Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-02-23
SAvACES OF ASIA.
The Untamed chites OF Tibet Are
IdoIaters and CannibalS.
MURDER IN THEIR RELIGION.
At Their Wild Ceremonies the Priests
Of These Barbarians Offer UP HUI
man Sacrifices to Their Grotesque
and Repulsive Stone Gods.

man Sacrifices to Their Grotesque
and Repulsive 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 VIII
liam Jameson Reid in his book, "Unex-
plored Asia" The rites were held In
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
defied the most persistent research OF
explorers and ethnologists. Many cen
turtles ago, in the vicinity of Shanghai,
there lived 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 proselytism caused frequent
revolutionary disturbances. The gov
eminent. as its only means Of saliva
ton, made war on them. For years the
Chites battled against Overwhelming
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 were
their fierce ancestors. Many of them
are savages of the worst degree; even
cannibalism is said to be prevalent
among many of them. They acknowl-
edge no allegiance to the emperor, en-
tirely ignore the authority Of the man
darins and hold no communication
with the outside world. Yet we have
visited their wild domain; we have
penetrated into their stronghold and
have witnessed their strange customs.
at had been our intention to steal
into the city under cover Of night, but
from our position Of vantage We could
see that some religious demonstration
was In progress, and we did not dare
TO move. For half an hour our guides
(natives) crawled out on the plain and
returned with the information that
they had discovered considerable
cave in the hillside to the left of the
town, which would screen us from OBJ
servation and at the same time permit
MS to watch the movements of those
inside the walls. We had just time to
reach our place Of concealment when
the leaders of the procession entered
the narrow orifices and halted while
torches were being lit to guide their
passages through the gathering gloom
Following them pressed the unkempt
crew, until the interior Of the dome
shaped cave was filed to the point of
suffocation.
"For half an hour the ear torturing
strife of discord waxed louder at every
moment until hundred devils in hui
man form fitted beneath the fare Of
pickering torches. A frenzied enthusi
asst would leap into the air, decorating
himself with knife. grasping the CORY
strip of flesh and grinding II under his
heel, or haunting a neighbor into the
spirit of emulation by Haunting before
his eyes the CHASTITY piece of flesh. Sud
denly from out the compact mass rose
howl of mingled anguish and fury,
and a solitary Individual mounted
sort of platform and stretched forth
his hand. Evidently he was a high
priest. Instantly there was silence
The light of the torches enabled us to
see the man who had mounted the plat
form. He was a tall, gaunt individ-
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 Ave others follow him upon the
platform, which was of raised earth.
In a recess In the wall at the rear of
the platform one could see the dis
torted form of gigantic image-a
stony, impassive figure of such gro
tesque ugliness that one could not help
wondering how race Of people, how
ever unenlightened, could bring them
selves to worship an object of such re
pulsiveness.
"At last 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 captors. giving vent
to shrek after shrek until exhausted,
he fell into a stupor. Four Of the
priests held the family struggling
body, while from the gloom stalked
forth the sacrifcial priest, his hand
holding long knife. Once, twice.
thrice he abased himself before the
image, and then. turning round like
beast ready to leap upon its prey, he
rushed toward the PROSTATE form. A
flash Of light and the keen blade sank
to the hilt 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 a moment 1t silhouetted
against the fitful glare Of the fire; then
the flames leaped forward In eager
ecstasy to receive their prey"