The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-28
Y q y D @ g 4 s M A..
ARELIGI0N oF SUPERSTITION
'Blatk Spirits and White, Red Spirits and
Gray-Mingls, Mipsls hirglr~
AWAY DOWN. SOUTH In DIXIE
VICKSBURG IN 1871.

Arcs but II % 10 he found IN the souri, Anu - nesf
akin to the tetish.sm OF the West Indies Hayti. nc
Is the religion Of large number Of Inc race lately
elevated to rule its former rulers IL mas no
churches no articles or religion, no turgy-in fact,
no ANYTHING tangible. Its origin Is probably as
unknown as That OF the ku Kux, Its beliefs as sub.
Tie as Horace Greeley philosophy, and is practices
as absurd and whimsical and damnable ana
shocking as an Ignorant supersttious people can
make IT,
.'There is somerning rich and rare going on mp
here said zone 10 the manner bornh 10 Inc q day
or two since. What Is W. "Soudooism." "What
n that - Come ana see.n
We passed NJ a narrow flight OF stairs through
Gars haii, anu stepped INTO the Office OF
NEGRO JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
This is The court room OF Justice Parker, and he
Is trying the negro woman there upon charge OF
poisoning ler huspand.n Justice Parker IS rs black
Inc OF spades, with rather an intelligent look
ing face, but appeared somwhat embarrassed and
awkward in his seat OF justice. sheepish looking
negro giving In his testimony, ngmarole SINH
lar 10 that which followed.
negro woman, Bette Hebron was then SWORN
went round dar dat night and dis man what died
was groann' and rollm awful; and says TO
lem, "Cdt chIp 0uten the top OF de door DIR, and
put one piece de lef ana ono on de right and
move his pillow and lis bed outside de house, and
he'll GIT easy by de hour OF tweve"aud he got easy;
SAY, says TO me- ale amt goin' 90 anyp body any
good,' ana she was
RoEIS' AND A CUsSIN'
mighty, cause she say dey 'cIse her OF pisinin'
HIN. And den look around, and find bottle
between two boards-oottle OF pisen--and ] take 1t
or IN de night and run down to dc river with some
more Of US, and hung it in the river. was
Icnd 10 keep 1t at i1st but was skeered it would
harm me.n
q. low do you know 1t was poison A. Case
End il III an onciean place, dat's how know.
q. Docs ending II In an uncean place make IT
poison? A. Yes, 1t do; case people who gets piscn
puts it whar de human eye can't 1t, If dey kin.
q. What was III the nottlef A. Some curious
lookin stun; look Ike BRICK dust,
DEAD MEMS BONES AND FINGER NAILS.
and someln else, all beat up ne ana look Ike brick
amt gSine to 90 nobody no more 1 good" dat she
saw man one night come and sprinkle some
ann what be don', and he say. 'nothin' to harm
q Eur do you know II this woman poisoned him,
4. Oar now, don't KNOW dat. dun told you all
4 Know bout 1t.
second negro woman was then called and sworn
Mems, ain gwine 10 tell you de troor Dis mere
been s.cl a long time and say is ne? She saw Yea
aud lie amt gvine TO be much to anybody long.
And she say man come one night and sprinkle
Gust III ae yaru, ana NC say % nei .ant notnin 70
knock dat niger III de heads lou know knock
band dat way II he be sick. And found bottle in
DC house via
IN it, and white looking nai and we taken dis bot.
te, we did and earned II down 10 de river and hung
in, case we know de spirits can be drownded
And doctor he dar,
A BLACK DOCTOR
he vas, and he say, "somen wrong here" And he
sit down on 2 STOOL and took de pillar our from I'M
der his head and rut IL on his knee and open one
end and commence pullln' out de feathers, just
ana he nod his head and say, "Aha ~ just so and
dare / tnN M Ia hncfar
he say. "Dat amt all; soInen else down here yitn
ana kept pu!ln' de feathers out and he come to
more har agin. Bunch OF white nar dis time.
Ard &c doctor he say "Aha = and he NOD MS head
agin. Ana ne say dat amt a.r and arter awhile,
away down al dc bottom, he found curious look
ing bunch OF har and feathers, all rolled up wild
curious string, lust de
and de doctor he say, "Dar now, see dat ~ and de
doctor ne pulled II aud pulled 1t, and fore heaven,
We couldn't PM nary feathe nor nary har outen It;
and OATS de Niger dar what done II. and made her
husband crazy and pisenei hin.
The Justice took hls feet down or OF the table, and
the cigar, which be mad just lighted, out Of his
mouth, and dismissed the case, with some very
sensible advice TO his colored hearers and wise
adnoEiton 10 beware the imposLions OF such ras-
callty and superstition.
From this court room, where the negro was Dor-
usyed in all OF hls ignorance and superstition,
went with my friend 10 the Rerald onice, where he
sad he could show
ThE NEGRO IN BETTER LIGHT.
This journal Is the leader Of the .hot blooded,n
generally, Northern man como South is carpet
lag adyenLurer,' picker up OF unconsidered
u
netting but 10 noe cotton. The proprietor, Mr..
Swords, informed me that some OF his best work
men were negroes. ''My book bindery,' he said,
'ls under the charge OF negro he is one OF the
best worknen ever saw. The typographical Union
yet nave them in my job ofdce and book bindery'i
We went 10 several other establishments OF
dinerent KINDS where negroes were employed
Hall Of the Aldermen q tine city are
Se can paSe ue cad more e5 s we e
can IN the White men. They all own small proper
Iaes here and are directly interested In the city,
while the white men, owning nothing themselves,
are reckless IN lhelr expenditures. The white Alder
men are the shrewder and pretty much have every
Thing their own way Why, sir,n continued our
democratic friend gust let ME illustrate. i have
nttie piece Of property up town here on which a
now. sir, BY thunder paid lew days ago on that
same property slxty-seven dollar" The
vICHSBURG TO-DLY
Is not the same yicksburg that the victorious United
Stales troops marched into the 18th of July 1863.
Eyen Its historic hills are disappearing, crushed by
streets. Travellers. indeed, win see, on approach
looking forts browning the lonier hills at the
northern snd southern extremlties OF the city, but
ana s Now snS Ssn eo
can be seen one OF the ''caves In the hills,
nous as the retreating places OF the CITIZENS while
the city was under IRE during the memorable SIEGE
-Four miles out on the Jackson road mad pointed
ont TO me the spot where tue surrender OF Pember-
ION took place. piece OF artillery planted in the
ground marks the spot, and around IL a field OF
and plenty where eight Years ago. relgned war and
famine. A small marble monument few years
ago $1,000 where the gun Is planted. but II fell
~ prey TO the Unsuitable avarice Of relic hunters.
About thirty miles below the city are situated
THE DAVIS PLANTATIONS,
"Hurricancn and "Brierneld,n or which some very
erroneous reports have lately been printed, They
situated on an island, and the place Is known as
DAVIS Bend. Formerly Hurricane and Brierwood
the property OF Colonel Jefferson Davis and ms
brother Joseph H. Davis. About four years ago they
were purchased by one OF the former slaves OF Mr.
Davis, Gen Montgomery, an honest. Intelligent man.
NE paying for them $500 000 In yearly payments OF
$4,000 which he has promptly mel Montgomery
also President OF the BOARD OF Supervisors OF the
county, and IL respected by white and black. He
has several and daughters, who. IL Is said par
take very largely Of their fathers good qualities.
vcksburgers are inst now quietly but anxiOualy
awaiting the further action OF the managers OF the
Texas pacific Railroad Some OF them are very