Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1912-02-23

! being too small to contain all that
| wanted 10 follow the Seryice-the cap
tain of The 'Affaires Indigenes' came
UP with several officers leaving for
Morocco the next morning. Immedi-
ately everything was stopped. Inc
officers were nom believers, and they
would not continue their religious
rites. No threats of Imprisonment or
punishment were of avail.
Sat the end of the seance the men
would lie. stiff on the ground, appar-
emily dead. Only after rubbing and
Chatting their bodies and sometimes
biting their ears would the fanatic
come to. Five times during my stay
at Foum Tatahouine, l saw the same
mamie keeps the large Arab cafe
near the marHetplace-sw swallow from
| eight to fifteen tenpenny nails.
One curious fact is that members
of this sect are always proof against
the stings Ct scorpions and snake
bites, not only when under this sort
of hypnotic spell. but when working
| at their daily tasks. [ could not be-
leve this statement until I saw 1t
| proved time and time again. Do they
die? DO they bleed? were questions
that l was asked frequently in Amer
lea. If they die, one never Knows,
and they should not bleed. and do not
90 a 1hICs Jul lilCy UlUCu PAOIhSCAs
once in a while, and this is what one
of the high priests told me when 1
asked him about it:
If a man has broken any of the
! commandments of the Koran, or de-
filed himself in any way, and comes
to the religious rites of the AissaOuas,
then he. viii bleed, or the fire will
burn, or the scorpions will choke him.
He must purify himself first; then all
will go WELL
The hynotized fanatic that eats
Barbary figs. (prickly pearl, glass, etc.
is called camel; in Arabic 'djimmel'
'The second is called lion. He i'm
| itates lion and eats sheep and bulls
| alive. Sadie is the name.
The third is called an ostrich, or
| 'rafely.' He swallows nails, scorpions
and has swords thrust through him.
THE fourth thinks himself cat,
| kat-Ouss,' and climbs trees and build
ings and jumps down unharmed. He
eats shoes and hot iron and swallows
burning Goals of fire.
THE fifth, called in French lie
merle a species of blackbird; in
Arabs, 'hautiffa. He jumps down
deep wells with his clothes on and
comes out dry and his mouth full of
water. He also jumps and hops about
like bird.
THE sixth and last is called 'okas-
cha No one has ever been able to
tell me its meaning. He is a sort
of Samson, or strong man, and will
| break strong ropes or chains when
| bound. lie seems to possess marvel
Gus force, for 1 have seen twelve
strong Arabs try to throw him, and
he tossed them about like straw Then
the shetk himself had to go UP to him;
he was wiry-looking old man He
passed his hand several times over the
fanatics face, and he. with a gasp
and groan, sank, apparently lifeless,
to the floor The strong man was
trying to break down a stone wall with
his head and was in a very ugly mood
so that the twelve Arabs tried to
throw him. SO one of the chief priests
could calm him.
I cannot explain to you why they
are not hurt. 1t seems impossible that
a man, run through the abdomen with
a small, round sword, does not die, or
at least feel the after effects. AS a
well known English surgeon said to
me on his return home from Kairo-
wan: Why do they not all die of
blood poisoning?"
Sennoussi Declare Holy War.
Recent letters received by Mr.. John
son from Africa contain information
that the Turkish paper, Al LENA, on
the day the letters were mailed, printed
a letter from the Egyptian chief, Fab
my Ali, who is fighting in Tripoli with
the Turks and Arabs. FANNY Ali says
that Sid Ahmed al Chertg al SEN
noussi, commander in chief Of the Sen
noussi, is actually on the way to the
seat of war, having declared a jehad
or holy way against the Italians. He
Is at the head Of large army of IA
natical Hohammedons, it is stated, and
tie correspondent writes that If this is
actually true the situation Of the Ital-
ian forces is indeed grave
The Sennoussi, Mr.. Johnson saws, are
the Puritans of the Mohammedan faith
and arc religious fanatics to a man
The sect was founded about 1886 by
an Arab named ST Hohammed Ben ST.
All Ben Sennoussi, who left his home
In Algeria because OF difficulties in his
own family. Attire wandering over the
whole Of northern Africa this hitherto
unknown Arab entered a monastery In
cairo, from which he was later eX-
PEELED because of his purtanicaI beliefs
lie took refuge in the holy city of Nee
ca, but in 1843 he was again forced to
flee because of his religious beliefs.
Soon after his expulsion the cheik
began founding schools and monster
les, where his beliefs were taught and
proselytes fiocked to him. At the pres
ent time the nlonasteries and schools
of the Sennoussi are scattered thickly
over the hinterland Of Tripoli and all
of northern Africa.
Puritsns Of North Africa.
The Sennoussi, while they have beer
given the sobriquet of 1.-The Puritans
of North Africa" are practical. They
dig wells, establish schools and colleges
and the basis of their belief is the pu-
ritication Of Mohammedanism. They
never dance, never sing, never smoke
or take snuff, and never even drink
coffee OF course, the use of wines OF
liquors is unknown among them.
The founder of the order has beer
succeeded bby another cherif, or com
mander in chief and the order today
emraces unknown millions of followers
scattered over North Africa, India, Chi
ma, Persia, Arab and wherever the Mo.
hammedan faith exists.
Up to the present time the Senuous.
81 have not been aggressive though
for the past rs years it has been known
) that they were collecting vast stores o.
, arms and ammunition in unknown re-
cesses Of the great desert that fringe:
northern Africa. Their present head,
quarters Is the great oasis Of Kouffra
in the Libyan desert. No white maj
has ever succeeded in reaching thi
, mysterious spot, though many havi
died in attempting to find it,
l Men of the Desert ImPaeabIs.
/, Further advices received today b.
: Mr.. johnson from friends in Tuni
) state that should the Italian and Turk
ish governments make peace, tn
= Arabs and Bedouins of north African
deserts declare they will continue tn
war, regardless of any treaties tina
may be made between the belligeren
governments. II this course should b
Followed by the tribesmen, Mr.. John
sons sorrespendents saw the TriIrnli