Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-08-24
DEATH FROM A SPIDER-BITE.
Superstition Among Negroes.
he Richmond Times, 10TH

From the Richmond Times. l6th.l
A few days since DR.. VIM. II. Taylor,
of Jefferson Ward, one of the members
of the Board of Health, was called upon
to visit an infant of Martha Scott, who
was reported to be very ill in conse-
quence Of the bite of a very large house
spider. The doctor arrived in good time
after being sent for; but when he got
there he found that he was too late, as
the little sufferer must breathe its last in
a few hours The bite was in the knee,
and could doubtless have been cured
without much trouble had a competent
physician been sent for in time but, in
stead of such course being pursued,
the natural proneness to superstition OF
the negroes ruled the counsels of the
parents and friends of the child, and it
was, therefore, resolved to test the rela-
tive skill of two Ethiopian sorcerers,
(for such the deluded wretches can only
be termed Accordingly, messengers
were dispatched-one for Prof Samton,
a Jet black astrologist, and the other for
Prof. Brownlow, a negro phrenologist,
both "so.called." " These distinguished
life-savers arrived amid great pomp, and
with much ceremony, retired for consul
tation As might be expected, these
learned Africans radically disagreed,
each contending that his mode Of prac-
tice was the only one which could save
the patient. They were closeted for two
or three hours-in the meantime the suf-
ferer was becoming worse-at the emo OF
which time they came forth and an
nounced that no compromise could be
agreed on, and it, therefore, devolved
upon the parents to decide who should
have charge of the matter.
Two factions Immediately sprang up
between the parties present, which we
win denomnate Conservatives and Radi-
calls. The Radical crowd favored the
astrologer's principle, which was that the
spider should be first killed, and then
seven kinds of roots and FIVE kinds of
herbs should be pounded up and the
extract applied TO the bitten part /;
while the Conservatives favored, in the
mos. vehement manner, the catching of
the spider and placing it in a glass jar,
the cork Of which should be bored, so
as to admit air to the venomous insect
After most violent alteration between
the factions, it was finally agreed that
the Radical or herb party, should take
the case in hand; so the other crowd
dispersed lin high dudgeou. The re-
tained conjuror then set to work to hunt
up the required herbs, but being unable
to find them as soon as the parents
thought he should, they became uneasy
and sent off for DIR. Taylor The doc
tor, as before stated, was not sent for
in time, and consequently the poison
having disseminated through the system
of the child, rendered it impossible for
the usual remedies to act as they other
wise would have done. Upon the death
of the child the advocates of the rejected
system became very sxultant, while those
Of the opposite were crest-fallen and
disappointed. Prof. Samton's reputa-
ton as hoodooist" has therefore
fallen into disgrace in consequence of
his failure to save Martha's little spider
bitten offspring. The above is but a
sample of several cases of similar
character which have recently been re-
ported to us.