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sumed by fire as is this
paper.’ "C) SAUCER
OATH (Civil and Criminal): “The witness, on taking
the stand, kneels down, and the Clerk places in his hand a China saucer
whereupon the witness breaks it against the box. The Clerk then administers the following
oath: 'You shall tell the truth and
the whole truth; the saucer is cracked
and if you do not tell the truth, your soul will be cracked like the saucer.' "D) CHICKEN
OATH (Civil and Criminal): “The witness is handed a
piece of paper with the following writing:
'Oath made by (witness signs his name). Being a true witness, I shall
enjoy happiness and my sons and grandsons will prosper forever. 'If I give false evidence
I shall die on the street, earth will destroy me, and I shall forever suffer
in adversity, and all my offspring will be exterminated. In burning this
Oath, I humbly submit myself to the Will of Heaven which has brilliant eyes
to see. 'The _____ year of the
Reign of _____ the day, the _____ Moon.'
(witness signs his name.) “The witness having
signed his name twice, and a cock having been procured, the Court (and Jury)
adjourns to a convenient place outside the building where the full ceremony
of administering the oath is performed. A block of wood, an axe or a knife,
not less than three punk sticks, a pair of candles and Joss paper being
obtained, Chinese candles are stuck in the ground and lighted. The oath is
then read out loud by the witness, after which he wraps it in Joss paper as
used in religious ceremonies. The witness then lays the cock on the block and
chops its head off, sets fire to the oath from the candles and holds it until
it is consumed.’” For the sake of brevity, I've omitted the criminal version of the ‘paper
oath’ and a ‘candle oath,’ but you get the point. Someone like me that is
open to different beliefs and religious practices finds these sort of oaths
fascinating. The corporal was another
matter. The expression on the corporal’s face indicated to me that he felt as
if his world was collapsing around his ears as he read this. I suppose that
he had imagined that the legal system was exclusively Christian and that all
of the colleagues surrounding him at work were Christians. “This is real?” “That's affirmative.” “Seriously?” “Absolutely.” I started to leave again, but he called to me one last time, “Wait! Wait!
What do you believe in then?” I paused in the doorway. “You really want to know?” “Yes.” “Objective, professional and fair police work.” “No! No! I mean what do you believe in?” “Oh that.” “Yes.” “Mom.” “Pardon?” “Mom.” “Your mother??” “Nope. Ours.” “I don't understand,” he said, a thousand yard stare on his face. “You got that right,” I said as I turned
and left the room. Kerr Cuhulain |
The Fool: pg 5
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Dispatches:
Volume 2 No. 1 Imbolc/Feile
Bhride/Brigid//Barri/Iddis-Thing 2007 |
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O of A Preceptor General Kerr Cuhulain on duty in plainclothes checking on
homeless people in the skid row area of Vancouver |