The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-03-15
W|TCHCRAFT NOT
 A LOST ART HERE

The dim past of over one hundred years ago was brought down to the present in the Clifton district this week, when Officers Alex Arnet and Bub Sutherlin brought in from Met calf a Mexican man and woman who had been convicted in the justice | court at that place on charge of aggravated assault. At least this is the technical charge in the complaint, but the facts developed that the Mex jeans, whose names are given as Romon de La Torres and his wife, Cara de La Torres, had been guilty of practicing witchcraft in that com munity.
 Inquiry elicited the information that this art, or rather hoodooism, prac- ticed is more or less among the more ignorant and superstitious of this class of the people. Several instances of cruelty resultant from the prac- tice of those who profess to be mast CTS of the black art, in their treat ment of patients. In this instance the treatment is said to have been most heroic. Combined with cruelty there was an element of Christian Science in the methods employed in the treatment of the case for which de la Torres and wife were convicted. The patient was a Mexican woman an expectant mother, who was com
 plaining of some slight illness, and
 who was forced to undergo the treat 1 ment.
 MT. Arnett "got wise" to the pro. ceedings, and went to the scene to in-
 vestigate He stationed himself first
 under the edge, of the house where | ha fra f,,on nr,f- fn hn od
 and to the patient was used violent
 language and told that she had to
 submit to the treatment, according to
 the story related by MT. Arnett. Find
 ing his position under the house not
 as desirable as he wished for a full
 investigation of the proceedings, he
 finally stationed himself near a win
 dow, where he could see and hear all i that passed, without being observed
 by those in the room.
 The treatment which was adminis- i tered the patient was most heroic.
 She was placed on a lounge and beat
 en with a small rope. doubled twice. 1 forming four strands. When the cries 1 of the woman were uttered, occasion ed by the reinstatement, she was told : that the punishment did not-hurt her, 1 that the pafIt if any, was felt By her | husband, and that there was. no pain to her resultant from the blows that were administered to her.
 MT. Arnett broke up the proceedings 1 by entering the room and plaed both de la Torres and wife under arrest. 1 The two were arraigned before the : justice of the peace at Metealf,. who
 assessed their punishment at one hundred days at hard labor. Both ! were brought in Wednesday after ! noon and turned over to Jailer John 1 Young, who locked them in the coun- ! ty jail.'. The man was sent out to
 the road Thursday the woman being still confined in her cell.
 When Deputy Arnett first entered
 upon the scene at Metcalf the woman l stated that no one could arrest her,
 that she possessed power to prevent
 her arrest and incarceration, and if
 she were placed in jail she could
 and would escape. This profession
 of supernatural powers has not been
 verified up to the present.
 In company with Sheriff Slaughter, ] who conducted a visitor to see the
 woman, the Copper Era man visited ! her cell. As neither the sheriff or
 the reporter were masters of the l Spanish language, her statement to her visitor were not understood, but enough was gathered to learn that
 she claimed to have visited the pa tient professionally after being re- nuested. And it is stated that these
 hoodoo doctors demand payment in ' coin of the relm for doing good' to their ratients.
 [ While in the cell John Young
 nnietlv turned the kew and locked the
 Sheriff and reporter in the cell, but
 as neither were there for treatment"
 the Sheriff soon induced the taller to
 release us.