The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-12-19
SOrcery In Martinique.

Sorcery, or obeah, is extensively practiced by
the creole and negro population of all the West
India Islands, IN spite of all the efforts of the
civil and religious authorities for its suppress
sion. The sorcerer is generally some person su-
perior in cunning and other qualities to the
mass of the negro population, and is held in
he is supposed to hold mysterious power for
good or evil. Under the protection Of this dark
superstitious fear, he is able to commit or insti-
gate the most atrOcious crimes, as no negro, and
few white people, will voluntarily testify
against an obeah man, lest he or bis accomplces
should take summary vengeance upon them
These sorcerers are employed by persons who
have grudges against their neighbors; and as
inquests on the bodies of negroes are rare occur
rences in Martinique, it is the easiest matter in
the world for the obeah man to furnish a Gus
toner WITH the pols0ns he wants in o-der to get
rid of some one who may have wronged or Of
Tended him. But such is the terror inspired by
these sorcerers in the minds of these ignorant
negroes that it is not always necessary to re-
sort to actual poisoning. A word, sign, a
look. from the obeah man is enough to strike
his victim with mortal horror, under the infiu-
ence OF which many poor creature has pined
away into the grave. It is said that sorcerers
are not only very skillfnl in preparing posons
to be administered with food or drink, but that
some of them carly small globule of serpeut's
venom under a sbarpened fger-nai, by which
they can infict death with slight puncture of
the flesh. These are dangerous customers and
charms and love-powders is also part of their
business.
Strange as it may seem. these obeah men are
frequently employed by whites who wish to get
rid of an obnoxious person. The name of Cow
peer Karr, who was few years ago a famous
sorcerer in Martinique, will long be remember
ed with detestation in the island. After long
career of crime, during which he and his ac-
completes were believed to have committed
many murders and lesser otfenses in
Vulnerable, he was arrested and brought to trial
with an old negro woman, his partner in guilt;
but although every one believed them TO be
worthy of the severest punishment, no one was
found willing to give evidence against them,
and they were finally released, with a recon-
mendation from the court to be careful as to
their future conduct. On leaving the court
room they passed through dense crowd of
whites and negroes, who had assembled to WIT
ness the trial; and Cewpeer Karr, stopping for
q moment to face group Of citizens, said,
with slow and stern delIberation, "Look well at
me now Should declare how many of you
have applied for my services, there would be
few who would not hang their heads" This re-
markable trial took place in 1871. Cowpeer
Karr, was no common character. he was
sbrewd, qui,k-witted, and well qualified to Tex
elt powerful influence on his gncrant fellow
countrymen. His bearing curing the trial was
discreet, and his answers to the interrogations
of the court evnced sagacity and intelligence.
IS. Carvalho, in Haspers Magazine for Jaaua,
Ty.