, 1872-12-26

his axe WILL QOt cut Qlb u06 Will UVt QlS LIS
ploWaha1e will be broken against the rocks; his
cow will go dry; plant he crops, they viii not
come up; and, whatsoever he doeth, it shan not
prosper.
Mention has been made, in 3 former article, Of
this terrible scourge Of voodoolsm, and the
modes in which It is praotised; but no mere
words can describe tho hold which it has on the
mind Of the Southern negro. Once convince
him that he is "tEicked," " and, unless he be able
to procure o '' trick-doctor whom he considers
more skilfu1 than the witch under whose spell
he has fallen, no human power can eaye hlm-he
believes that he must die, and die he will; whole
college OF physcians could not eave him..
4 man was sick nigh unto death; his wife
went to witch-doctor, aud received orders to
open his pillow. She did SO, and within it she
found half dozen or more tiny conglomerations
Of feathers, closely resembling the plumes on .
hearse. These were burnt, and the man recoV-
cred. Another, very i'll, was given an ointment
with which to rub his stomach and chest. At
the end Of two days he vomitea several hairy
worms. and was cured. I know colored people
who would swear to the truth of these state
ments and have mysr r,en tho little plumes;
indeed, learned men 20 taken the trouble to
The dread OF a. ; q g1ie7oua cross
to the Southern ~, since it sometimes
interferes with he1 -: .,-ng servants, as often
theY dare not take eacn others places.
had myself cook Of whom Was anxious to
ret rid The woman had no desire to leave, and
told every other servant whom tried to secure
that she did not mean to go. finally engaged
one, and this dread Of obi was nearly the cause
of my losing her: was forced to notify the
two women and their husbands that would not
and should not keep the former, if had either
to do SO or to cook for myself. Even then my
new cook remained under protest; and red pep
per and salt-potent countercha1ms for voodoo-
we're freely used IN my kitchen Tor the next week
OF two.
It is pitiful-it is mou1nful-to see, as We
southerners have often seen, strong men plnng
away under the influence Of this superstition,
taking medicine with 3 eorrowfM smile, Whls-
perinQ. perhaps, in awe-struck tones, the dread
ful secret that they are 'stFicked," and dying at
last in spite Of al that medical skill could do 1or
them. ~
have known young athlete. braHny Her-
enss s
and then, picking up keg OF nails, Walk brlskly
up stairs and deposit his burden With grin,
and who was as proud OF his muscle as any
with paralysis creeping from one member to
another, until he could only move his eyes aud
tongue-dying by inches OF q disease which the
first physicians in the three counties around
could do nothing to check or cure. and 1or
word of e1planation-" tricked." The doctors
held poss-n3orte7n examination, and reported,
"Bineular internal discoloraion, probably death
by lead poisoning in whiskey." when tho poor
fellow scarcely over drank, and Of numbers OF
N~-- -
like manner. :,
Sons of these old crones possess marvellous
knowledge Of the nature and properties OF every
plant indigenous to the South. They have an
pare little bags filed with dried roots or leaves
to be- worn around the neck as charm against
disease or the "evl eye
Some of the cures which they work are really
wonderful. I WAS sick once-had taken vlo-
lent cold, aching in every limb, and Was booked,
felt sure, for an attack Of pneumonia, or per-
| haps worse. My - nanny" had noted herb
| doctor for friend, and brought me cup con-
tanning dark, bitter decoshon. What what II "aa ;,i
the game faith with which, when baby, had
| taken catnip from the same hand.
| In ten minutes T WAS IN perHplratlon, and
free from fever; in five more was fast asleep
without trace OF cold /; but never could find
out the name OF my medicine.
Not far from the Virginia farmhouse in which
+ was raised, just on the edge OF my father
sntaon bn ond oa slaie sa bt of g9o sn
She had crippled daughter, whose larneness
1vsa the result Of white-sweling in infancy, but
| the negroes secuted such explanation Of the
! matter.
mothers sable handmaidens to her mistress one
day, with a TOES OF her turbaned head which
smoke yolumee-" whito swellin', deed! YoW!
white folks kin b'1ieve dat! Her nanny LET
| 6unmun lef LIlch-1nlAcue4o 4a5AA4 4oo41f oo ~
= consi1 and myself we're one day sent to
| carry some wool to this woman to be spun, for
| she spun beautifully, and my mother often en-
Our body-guard consisted of two colored
girls one an i1repressible mulattress, the other
. q,1iet, denure little black girl, excessively
ti1nid. ,-
The house WAS . double 1og.-cabin, With two
rooms, We we're invited into the first while the
| old woman vent into the inner chamber to get
| the warn which abe had already spun.
Emmeline, tho nulatto girl, YVES in saucy
| humor, and amused herself by some pert re-
| marks about the ''o1d WITCH" which distressed
her companion so much that had to order ner
to hold her tongue.
Going home. Enmeline probably hurt her
Leg in climbing the rail fence around the little
yard at all events, she soon began to com,
plain Of the limb, which grew inaamed, and
swelled so rapidly that before We wore halfway
home she could scarcely walk. Both girls we're
much alarmed, and Emmeline, weeping, begged
piteoualy to know if thought she would bo lame
for life.
I had been reading scott's " Lay Of the Last
MINSTREL and, recollecting hig account OF the
superstition that no enchantment If PROOF
against running water, I made Lmmanne oatne
her leg for about half an hour i'll q branch which
lay in our path. Imagination and cold Wate1
combined served to relieve her, but she, NJ
doubt, believes to this day that she VAS p" trick
ed" and connidors me marvel Of learning, be
cause knew how to deal with her case.
Shortly after the close Of the war, near relaf
tive Of the writer was teaching in the noun
tains Of Virginia. On the farm Of the gentleman
in whose family he resided we're two laoorers
Jim and Sam, the former pleasant-featu1et q
mulatto, remarkably Intelligent for negro, AM
extremely popular among his acqualntances
the other an ugly black negro, with hang ao
! expression. Sam had with bis own color IN
reputation of * Voodoolsm, and many ssot1e
we're told Of his proUess in tho +" black art"
one day Jim was taken zick, and it was yhis
pered in the negro cabins that Jimhad Il tricked
| him. The doctor was called in but could !, NJ
, classify his disease, although tie poer fello'
: the back and limbs, accompanied with gres
ianguor, andhis pulse WAS as feeble as an infant
Tie doctors medicines did him no good; II
J, | t3aad Il is donhted Hhathar ba took them; an