Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-28
Obj.
Fetfchism and its BeIongings-ANegro
Charmed 10 Death.
.EFrom the New York world.l

Gamet etFrom the New York World. J. tL-f --i.
The people of all ages and all countries
of the world have had, and still have, their
peculiar superstitions and their faith in
thepower of unseen agencies or spirits.
These Invisible powers, according to most
of the systems known, could be subjected
to the control of man, if he were mighty
enough, and could be made to perform
miraculous acts, to do good or evil as the
couinrer might require, and to reveal the
secrets of the future aS-weli as those of the
past. The ancient Greeks had their sub
servient demon, but were far surpassed in
their powers of incantation by the Eastern
nations. Every one who, as a youth, has
read the i's Arabian Nights1 Entertain
ments," knows what, wonderful and un-
heard-of doings the genii and magi were
capable of. 1t was trifling affair for
them tot travel Thousand miles in the
winking OF an eye, and the construction of
huge palaces was no great undertaking.
From the. remotest times of history we are
told of good and evil spirits which infest
the air or inhabit the earth and the civili-
cation of modern times has had its roasted
witches and drowned wizards. Gothe's
Faust is built upon the common
belief that man can sell his soul,
and the witches of Macbeth are
represented as concocting savorY soup for
SOME mischieyous purpose. The most ig-
norant people have the strongest belief in
suD6TlaLuldt- aR6NcleS dua tuc kT0dGcSL lear
OF unfavorable omens; and among the
lowest classes of white people even now
exist specific and magical cures of disease
or injury. Not ten days since a man in
the Isle of Wight having accidentally
severed one of the main arteries of the leg,
was taken away from regular physician
and intrusted to the healing care of an ig-
norant person to cure him by incarnation.
The'effsct that such hallucinations has had
upon the welfare and longevity of the peo-
Die who have indulged in them can be
easily eoDjectured by examining the ac-
counts OF the putting to death of the ly-
canthropes ein 1888; of the executions OF
witches in England and Scotland, and of
the fearful judicial concentrations of Sa-
lem In this country. Horst in his Demon
omagie, states that more tDan 100000 per-
sons were put to death in the reign of
FrancisI., and it is not to be doubted that
since the year 1400 at least 100000 human
beings have sacrificed their lives on the al
tar ofsuperstition. In different peoples the
forms which their supernatural fears and be.
liefs take are also Different but the ground
work of the whole is the same-the more
or less undeveloped state of the reasoning
faculties, and as the individual is cultivated
or otherwise, he believes in the potencyof
signs, charms and omens. The case which
but recently transpiren in this city, where
one unbleached American accused another
of endeavoring to .'root" him by strange
and unboly spells, naturally leads one TO
contemplate the huge proportions which
hesblack art. thaumaturgy, orLwitchcraft
assumes in the fuliginous mind of the prog.
eny of Ham. In the instance just referred
to, one, child,of twilight, who was engaged
in the honest calling of coachman, wish
ing to follow the example of his white fel-
low citizens and go into the country, en-
gagged another of the atramentous persua-
sion to act as his substitute in his absence
On returning from the green fields, the
victim of necromancy found that his proxy
was unwilling to .relipquish the position
which he had gained, but rather advised
him to make longer stay in parts bucolic
Daily the supplanted coachman visited tn
scene of his former employment, and at las
unfortunately and unexpectedly cam
upon his usurper and found him OIL
his knees by the bed in the coach
house with mystic flask in his righ
hand, from which he sprinkled in awfu
curves and sweeps an unknown flu1d
all the time repeating in an unintelligibl
tone supposed fetch charm. An appea
to the folice Court at Jefferson Marke
proved of no avail for our laws are too cir
cumscribed and weak to reach such cases
and one day not long afterwards the wretch
ed victim of diabolical arts yielded up.hi
spirit and departed this life. The excite
ment of the colored population which fol
lowed was great, and all those having al
extra shade to their cheek or curl to thei
hair declare that nothing but the sacrifie
of the charmer can save the friends of tn
victim from the same unhappy fate. Th
Judge, apparently to pacify the excitet
black crowd, has since put the charmer I'm
der $500 bonds to keep the peace. The cir
cumstance- only brings forward to motto,
the extraordinary power which supersti
tion has upon the lower orders of mankind
Whether the man in this case did or did no
die of fright is ofno consequence forther
are numberless instances to prove that ne
proes. when they become aware that the
were. to be .srooted" or that "obi' was sc
for them, generally soon tell i'll of terro
andiaImost invariably died of a species c
decline. :. It is probable, however, that i
many such instances poison was used
heighten the effect of the supposed enchant
ment. Obi is an African word and is usu
allv applied to sort of sorcery not uncom
mon among negroes There are man
names applied TO this queer magic, sue
as .tootinG, 2, wood dooing, - p'sfetiehing," an
SO forth, but the practice as far as the ne
GRO race is concerned, is essentially tn
same, The original practieers of this forr
or theurgy were always native Africans
but they have, according to the belief 9
freedmen, and others of dnsky complexion
transmitted and impaired, for money o
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