Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1911-08-18
TRIAL BY ORDEAL.
Tie Farce Called Justice That
Siam Used 10 FIay.
TESTS OF FL AND WATER.

les ) Uf FL Anu WA I'm.
The Accused and the Accuse- Each
4 Had to Face the Same Kind of Music.
and Whichever Wy the Case Was
Decided the Judges Were Winners.
The MODERN methods of justice In
civilized Europe do not incnde trial by
ordeal! but in the cas-; II is stlll n rec
oSn.zcd means of proving an accused
persons Innocence or guilt. In coun-
/ ~ Ike Siam. now SO closely in touch
with western Influences. the ordeal by
Ire was rracticed generation ago.
This Is the Oldest form of ordeal IN
Slam. as IN any country. When pre-
pairing for the ceremony two trenches
were dug side by side They were
each about ten feet long. two feet wide
and two feet deep. These were filed
with layers Of redhot coal 10 q depth OF
zen inches The plaintiff. or accuser,
walked over one fiery path and the de-
PENDANT over the other. In order to
prevent the parties from unduly hur-
lying over their tasks rods were placed
across their shoulders. and certain OF
the officials leaned heavily on these.
one Mt the end Of each rod. In reality
they partly defeated their own ends.
for the great pressure Of the horny
/ Sol
quenched the fire beneath them. When
the walk was completed the soles Of
the feet were examined In order to de-
tect any burns or blisters. This exam
lnatiOn WAS repeated every day for fif
teen days. and at the end of that time
the man who showed no signs Of being
burt In any way was adjudgcd the
winner. During the course of the trial
the judges sat In specially erected
and gayly decorated pavilion. where
they Toasted royalty. the expense OF
which had to be betrayed Jointly by
the persons engaged in the lawsuit.
1t happened more than once that the
6re failed to make any impression on
the feet Of the competitors. In such
cases they were both compelled to I'M
iergo another trial by means Of the
water ordeal. II both parties got
singed. then they were both held to be
guilty Of something or other. and so
they were both punished with heavy
6nes
The water ordeal Is u kind of diving
competition. The spot chosen was ell
Their some part of the nearest river or
else large. deep pond. The law IN
sisted that the spot must be one where
the water was clear and cool and free
from leecheS and mud. In the case Of
. q river there was to he no strong cur
, rent. The preliminary preparations
were simple and consisted in driving
, two tough poles into the bed Of the
, pond or river for the competitors to
, take hold OF on immersion. These
poles were placed about ten feet apart.
, Before the actual trial took place n
cocktight was held. In which the two
birds were supposed to represent the
two litigantS. and the result OF this
preliminary conflict was held to be
: ominous OF the results that would at
tend the serious trial.
, This was never omitted. because the
spectators. who were assembled in
hundreds to watch the event. always
\ treated ii rs n kind OF holiday and
/. gambled largely as to the issue Of the
| day: hence the cockfGht was sort
of guide to them in their speculations.
| The two persons next addressed them
selves to the water deities and asked
for their protection and help. each be-
4 seeching them to help him only and
4 each promising gifts and offerings
should he be successful.
l Then they stepped into the water
4 until 1t reached up TO their necks
4 They were hampered by heavy collars
4 similar To those sometimes worn by
I Chinese prisoners. Round their wrists
they wore bracelets Of unSpun thread.
4 which had been blessed by the priests
/ and which were considered TO possess
4 a protective charm against all adverse
h influences. Finally each one had a
strong rope fastened tightly round the
waist by means Of which he could be
hauled out Of the water. because when
!, both men were possessed OF great
breathing capacity It sometimes hap
/ pened that after prolonged immersion
the competitors were too much ex-
/" hausted to get themselves out OF the
water
J When all was ready horizontal pole
u was placed across the shoulders Of
5 each person, and at given signal
I from a metal gong the two poles were
: simultaneously depressed by the Off
Gals. and so the two heads were
thrust under water. The divers grip
L ped their wooden stakes and grimly
d held their heads under the surface OF
the river until one or both found them
Il selves in danger of immediate suffo-
cation. The man who remained under
the water the longer Of the two won
l. the day. The trial was subject to a
time limit
!. In certain cases diving by proxy was
4 allowed. and then general search was
Z made for able and willing substitutes.
i There Is a story extant. says Ernest
4 Young in the London Taller, Of how
q Persian trnder Quarreled with a
Z Burmese about some commercial fraud.
:, The Burmese engaged rs his represen.
. tative the champion diver Of the dis.
trict but the Persian outwitted him
BY employing as his substitute n pro-
y fessional pearl diver from the Persian
), gulf. In 1889 this form OF trial was In
vogue in the north Of Siam
4 There are but three classes OF men
o the retroGrade. the stationary and tie
Observation-Disclosures