Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-05-26
The Juramentado.

The Moros are accustomed to suffer
all the caprices of their despotic auth
GRITTY. The laws of centuries permit
the men to he recruited for any pur-
pose whatsoever. The debtor who can
not pay becomes. with his family, the
slave of the creditor, and the Moros
are so Indifferent to these conditions
hat their owners do not encounter
and difficulty in making them contract
such debts for their own esources.
The debtor thus loses all his rights
and his children a be sold through
out the archipelago. He can. however,
buy the liberty of his family at the
risk of his own life, i. e., for the larg-
est number of Christians whom he IA
slay. If the debtor accepts this propo-
sition he becomes that moment a Jura-
mentado, knowing perfectly well that
II he manages to get in the midst of an
American or Spanish settlement that
all hope for escape is lost. Death is
therefore certain for all J~uramentados,
and it is never the case that one re-
penis his impudence, because there
are a number of Juramentados assem-
bled to submit themselves to certain
rites performed by. expert %pandetas or
priests.
Alone in the deserted forests, the
moonlight adding its rays to the weird
and fantastic scene they commence
their exercises by fasting, reciting and
praying over the graves of the depart
ed Juramentados and speak of the
bliss and happiness that is to be theirs
in the heaven OF Mohammed. When
they arrive at a sufficient state of eX-
ultation, but never before, they are
sen into a Christian community. As
this is a ceremony hat interests many
different families and a great many
fomalities AVE TO be gone through it
can never be absolutely kept a sec
ret, no matter how much it would be
to their interest to do so, and thus 1t
is tbct the governor of Jolo receives
notice that an attack will be made, but
they can inform him the exact
time the attack will be made, because
the J~uramentados themselves do not
know at what time they will reach
the exulted state.
AT midnight in the magic splendor
of the moon r~everberates in the depth
of the forest the warlike cries, sound
ing metal like; the everlasting lament
ing echo of ever wandering souls; the
priest c~ongregates all fame thirsting
youths, speaks of the strong men who
died noble deaths in front of the enc
mics steel, of the menacing shadow of
creditors. of the glory of the hero and
the infamy and slavery of the coward
and of the other inexhausting lives of
pleasure. where brilliant eyes look up
on infinite treasures and imagination
crazes them. They convulsively grasp
their sharp knives and imagine them
selves feeling the cold sweat of death
on their foreheads from the damp va
pors OF the night, sing, their voices in
stalling valor into their hearts. The
following day they die at an outpost.
The first Juramentado We have
knowledge of through history or tradi-
tion gave themselves to martyrdom
through exultation or belief eXulted in
their practice of prayer, fasting and
making distractions of all terrestrial
pleasure and going to gain the Para
disc offered to all believers of Moham-
med. They prepare themselves for the
sacrifice, imposing upon themselves
material modification, putting strong
bindings upon their purposes and re-
solve to die on the terminal day. They
shave their heads and eyebrows care
fully, clothe themselves in clean white
clothing (color worn by the people oil
the island) and accompanied by their
relatives, after arriving at the spot OF
bloody publication, they TAKE leave OF
their relatives and present themselves
before the largest possible body OF