The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1911-06-19
TRIAL BY ORDEAL.
The Farce Called Justice That
Siam Used to Play.
TESTS OF FIRE AND WATER.

TESTS OF FIRE AND WATER.
The Accused and the Accuser Each
Had to Face the Same Kind of Music,
and Whichever Way the Case Was
Decided the Judges Were Winners.
The modern methods of justice in
civilized Europe do not include trial by
ordeal, but in the east it is still a rec
ognized means of proving an accused
persons innocence or guilt. In a coun-
t'y like Siam, now so closely in touch
with western influences, the ordeal by
fire was practiced a generation ago.
This is the Oldest form of ordeal in
ASiam. as in any country. When pre-
I pairing for the ceremony two trenches
4 were dug side by side. They were
each about ten feet long, two feet wide
and two feet deep. These were Ealed
with layers of redhot coal to a depth Of
ten 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 bur-
rying over their tasks rods were placed
across their shoulders, and certain Of
the officials leaned heavily on these,
one at the end of each rod. In reality
they partly defeated their own ends,
for the great pressure of the horny
soles of feet unused to boots somewhat
Quenchcd the fire beneath them. When
the walk was completed the soes of
the feet We're examined in order to de-
tect any burns or blisters. This exam
ination was repeated every day for fif-
teen days. and at the end of that time
the man who showed no signs of being
hurt in any way was adjudged the
winner. During the course of the trial
the judges sat in specially erected
and gayly decorated pavilion. where
they feaSted royalty. the expense Of
which had to be betrayed Jointly by
the persons engaged in the lawsuit.
1t happened more than once that the
fire failed to make any impression on
the feet of the competitors. In such
cases they were both compelled to IN
dergo another trial by means Of the
singed, then they were both held to be
guilty of something or other. and so
they were both punished with heavy
fines
The water ordeal is kind of diving
competition. The spot chosen was Ell
Their some part of the nearest river or
else a 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
river there was to be 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 a
J cockfght was held. in which the two
! birds were supposed to represent the
T 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
ARndreds to watch the event always
4 treated it as a kind of holiday and
\ gambled largely as to the issue Of the
lday; 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-
seeching them to help him only and
each promising gifts and offerings
should he be successful.
Then they stepped into the water
until it reached up to their necks.
They We're hampered by heavy collars
similar to those sometimes worn by
Chinese prisoners. Round their wrists
they wore bracelets of unspun thread,
which had been blessed by the priests
!, and which were considered to possess
q protective charm against all adverse
Influences. Finally each one had a
strong rope fastened tightly round the
!. waist by means of which he could be
/. hauled out CT the water. because when
both men were possessed OF great
| tdi fdClly IL SoulCllLhCS hop
pened that after prolonged immersion
the competitors were too much ex-
hausted TO get themselves out OF the
water.
When all was ready horizontal pole
was placed across the shoulders OF
each person. and at a given signal
from metal gong the two poles were
simultaneously depressed by the off,
Gals, and so the two heads were
thrust under water. The divers grip
ned their wooden stakes and grimly
held their heads under the surface of
the river until one or both found them
selves in danger of immediate suffO-
cation The man who remained under
the water the longer Of the two won
the day. The trial was subject to a
time limit
In certain cases diving by proxy was
allowed, and then a general search was
made for able and willing substitutes.
There IS a story extant, says Ernest
Young in the London Taller, of how
a Persian trader quarreled with a
Burmese about some commercial fraud.
The Burmese engaged as his represen.
tative the champion diver of the dis
trict but the Persian outwitted him
by employing as his substitute pro-
fessional pearl diver from the Persian
gulf. In 1892 this form of trial was In
vogue in the north of Siam.
There are but three classes of men
the retrograde. the stationary and the