The Cairo bulletin., 1911-02-11
SAVACES or ASIA.
The Unframed Chites Of Tibet Are
ldolaters and CannibaIS.
MURDER IN THEIR RELIGION.
At Their Wild Ceremonies the Priests
of These Rarbarians Offer Up Hu-
man Sacrifices to Their Grotesque
and Repulsivs Stone Gods.

A religious festival by savage tribe
Of Asia, in which occurred human
sacrifice and the burning of the victim
on funeral pyre, is described by WI
liam Jameson Reid in his book, "Unex-
plored Asia The rites were held in a
place called Chite City, Tzuchan,
which was reached after hazardous
Journey through the Ping mountains
He says;
"Let me give brief history of this
strange race, who for centuries have
defled the most persistent research of
explorers and ethnologists. Many cen
turtles ago, in the vicinity Of Shanghai
there lived a highly enlightened race
known as the Chites. They were the
most fanatical and bigoted Buddhists,
SO fanatical, In fact, that their turbu
lent spirits and eager desire to SOW the
seed Of prosclytism caused frequent
revolutionary disturbances. The gov.
eminent, as It's only means of saliva
| ton, made war on them. For years the
Chites battled against overwhelming
1 odds until at last, their numbers fear.
fully reduced they gradually retired to
the west, settling here and there, only
| to be again driven back After years
of wanderings they located In the wild
mountain region Of northwestern Tibet.
"For untold centuries they have held
entirely aloof from their more civilized
Chinese neighbors, and today they are
as untamed and barbarous as wera
their fierce ancestors Many of them
are savages OF the worst degree; even
cannibaism Is said TO be prevalent
among many Of them. They acknow,
edge no allegiance to the emperor, en-
tirely ignore the authority of the man,
darns and hold no communications
with the outside world. Yet we hav,
visited their wild domain; we have
penetrated into their stronghold and
at had been our intention to steal
into the city under cover of night, bur
from our position of vantage we could
see that some religious demonstration
was in progress, and we did not dare
70 move. For half an hour our guides
tnatives) crawled out on the plain and
returned with the information that
they had discovered q considerable
cave in the hillside to the left Of thu
town, which would screen rs from oh.
servation and at the same time permit
us to watch the movements of those
inside the walls We had Just time 10
reach our place Of concealment when
the leaders of the procession entered
the narrow orlfice and halted Will
torches were being lit to guide thei
passages through the gathering gloom.
Following them pressed the unkempt
crew. until the interior OF the dome
shaped cave was filled to the point Or
suffocation.
For half an hour the ear torturinI
moment until Il hundred devils in hu
man form fitted beneath the fare o.
pickering torches. 4 frenzied enthus,
asst would leap into the air, lacerating
himself with knife, grasping the gor.
strip Of flesh and grinding it under his
heel, or tauntng n neighbor into the
spirit of emulation by Haunting befor,
his eyes the CHASTITY piece of flesh. Sud
denly from out the compact mass rose
howl of mingled anguish and fury
and solitary individual mounted u
sort Of platform and stretched forth
his hand. Evidently he was high
priest. Instantly there was silence.
The light of the torches enabled us 10
see the man who had mounted the plat
form. He was tail, gaunt indlvid-
ual. All his right side was naked, and
his face was covered with gaping rents
OF knife wounds, from which blood
| trickled
"A garment Of coarse cloth covered
his body below the waist. Soon we
saw FIVE others follow him upon the
platform, which was of raised earth.
In recess In the wall at the rear OF
the platform one could see the dis
torted form Of gigantic image-a
stony. lmpassive figure Of such gro.
tesque urliness that one could not help
wondering how race of people, how.
ever unenlchtenod, could bring them.
selves to worship an object Of such re.
pulsiveness
AT last Il fearful moment was at
hand An old man was Seized and
stretched upon a sort of stone altar.
raised above the platform He realized
his last hour had come. and he strug
gled IN fear and fury to escape from
the grasp Of his c0ptors. giving vent
TO Shrek after shrek until exhausted
he fell into stupor. -Four Of the
priests held the family struggling
body, while from the gloom stalked
forth the sacrifcial priest. his hand
holding II Long knife. Once twice
thrice he abased himself before the
image, and then turning round like q
beast ready to leap upon its prey, he
rushed toward the PROSTATE form. \
fash Of light and the keen blade sank
to the Hit in the flesh of the victim.
Three times did the worshipers on
the floor rise and abase themselves
and then quickly The minor priests
seized the lifeless body and held 1t In
rhe air For n moment It silhonefted
against the fitful glare Of the fire; then
the flames leaped forward in eager
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