Smiling Chango

Five little white girls between four and eight years old disappeared from Cuban farms near Havana last week. They had no possible interest in upholding or opposing the Machado government. Havana police sprang to action. In a deserted barn near Caimito, 22 mi. from the capital, the children's dismembered bodies were found. In that barn the police also found a crude altar of stones and seashells, a hideous statue of the Goddess Chango, and 28 half-crazed Negroes, two of them with bloody robes and blunt stone axes. The most intelligible of the prisoners, one Jose Delgado, described what had happened:

"For three weeks Chango has been demanding white blood lest a curse be cast upon us. . . . While we had the girls we fed them raw potatoes, sugar and water for that is what a sacrifice for Chango must have. . . . It was decided to hold the sacrifice today because of the search being made for the girls.

"After praying and dancing around Chango's image and singing hymns to Chango, the girls were brought before the altar. Some of them resisted but others just screamed and cried.

"Heavy ropes were tied around their hands and feet and they were placed side by side. Then Chango's bodyguards beat them with royal palm switches. There were about 50 persons present. They danced, yelling and singing and clapping. Two curanderos [priests] cut the bodies apart with stone axes. We could see Chango smiling and satisfied as the curanderos sprinkled her image with blood. Then police appeared. . . ."

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