The Feliciana Democrat., 1858-11-06
OBJ felitial1a 1>motrat.
A DARKEY'S SPIRITU ALlSM.

The Pulaski (Ga) Times vouches for the
following
Never having witnessed anything to prose.
lyte us to the doctrine of spiritnaSm. we are
not prepared to vouch for the trnthfulncss of
the ermrience as related by colorcd gentle
man. whom we chanced to ovcrhear. but will
give the experience for what it is worth Our
readers may believe what Samuel says or not
just as they please. Should we even witness
so plain manifestation, as Samuel says he did
we shall have all our skcpticSm removed
We give the story of Samuel as nearly as
we can in the language he used in relating it
to his friend Joshua, which was verbatim as
follows
"Well SAM" says Joshua. what does yon
tink oh dis ting dey call spri,zism and de me-
jums, festations. and all sch rs dat does you
tink dar is troof in it. or not 7"
"Why, JOSH" says Samuel, very cautiously,
"I is not oh de pnon oh some oh de white
folks on dat subject, | tink dat derc is troof in
it, but Josh ef a man spress hcsef on dat sub
ieck, and say he believe dat spirit fcstaton ain
true, den de folks ebery whar say. d0t nieg"
IS crazy. So you see, Josh, dat does not like
to spress myself, or tell what | has seen, till !
know who is tokin' to fust."
"Dat is dc fack SAM replied Joshua, "for
| hear massa John say dat all de folks i'll Max.
um is crazy about de spirits but if you spress
yourself to dis higger, afore God ! ncbcr tell
it to nobody
"Dcn, JOSH resumed Samuel Il tell YOU
my sperience on the suhjeck, is mejnm
myself, golly is for sartin, an when yon
hear my sperience den you belief in lie spirits
too. Now Josh, gwnc to tell You de roof
an what tell you, is what is seen wild decs
izc, an heard wild dis mouf: no, no mean
heard wild my years Well went down de
ribber swamp, one night bont tree weeks ago,
possum huntn', dare was nobody wild me, hut
dat dog, you see dare an we freed big old
possum in dc biggest old black gum tree you
eber see in your born days Well, thinks to
myself ef has to cut dat tree down to git DIT
possum, den Ise gwine home wild out de pos
sum for sartin. Well | set down and tink for
- mint or two, an scratch my head. Den !
say to myself, now Ise gwinc to see cf dare is
any troof in dc ting dey call spirits festatons.
So goes up to de tree an stnck my axe, rs
hard ms I could, an left it dar an STEPPED off
from the tree an sed: efdare is de spirit here oh
any black man dat is dead, what has ever bin
possum huntin' wild me, ] will tank him to let
mo know it by cnttin' down dis tree ] say
dc same obcr tree time, an den see de axe
comm out oh de tree, an afore ! could snuff
my torch, away it was gwine, cuttin' like bin
zes, jes like sum body but | swar aforc God,
Josh, dar was no soul dare but me an de dog.
Oh course knowd for troof, it was spirit.
My dog raised he brssels an grow | make
him lie down and hush he mouf Bimcbyc
artcr dc axe had cut big kecrf, it stop and
set down on de ground, jes lk when you STOP
to blow an rake de chips outen de place dats
cut wild your hand. you know, and de chips fall
out dc place, but | conldnt see no hand, nor
muffin.
"Well, warnt skeered bit, stood dare
an de axe sood dare, ies leanin mp against nuf
fin. Thinks I, dat must be Bill Chizzum, what
used to 60 wild me 'possum huntin', afore he
died. Saz l, is dat yon, Bill Chizzum ? an
when say dat, down fall de axe on de groun
and an all de suadin could do, it nebcr cnt
anoder bit Den knowd it was Bill, an h,
tink gwne to Ak him for de quarter dollar
he owed me when he die, an he cut for true
tell you, Josh, didn't cotch dat possum--
no sirrec bnb-dis chile take he axe an cu
for home, sartn Now, JOSH dare is troof in
dc speritzunl, for sartn hut don't breave dis
ting TO nobody for don't want no man to say
dis niggcr is crazy"