A Strange Sect, and Trial by Hypnotism.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 240, 4 February 1888, Page 7

A Strange Sect, and Trial by Hypnotism.

The Madrid correspondent of an Englishpaper, telegraphing on lBt December, says . — Your readers may remember that some time ago I drew attention to a very/ remarkable phase of religious fanaticism in. the little village of Tolox, in the province of Malaga, which had led to a State prose" cution. The devotees of the religion, I may call to mind, took it into their heads, or rather were led to believe by their leader, a woman .who declared herself aprophetess, that the highest form of religion, was to conduct the mundane affairs of this life in the simple garb of Adam and Eve before the Fall. This was bad enough, and led, as I have said, to the intervention of the Crown ; but it was not their only divergence from tho ways of ordinary mortals, another portion of their doctrine being to inflict upon themselves wounds in the hands, breast and feet, such as are shown , in representations of the crucifixion. They also burnt all, or nearly all, their worldly possessions, in the belief that a higher power would provide them with food. Their behaviour, indeed, was such that, as stated, the Government felt called upon to interfere, and a day or two ago a number of the leaders of this" strange sect were put upon their trial, Already the most extraordinary revelations have been made, apart from what may be called the spiritual manifestations which these misguided people declare have been made to them. The most interesting feature in connection with the trial has been the experiments in hypnotism which have been made o*h the defendants by medical specialists, this being the first time that hypnotism has been resorted to in Spain in the interests of justice. In nearly every case the defendants proved to be "good" subjects. Many of the experiments tried by the doctors were of the most extraordinary character. One of the accused, for instance, when in a state of hypnotism, on being ordered to perspire, broke out almost instantly in a state of profuse perspiration ; while another, who was ordered to ascend a very high mountain, being the while in an ordinary room, behaved as if he were actually climbing, his breathing becoming difficult and his heart beating violently. When this man was told that he had reached the summit and might rest awhile, tho symptoms of ex-, haustion gradually disappeared. Otherswere pricked with long pins, and gave no evidence of feeling what was being done to them. The trial will last several days longer, and will probably result in merely nominal punishments being imposed upon the accused, who for the most part seem to be merely harmless, weak-minded people.