The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-24
Special to The Tribune,

! tpti]di w l ne lTlpune,
WASHINGTON. May ga story
of human sacrifice in the Philippines
that makes The blood run cold in the
reading is told in an official report
received at the bureau of inSuar af-
| fairs Of the war department The sac
| rtlce was made by the pagan Baso-
bos, of the Moro Province. and it was
| done to appease the wrath Of evil
| spirits. The victim was n Bilan slave,
boy eight years old and he was
| put TO death AT the instance OF the
widows who claimed that the spirits
of their departed husbands were both
erlng them and demanding the sacri
! flee of human. So to oblige these
DANES the sacrifice was arranged.
Datto Ansig told the American Off
Gals all about the killing Of the Bilan
child. Ansig told it as if he was re-
lating An incident Of every day oc-
mitted no crime, he said, but had only
followed ont a religious custom prac-
ticed bv themselves and their ancestors
from time immemorial. From the
statements made by Ansig and his fol
lovers the following facts were ad
duccd;
"Bacalad,' god of the spirits; Agpan-
mole Mancho,' god Of the good, and
his wife, the goddess "Dewatn;
f" Mandarangan, the god of evil, to
whom sacrifice is made in order 20
appease his wrath, which is shown by
misfortune, years of drought, or evil
Detailing the tribe or IFS members; also
1t is dt times necessary 20 offer him
human sacrifIce so that he will allow
the spirits of the deceased to rest, etc.
The Bagobos believe when n Bagobo
of rank dies and his widow is unable
TO secure another husband, IT, is nee
essarv for Eer 10 offer sacrifice TO ap-
pease tie spirit Of her departed hus-
band in order that she may secure an.
other.
In the case under consideration the
two widows, Addy and Ohby, went to
Datto Ansig and demanded blood. An
sig called meeting of the old men of
the tribe. and it was decided that as
there had rot been a sacrifice since
the great drought Give years ago. it
would be well to have one. In accord
ance with custom the victim was a
slave,
Ongon. a henchman of Datto Ansig,
purchased from Bagobo lido Bilan
slave, named Sacum. about years old,
/, who was deaf and cross-eyed, and had
other defects of vision. making him of
| little OF no value as A laborcr. lido
got the slave from Duop, a Bilan, rs
| wedding present when he married
Duon's daughter, Ongon agreed to pay
| five agongs for the boy. The slave
was led to the house of Ansig, whore
arrangements were made for tn, sacri
| flee by calling on all who for any rea-
son had need to satisfy the evil spirits
| TO come and take part. Three days
after the child was brought & the
house of Ansig the people met at Talon
near the river Inolia, the regular place
| IL,
as well as the tribesmen, were present.
Sacum was seated upon the ground
near the. place of sacrifice He was
naked. but no other preparation was
made with regard to his person. Upon
a platform or bench of bamboo, about
two feet high and foot or two square,
was placed small basket or receptacle
made Of the bark Of tine Bomga tee;
in this each person present taking part
| in the sacrifice placed piece of bctel
mt: over this the mon placed thclr
! head kerchefs, and over the kerchiefs
the women laid strips Of the bark of
| tho Palma tree Upon this the men laid
| their bolos, and spears were then stuck
in the ground in circle around the
platform. Next Datto AnsIg, as chiet
of the sacrifice, made an oratlon. "hieh
was about as follows: -,
ooh, Mandarangan, chief Of the evil
spirits and all the other, spirits, 1come
TO our feast and accept our sacrifice,
Let this sacrifice appeasc Your wrath
and take from us our mlstortunos'
granting us better times
After this the boy. Sacum. was
brought forward by Ongah. placed
against a small tree, his hands tied
above his head and his body tied to
the tree with bejuco strins at the waist
and knees. Ansig then placed spear
at tho child s. right side mt point be-
low the right arm and above the mar,
gin of the ribs, This lance WAS graspod
by the widows, Addy and Obbi, who
at signal from Ansig forced it
through the child s body, The weapon
was withdrawn. and the body cut IN
two at the waist by bolos in the hands
of tribesmen, after which the corpse
was chopped into bits, each man and
woman present taking small portion
as a memento Of the occasion.
II is said that the child was deaf
and almost blind, and that it aid not
realize what was to happen anvil the
Iroment il was tied, when it began to
CIV. Death was almost instantaneous
the only cry being one uttered when the
smear first entered the boys side.
In the report of this incident made
to the war department. by Gen. Taskcr
Bliss, governor OF the Province of
Moro, it is stated that Datto Anslg
said that he had attended or offIcIated
at fifty human sacrifices. Asked IT
the sacrifice Of any animal would not