Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1844-06-08
BY Masser s. Eisely
The Obi-men and Women in tho West

have been able to discover, among the natives
of the negro land in Africa, in which any effort
at combining ideas has ever been demonstrated.
The science ofobi is very extensive OBI, for
the purpose of bewitching people, or consum.
ing them by lingering illness, is made of grave
dirt, hair, teeth of sharks, and other creatures,
blood, feathers, egg shells, images in wax, the
hearts Of birds, and some potent roots, weeds
and bushes, of which Europeans at this time
are ignorant !; but which were known, for the
same purposes, to the ancients. Certain mix
lures of these ingredients are burnt, or buried
very deep in the ground; or hung upa chin
ney or laid under the threshold of the door of
the party to suffer with incarnation songs or
curses, performed at midnight, regarding the
aspects of the moon A negro who thinks him.
self bewitched by obi, will apply to an Obi
man or Obi-womdn, for re-laws have been
made in the West Indies to punish this obian
practice with death but they have no effect
Laws constructed in the West Indies can never
suppress the effect of ideas, the origin of which
is in the centre of Africa.
| saw the obi of the famous nogro robber,
Three fingered jack, the terror of Jamaica in
I7S0 and ISL The Maroons who slew him
brought it TO me. His obi consisted of the end
of goats horn, filled with compound of grave
dirt, ashes, the blood of black cat, and human
fat all mixed into kind of paste. A black
cats foot, dried toad, pigs tail, flip of
parchment of kids skin, with characters mark
ed in blood on it, were also in his obian bag
These, with a keen SABRE and two guns, like
Robinson Crusoe, were all his obi; with which,
and his courage in descending into the plans,
and plundering to supply his wants, and his
skill in retreatng into difficult Businesses, com.
manding the only access TO them where none
dared to follow him, he terrified the inhabitants
and set the civil power and the neighborng
militia of that island, at defiance for two years
He made neither accomplces nor associate.
There were few runaway negroes in the
woods near Mount Licanus, the place of his
retreat but he had crossed their forehcads with
some of the magic in his horn, and they could
| not betray him. But he trusted no one. He
scorned assistance. He ascended above Spar
taeus. He robbed alone; fought all his bat
/ ties alone, and always killed his pursuers.
BY his magic he was not only the dread of
the negroes, but there were many white peo.
/ pie who believed he was possessed of some su-
pcrnatural power. In hot climates females
marry very young, and often with great dispari-
/ ~ of age. Here Jack was the author OF ma
ny troubles for several matches proved unhap,
py. "Gve dog an i'll name, and hang him.
Clamors rose on clamors against the cruel sor-
ceror and every conjugal mishap was laid at
the door OF Jacks spell on the wedding day
God knows poor Jack had sins enough of his
own to carry, without loading him with the sin:
of others. He would sooner have made Me
dean, cualdron for the whole island than dis
turb one lady's happiness. lie had many op
portunites ; and, though he had mortal ha
tired to white men, he was never known t
hurt child or abuse a woman
But even Jack himself was born to die
Alured by the rewards offered by governo
Dalling, in a proclamation, dated the 18th o
December of l7S0. and by resolution whcl
followed it, Of the house of assembly, two ne
groes, named Quasher, and Sam both of Scot
Hall, Maroon town, with party ofthelr tow ms
men went in search of him.
Quasher, before he set out on the exhibition
got himself christened, and changed his nam,
to James Reeder, The expedition commenced
and the whole party had been creeping abou
as it were, the deepest recesses of the most in
} accessible part of the island, were Jack, far re
mote from all human society, resded-but il
vain.
Reeder and Sam, tired with this mode of wa
resolved on proceeding in search OF his retreat
r and taking him by storming it, or perishlng i
the attempt. They took with them it'll
, boy, proper spirit, and good shot, and lei
the rest of the party. These three, whom
well knew, had not been long separated, beior
{ their cunning eyes discovered, by impression
r among the weeds and bushes, that some perso
: must have lately been that way. They softl
: followed these impressions, making not th
y least noise. Presently they discovered smok'
r They prepared for war. They came upo
Jack before he perceived them He was roas
I ing plantains, by little fire on the ground,
!, the mouth OF a cave. This was a scene N
Q where ordinary actors had common part
play.