The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-01-13
LFrom the Memphis Appeal.i
VAUDOOISM.
AFRICAN FETISA WORSHIP AMONG
THE MEMPHIS NEG EGROEs-REMARK-
ABLE CASE. e


mysteries of the Obi, ian African
WORD signifying species of sorcery
and witchcraft common among the
worshipers of the fetish.) In the West
Indies the word 'tObi" is universally
used TO designate the priests or prac-
ticerS of this art, who are called Obi
men and Obi women. In the Southern
Carolina, and Georgia, where the
same riters are extensively practced
among the negroes, and where, under
the humaniZIng and christianiZing
influence of the blessed state of free
dom and idleness IN which they now
exist, and are encouraged in by the
FreAdman's Bureau, the religious is
rapidly spreading ; it goes under the
name of VaudOOIsm or Hoodooism.
The practicers of the art who are al
| ways Africans, are called ILoOdoO
men and Women, are held in great
dread by the negroes, who apply to
them for the cure OfdiSeases, to obtain
revenge for injuries, and to discover
and punish their enimes. The mode
| of operation is to prepare a fetish,
which, being placed in or near the
| dwelling of the person to be worked
upon, under the door step, or in any
snug portion of the furniture,) is sup
| posed to produce the most dire and
| terrible effects upon the victim, both
| physically and mentally Among
| the materials used for the fetish are
! feathers Ofvarious colors, blood, dogs
/ and cats teeth, clay from graves, egg
| shells, beads and broken bits Of glass.
! The clay is made into ball with hair
and rags, bound with twine, with
| feathers and human, alligator, or
! dogs teeth, so arranged as to make
the whole bear fancied resemblance
| to an animal of some sort.
The person to be hoodooed is gener-
| ally made aware that the HOodOO
/ is set for him, and the terror created
in his mind by this knowledge is
generally sufficient to cause him to fall
sick, and. it is a curious fact, almost
\ always to die in species of decline.
1 The Intimate knowledge OF the
| HoodoOs of the insidiOus vegetable
pOisIOns that abound in the swamps
| of The South, enables them to use
these with great effects in most in
stances.
With the above as Introductory,
our readers will better understand
the following, which we vouch for as
strictly true, in every particular
Names and the exact locality tai
! though we will say it occurred within
few miles of this cityD are withheld
at the request Of the lady, whom we
! call Mrs. A: -
Some months since, the only child,
a little daughter of Mrs. A., who had
! been left a widow by the war, was
taken i'll with what was then thought
slow malarious feaver. The family
! physician was called in and prescribed
| for her, but in spite of his attentions
/ she grew gradually worse, and seemed
10 be slowly but surely sinking and
| wasting away. Everything that
medical skill cOnld think ofwas done,
! but in vain. ..
! One evening, while Airs. a. was
watching by the bedside OF the little
sufferer, an old negro woman, who
! had been many years in the family ex-
! pressed her belief that the child had
| been Hoodooed. Mrs. a. was Creole
of Louisiana, and having been from
her earliest infancy among the negores
was familiar with and had imbibed
not few of their peculiar superstitiOns.
! In despair of deriving any benefit
! from the doctor, and completely baf-
| fled and worn OUT with the peculiar
lingering nature of the child's illness,
the suggestion of the woman made q
! great impression on her mind.
! In the .neighborhood were two ne
! groes who bore the reputation Of be-
! ing Hoodoo men. They were both
COngoes, and were g portion of the
cargo of slaves that had been run in
to Mobile Bay in 1860 or 1861 AS
usual with their more civilized pro-
fessiOn brethren, these two HoodOos
/ were deadly enemies, ard worked
against each other in every possible
way. Each had his own peculiar
crowd of adherents, who believed
him to be able to make the most
! powerful 9TigitS.
One of these HOodOos lived on or
near Mrs. AS place, and although
she was ashamed of the superstition
which led her to do so, she sent fUr
him Immediately to come over and see
the child. The messenger returned
and said that Finney THAT was the
sorcere's name would come, but that
Mrs. A must first send him chicken
cock three conch shells, and a piece
of money with a hole in it. r
She complied with his demands,
and he shortly afterwards with the
cock under his arm, fancifully decor
ated with stripes of yellow, red and
blue flannel, and the three conchec
Iigged up in pretty much the same
manner. Placing the conches on the
floor in the shape ofa triangle, he laiC
the cock down in the center of them
on its side. He then drew his HAND
around it in the same direction, three
or four times. On leaving 1T the cock
lay quiet and did not attempt to move
although it was loose and apparently
could have done so had it wished.
After these preliminaries, he ex
amined the sick child from head tC
foot, and after doing so, broke into
loud laugh, muttering words to him
self in an African dialect Turning
to Mrs. a. who was all anxiety, he
told here that the child was HoodOOeo
that he had found the marks of the
Hoodooed, and it was being done by
his rival, (who lived some miles of
although considered IN thesame neigh
borhood, y aad that he (Finneyl inten
ded toshow him that he could not
come into his district Hoodooing
without his permission. He then
| called. the servants and every one
about the place up, and ordered
them to appear one by one before
him. So. great was the respect and
terror with which they .regarded him,
that although many ofthem obviously
did so with reluctance, not one tailed
to obey the summons, He regarded
each one closely and minutely, and
asked if he or she had seen either {
rooster, dog or cat around the house
in the past few days, towhich question;
they made various answers. The
chambermaid, who attended on the
room in which the child lay, was one
of those who were particularly re.
, luctant to appear before him or tC
answer his questions. He remarked
this, and grinning so as to show hi!
sharply filed teeth, nearly from ear Il
ear he said -
"Hs. gal, better me find you on
than the buekra. !"
This was late at night, and aftel
making his Reconnaissance he picked
up his eonches and the cock. anc
prepared to go, telling Mrs A.. t(
move the little sufferer into -anothe
room and bed. Promising that ht
weuld be back early in the morning
he left the house. At an early houl
next morning he returnedo with {
large bundle of herbs. which with pc
caliar incantations, he made into {