Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-11-30
A DARKEY,s SPIRITUALISM.

!
Never having witnessed ANYTHING To nrose
| lyte US to the doctrine of spiritualism, we are
/ not prepared to youcn for the truthfulness O,
the experience az related by 4 colored gentle.
man, whom we Glanced to overhear, but will
give the experience for what il is worth Our
readers may believe what Samuel says, or not
just as they please. Should we ever witness 90
plain manifestation, as Samuel saws be did
We snail have our skepicism removed
we give the story Of Samuel as nearly as we
can, In the language he used in relating it 70
MS friend Joshua, which was verbatim as fol.
| lows - i'
"Well SAM" says Joshua, "what does Won
!lnk 90 dis ting dey call spiritrism and de me
Jums, festations, and all sich as dat: does Won
tlnk dar Is troof in it, or not2"
why, Josh" says Samuel, very Cautiously
II Is not Oh de piuion OBJ some OBJ de white
ijlKs on dat subject. tink dat dare is troof in
H. out Josh, ef d man spress heself on dat SUBJ
leet, and say he bleve 81 pirit festation am true,
den de folks every whar say, dat niger is era
~ 90 you see, Josh, dat does not like to
spreSs myself, or tell what has seen, till I
know who l is talkin' to fust'
Dat Is de fact, Sam, replied Joshua "f for
1 near massa John say dat all de folks in Ma
KUN Is crazy about de spirits, but if you spress
yourSet TO dis niger, afore God 1 neber tell it
to nobody" -
''Den, JOSH" resumed Samuel, "I tell Won
Il
SET, golly is for sartin, an when You hear
my spersence den you belief in de spirits too.
NOW, josh, gwine to tell you de troof, an
what tell you, | tell you what L is seen wild
1ees ize, an heard wild dis mouf; no, no, mean
heard wild my years. Well, went down de
rlooer swamp, one night bout tree weeks ago,
Possnm huntin', dare was nobody wild me. but
dat dog, you see dare, an we treed biz old
poSsum IN de biggest old black gum tree eber
See IN Your born days. Well, links | TO N.Y.
sell, ef has to cut dat tree to get dat possum
den lse gwine home wdout de possum for sar
tn Well, set down and tink for mint or
TWO, an scratch my head. Den I say to my
sen, now ISe gwine to see ef dere is any troof
ln de ting dey call spirits 'festations So gees
up 70 de tree an stuck my axe, as hard as l
couid an left 1t dar, an slept off from the tree
al ssd: If dare is dc spirit here oh apy black
man dat is dead, what has ever hin ipossum
huntn' wild me, will tank him to let me know
1t by cutting down dis tree
say de- slime thing ober tree time an den
see de axe comm out of the tree, an afure
c0uid smut my torch, away it was gwine, cuttin'
IKE o!hzes, Jes like sum body; but / swar, josh,
Oar was not soul dar but me an the dog. Oh
course L knowd for trOOf it was spirit NV
dog raised he brissels an growls; fmake him
lie down an hush he mOuf. Bimeby, arter dc
axe had cut big keerf, it stop and set down on
ue grOun, jest like when you stop to blow an
rakethe chips Outen de place dats cut wild your
hands you know, and de chips fall out de place,
Dut couldn't see no hand nor muffin.
Well, warnt skeered bit L stood dare.
an dc axe stood dare, jus leanin u ginst muffin.
Inks L, that must be Bill Chizzum, what used
70 go wld me 'possum huntin', afore he died
Sdz l, is dat you, Bill Chilzum an wben
say dat, down fall dc axe On de groun', an all
de sGadin L could do, it neber cut anoder bit.
Den knOwd it was Bill, an he tink gwine
to AK him for de quarter dollar he owed me
when &c die, an he cut out for true. | tell
You, Josh, didn't eotch dat possum-no sir
rec, bo6-di5 chile take he axe an cut for
home, sartln. Now, Josh, dare is troof in de
speritizum, for sartin, but don't breaye al.
thing TO nobody, for don't want no man to
say dis nigger is crazy"