geological
he turned round and making every stone
a winning one finished strongly.
Three cheers for Papa lta," yelled an
enthusiastic native admirer, and he of the
calloused "tootsles'' modestly withdrew
to the pink lemonade stand.
An interval OF fifteen minutes followed.
during which certain adventurous spirits
entertained the crowd by seeing who could
hold his finger the Longest on the stones
nearest the edge. Finally Papa entered
the arena again and duplicated his per-
Torrance.
This ended the show as far AZ the Off
cial programme was concerned. but there
was more TO follow. acts not less thrilling
because uurehearsed.
Corp Murray of tho Sixth Artillery en-
tered unobsprycd lu his rtopknEcd feet.
ami before the manager wns aware Of the
flrt was pirouotting ON bis block of
lava ln tho very renter 81 me Dit Gti-
AnE iifcd VI rtHndinE ~ long in one POSI-