Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1891 — PLAYING AT CREMATION. [ARTICLE]

PLAYING AT CREMATION.

Indians Go Throogh the Form of Horning a GfrL The life of the Mission Indian maiden is net altgether a happy one, especially if. she is pretty, judging from the fate which befell a comely daughter of the tribe at Mesa Grande recently, The San Diego Union says a letter received there from one of the moat reliable residents of the district relates a thrilling and barbarous incident. The correspondent says: “In the autumn after harvest 1b over the Indians hold this fearful orgie—human sacrifice. Each clan by Itself, at the burial place of its own tribe, gathers in from all the country round and proceeds to frighten away the evil spirit by offering a human sacrifice to the gods, the sacrifice algays consists lug of the most comely young maiden belonging to the clan. IThis was practided here recently. In this case it was a young girl about thirteen years of age, whose skin was nearly as white as my own, and whose long tresses would have graced the head of a jueen. She has been attending school at one of the white schools of the neighborhood for several years, and is as well educated as the average country maiden of that age as far as school books are concerned. ! “But alas, when at home she is In that hotbed of vice, the Indian rancherie, and all the outside influence coun ts for naught in counteracting the pernicious influences which surround her there. A huge fire was built and the usual preliminaries of groaning, chanting, flat-footed stamping, and all that sort of jugglery that is common on such occasions was gone through with in extra fervo/on this occasion, and while this was in progress the fire had burned down somewhat and lo3t Its fiercest heat. “When it reached this stage a huge pile of very green brush is brought ind thrown upon the fire, making the lsual blinding smoke you cau well imigine, and while this is at its height ihe maiden is bound, a blanket is ihrown over the smoldering green >rusb, and amid the most demoniacal ;ries and shouts she is thrown thereon md the whole mad crowd vie with rnch other in piling brush over her lntil, in this case, it is as high and as >road as a squatter’s cabin. Of course ill this brush is green, and is not calrulated really to cremate the girl, but inly to come as near to it as they dare. The smoke is enough to kill any one out an Indian, and if the pile should daze up, as green brush sometimes loes,*nothing could save her from in•tant death. It was a terrible scene, md all this in a civilized community hat is constantly contributing to forlign missions.”^