Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1864-02-16
FATAL SUPERSTITION.
By J. W WATSON.

To gentleman who sIent some years Of
his life among the natives Of Sand wich Is.
lands, We are indebted for the strange
facts we nov recold. While sojuurniug al
Labsina, he became very much interested
in family named WahIu, and especially
in one of the daughters, q young girl of
sixteen. We will endeavor to relate his
singular story in his own words:
Once, he said, as she vas called when
first knew her, though afterwards bap.
tiEed Mary. was q girl OF more than ordi>
nary abilities and attractions. She was
not hands ,me-her figure being too short
and square for beauty. and her face little
too broad, fat and 0val-but she had q
clear, bright. intelligent eye, an honest
eurpest, uusei6sh expression q! cnuntc-
nance, and peculiar sweet end winning
smile.
Interested in her fr N the very first
gradually ecame mora and m IRE attracted
TO her. and at length grew warn ly attach
I'd. She possessed the power &c winning
remai kahle degree, and If holding the
affections Of her friends. She had MANY
suitors. but was the faAored one: Ind
at last. somewhat proud Of the preference,
proposed marriage, and was accepted,
with the cordial approval of her fami y:
After this matter had been arranged
to the satisfaction of all concerned, l visi-
ted her almost daily for several weeks and
saw no reason to regret my choice. In
Tact, the more l cav Of her, the stronger
grew nv attachment till it amounted TO an
absolute passion. She had given up, as i
then believed. all the wild, crude super
stions of her heather faith and had been
baptized into Christianity by one Of the
missionaries on the island. Everything
had proceeded, and was proceeding. to my
satisfaction, and the day fixed ;or our nup
tialE was drawing near, when the strange
and terrible event took place, of which
am abNnt to give you brief account, and,
as nearly as possible, in order Of its occur
ence.
One day, as l was about to set Of on o
short journey. to be gone over night, an
tlier brother Of my ofianced came run
ming up to me. looking yale and terrified
single glance at him caused nv heart
to siDk. for f,lt that he had come with
some alarming news concerning Once
What is it! what is the matter 2 Lex
claimed.
Once " he gasped, catching bis brt atb
and leaning against tree far support
Yes! yes!' cried. 'Quisk Speak I!
What of herr Is she ill?'
'WOrss. sirp
Dead p gaspea. fairly staggering at
the dreadful thought.
IN. not dead. si., but soon will be = re-
turned the brother. bursting into tears
and wriuging bis hands in an agony of
grief
Some terrible accident has happened TO
he: then 2 cried with a swimming BRAIN
os imagination instantly brought VI = mic.
ture Of horror. Speak speak SeIi o. e the
worst =
Oh '::t she is doomed to death = be
":.;.ed.
How doomed ? Speak out understand
inglyP
"A former suitor-a wicked rival of
yours-dlssppointed and enrseed at bis
own failure and your success-has hired
old Willeepu, the soreeress, to pray her to
deathp
is that all p rejoined. feeling greatly
relieved. You are sure she is not poison.
ed, or otherwise harmedf
oh, cir, you do not comprehend the dan.
ger IF a knife was 10 her heart, her
death could not be more certain p
She is q Christian ! replied 'she hae
been baptized IN the holy form Of Father,
Son and Holy Gbost-in the saving faith
Of Jesus CbrIst-and the idolatrous super
stitions, belonging to the heather gods
have no further power over her regenera
ted sonl-the diabOlical incantatious Of heI
enemies can no longer in the least afFec
her physical form =
And yet she 10 already dying, and viii
tell you go! cried the brother, WringiDl
bic hands.
She is aOt dyibg she shall NOT die p
l exclaimed. i will 60 to her at once enc
| cave herP
i knew something of the superstitionp
serious, incantations, aud evil practices .
the natives Of that region, and had beart
of persons being prayed to death, az it wa
termed, though no case Of this kind hat
come directly to my knowledge. IL was
matter, as believed, purely OF superstit
iOus terror; and could not credit the fac
that any one Of good common sense an
moral chacter, especially il previously in
structed in religion Of one GOd aud one So
viour. could be affected by it to any se:iOu
extent.
The method was simply this
Any person having deadly hatred 0
another, could select q second person. an
pay over q stipulated sum, to have che of
Tending individual prayed to death ;.aLd s
strong was the belief OF all parties 10 thi
singular mode Of assassination, that
from the time the doomed one wa
was informed Of the wicked design, It wa
supposed there was no escape for him O
her from q certain aud awful death
death by the suspension of the vital pow 81
and crushing out as it were Of abe spiri
literally speaking. death from imsgi
nation solely. SINCE no physical mean
were ever 10 any case. brought to bear upo
| the moral form. That many had die
from thiR cause, ! was bound, to beliey