Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-25
SHOCKING RECITAL.
Freed Negroes returning 70 the EiaRa
barOus Rites Of Voudouism.
From the New Orleans Picayune.I ]

lfr0m the new orleans ficayuno.J
There is a graveyard in the rear Of our
industrious neighbor Algiers, known
generally as John Hughes Graveyard, to
distinguish it from that Of the Church Of
st. Bartholomew. LT ~
Many persons well to do, have purchased
lots therein, and built them tombs, while
multitudes Of the poorer class have been
buried in the earth. The ravages of time
and the times had broken down the fences
to some extent. and briers and bushes had
grown up in its alleys; nevertheless, 1t had
been, as whole, respected by all, stranger
and deniZen alike, until rumors of desecra-
tion lately reached the ears of those whose
dead lie there. s.f
The first reports received were discred-
tied; but as one person after another was
made aware of it, and the graveyard was
visited, it became thoroughly known to the
community.
There is hardly tomb, If any, which has
not been broken into and the contents
brought to light; hardly grave which has
not been entered and the boxes exhumed.
Two tombs have been peculiarly treated.
In one there was deposited the body of o
little boy who died, year or so ago, ofhy-
drophobia. The vault was broken open. the
coffin lid wrenched of, and the bones taken
out and portions of them carried away.
The father, hearing OF this, went to the spot
and restored the remains of his child to the
coffin and to the tomb. But the next night
they were again taken out, and other parts
carried away. That he might secure them
more fully, he then buried what remained
to him in the ground; but on going to the
spot afterward, he found that the human
hyenas had torn them out of the ground,
and they lay scattered around the gaping
earth. ST. 0t.-0
In another, had many years ago been de-
posted the body of an estimable married
lady. Not only had the brick wall that
protected it from intrusion, been torn away,
and the coffin broken open, but the skeleton
had been entirely removed. In the place
of it, to the horror of all who saw 1t, was
the body of respectable looking man,
dressed in black, and who has not appar-
emily been dead more than a week. When
first seen, as we have been assured, there
were signs of blood on the breast; but the
body has now become so offensive that no
one goes near enough to examine 1t closely.
This body has been placed in the broken
coffin, which has been half showed back
into the vault, where in the hideousness Of
mortality, it inculcates its terrifying lesson
of the vanity OF mans hopes and the depth
of his depravity. ur tiIfGr ysi2 I9
The bones of the dead, thus disinterred,
are scattered around the cemetery; those Of
children being most sought for; and what
is very strange, there are but few skulls re-
maining-these generally having been car.
ried away. .t ..- ig......
To account for this violation of the sane
tity of burial, there was some disposition,
at first, to charge it to the soldiers, large
bodies of whom are often camped In the
neighborhood; but those who are there
now are so quiet, well behaved and order-
ly, are doing themselves so much to pre-!
vent irregularities, and unlicensed and un-
bridled conduct, that the people soon saw
that such an accusation was unjust. There
was neither motive nor disposition on their
part to engage in conduct so disgusting.
There is no doubt now but that this is the
work of negroes; of such as have never
yet lost the barbarous tastes of their ances-
tors, nor forsaken their heathenish rites,
but who now freed from all constraint. are
relapsing into the worship of the gods Of
cruelty and diabolism; to whom they have
heretofore been dedicated in secret.
Bones and integuments, human flesh,
skin and hair, the human fat are all ingrela
dients i'm these Voudou spells,nand these
they have sought III the solitary and out of
the way buryilg ground Of Algiers.
Strange as are all these recitals Of ours,
they are nevertheless true, as we have them
from number fmost respectable persons,
who have visited and witnessed that Of
which we speak. Our curious readers can
on and SEQ for them salype .f. .rr fvr