Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-29

Rosemary Water" with some saIfrsv -
lutions designed at once to increase ~
smart and TO promote healing, into whie.;,
the fagcllants dip their bloody gcourgex
The hope Of becoming brother Of li2ht
and in that capacity Of comforting and
" hipping others is an incentive 10 "a
tient continuance till the end OF ths
seven Ientcu seasons or suffering
The HcrmanOs de LUZ establish c1nf.s
siOnals during Lent. ard u them. within
the mordd0, come women and children IN
confess. Not infrequcntly these must AT,
prOach the haLb!tatiOn on their knees
knecling some two hundred or three hun
drod yards away, and from that distanc..
continuing on their knees.
L have this story from a man who hd,
spent his life among The Penitenteg. III
his young manhood n" had Il Aeyic1n
sweetheart When Lent came around
the brothers secured from her a c0nfax'
sion Of her f0ndness for ttih young
American, who was not Of the true
church. They laid upon her a very heavy
pcnance, and she was Most cruelty beat
| en-. Her lover was greatly disturbed
when for days she did not appear ana
made repeated attempts to gain acc - To
the house, at first without success az An.
was carefully guarded. But one evening
he slipped in. and learning from her thai
his suspicious were right. and that she
was sick from the bca-!ngs She had re-
crived for Nor lOvcnaking with him. Tia
American, VINO IS 4 powerful fellow and
still young man, secured the coopera-
ton Of q friend. and together they plotted
a revenge The end Of Lent was az.
approaching, and with IL the fervUr Of III,
PcnitcnteS Increased. one Friday night
III. young men concealed thernselves near
the mOrddo. and waited for the putting
out Of lights which IS feature Of SOInu
Of their ceremonies. About midnight tho
door OF the norado was opened. and from
the dark interior the brothers emerged
for Il procession 10 their cdlyerio and
back During their absence the two
young men. armed with heavy clubs.
slipped into the morado. and concealed
III, mselves till the brothers returned
The door was closed and fastened, and
the brothers began whipping themselves
and each other in the dark. Then thr
tTc Americans fell upon them, striking
right and left. till the frightened. Shrek
ing crowd lay bruised in a pile in the mid
die Of the floor Then the door opened
and the two Americans rushed out, leay-
ing their victims behind them. They *
pectCd some kind of investigation, but il
did not follow. Instead there was word
neat day that the devil had invaded tn
mOrado at midnight, and expressed lis
great diSpleaSure at the rites N brpgT'--S
by beating the worshippers Within ;n
inch of their lives. For this sfrrre vista
ion, evidently the result Of some iiagi'AEi
sin. the brotherhood imposed upon itself
some added prnancc, which. In the judg-
mcnt Of my informant, they We'll de-
81 rived. The Mexican girl recovered. and
married Il coed Penitente: the American
married an American girl. And they rll
lived happily ever afterwards. But the
descent of the devil on that Friday mid
night in Lent IS sill the subject of awe
Some and curious speculation. and has
never hitherto been explained in print.
In Mr.. Lummls'S article on the Peni-
terte Rrothers, he says. Up 10 1856 there
were also female Penitanres" He AIDES
that in the place which he visited. and
which ] also visited among others. there
dwelt, up to that year. 1SaG. fully ten
women who whipped their bare back
wore cactus thoIns in their loose shoes.
and wound their legs with wire till the
blood stopped. | am BY no means sure
that those practices in that community
have ceased since 1856. and concerning
some other communities, as I am about
10 show, | know that they still continue.
This is simply to say that in this Mr..
Lunmis underStated the truth. But in
one particular he appears 10 have been
wholly in error. Describing one of their
grewsome professions, he says:
"so3n the procession hove in sight, conf
ing from town. Ahead strobe the fifer,
proudly lingering his diabolical instru-
nent; then came two hermanoS with
crosses. and another whipping himself.
with half Il dozen herrnanos de lux at
tending him: then shrivellPd old Jesus
Mirahai reading prayers aloud; and be-
hind him ffty-one women and children.
falling down on their knees in the dust
deep road at every fifty feet or so 10 pray.
and singing hymns as they walked. They
bore large crucifx with the figure of tn.
Redeemer. plaster image OF the holy
virgin. and numerous strange chron1oS of
the saints. Tallest among the women
was the Mexican wife of the Presbyterian
cynical commentary on our mission
work"
! am reliably informed that there never
has been a Presbyterian missionary in
that village. There was at that time
native Mexican minister of the Congrega-
tiona1 denomination. but his wife was
short and small, and a most Jealous Pro-
seStant. Mr.. LummiS apparently was
miSnf formed.
visited one village. and was cloe to
another. where the women maintain a
rnoTado Of their own. There they practise
rites similar 10 those of the men. and en-
courage their brothers and husbands to
continue in The good work. In the town
visited one woman. having fogged herself
numerically in the women's moradQ
went to the door of the mems habftation.
and lying at the threshold besought each
man TO give her three lashes. for the
love of God" Such n request must ba
obeYed. and each Of the brothers took the
whip and gave her three hard weIts. Her
brother and her husband We're among the
man. and II is said that her husband laid
Oh his strokes with particular gusto. But
before the brethren had finished their
whipping. the poor woman had tainted.
ana she had TO h. carried TO her home
Mrs Thaadncia no