The Republican journal., 1875-04-29
How Ham was Cured.


thoughtfullY executing the sentimental
performance of cutting his finger nails
DR.. Rutherford was an old friend OF Mr.
Smith who had been studying surgery il
Philadelphia, and now, on his way bael
to South Carolina, had tarried to make u
visit
You see, y Mr.. Smith was saying
''about week ago one OF our old negroe.
died under the impression that she was
'tricked or bewitched, and the conse
quence has been that the entire plantation
is demoralized. You never saw ANYTHING
like it,"
"Many a time" said DR.. Rutherford
and calmly cut his nails.
There is not negro on the place,
continued Edward, who does not lie
down at night in terror Of the Evil Eye
and 90 to his work in the morning par
alyzed by dread of what the day may
bring. Why, there is a perfect panic
among them. They are falling about like
set of ten pins This morning l sent for
Wash (hest hand on the place. to see about
| setting out tobacco plants, and behold
Wash curled up under Il hay stack getting
ready to die! 1t is enough to. so as
soon as you came this morning plan en-
tered my head for putting a stop to the
thing. 1t will be necessary to acknowl-
| edge that two or three OF them are under
the spell, and it is better to select those
who already fancy themselves So Rosa
lie y ! appeared at the window. "Arc
any OF the house servants 'witched?"
Mercy is" said !, "and | presume
Nanny is going to be; | saw her make
a courtsey to the black cat this morning. y
"Well, what is your plan ?" inquired
Dr. Rutherford
Mr.. Smith seated himself on the piazza
railing, dangling his feet thereagainst,
rounding his shoulders in the most at
tractive and engaging manner, as you see
men do, and proceeded to develop his idea.
l was called Oft at the moment, and did
not return for an hour or two. As did
so heard DR.. Rutherford say, ''All right .
Blow the horn" and the oyerseer down
in the yard
Blew a blast rs loud and shrill
As the wild-boar heard on Temple Hill
an event which at this unusual hour of the
day produced perfect CONSERVATION among
the already excited negroes. They no
doubt supposed it the musical exercise set
apart for the performance of the angel
N'eeoi ~ VII eiiS opJ VI anu III
less than ten minutes all without excep-
ton had come pell-mell. helter- SIX eter.
running to 1.-THE house" The dairvmaid
left her churn, and the housemaid put
down her broom; the ploughs stood still
and when the horses turned their heads to
see what was the matter they found they
had no driver; she also who was cooking
for the hands fled from the path of Duty
Ono Casablanca nonsense for her y leav-
ing the 'middling" to sputter into black
ness and the corn-pones to share its fate.
Mothers had gathered up their children of
both sexes, and grouped them in little
terrified companies about the yard and
around the piazza-steps.
Edward was now among them, endeav-
oring to subdue the excitement, and hay
ing to some extent succeeded, he made a
signal to Dr. Rutherford, who came for
ward to address the negroes. Throwing
his shoulders back and looking around
with dignity he exclaimed, Il am the
great DR.. Rutherford, the witch doctor of
Boston! i was far away in the North
hundreds of miles from here, and l saw a
spot on the sun, and it looked like the Evil
Eye, And | found it was great black
smoke. Then knew that witch-fires were
burning in the mountains, and witches
were dancing in the valleys; and the light
OF the Eye was red ! | am the great DR..
Rutherford, the witch doctor of Boston !
l called my black cat up and told her to
smell for blood, and she smelled, and she
smelled and she smeled She smelled
| and she smeiled, and she smelled! And
presently her hair stood up like bristles,
and her eyes shot out sparks Of fire, and
her tail was as stiff as iron! p He threw
his shoulders back, looked imposinglv
around and repeated: 81 am the great
Dr.. Rutherford, the witch doctor of Bos-
ton! My black cat tells me the witch is
here-that she has hung the deadly night
shade at your cabin-doors, and your blood
is turning to water You are beginning
to wither away. You shiver in the sun
shine you don't want to eat your hearts
are heavy and you don't feel like work ;
and when You come from the field you
don't take down the banjo and pat and
| shuttle and dance, but you sit down in the
| corner with your heads on your hands,
and would go to sleep, but you know that
as soon asyou shut your eyes she will cast
hers on you through the chnks in the
cabin-wa(l"
Oats !" said Mercy-s.dat certny
| is men'
"Gret day in de mornin' mas witch
| doctor! How you know? Is you been
tricked? ?" inquired Martha. who, having
| been reared on the plantation, was unac-
quainted with the etiquette observed at
| lectures.
Wash groaned heavily, and shook his
head from side to side in silent csmmen-
dation of the doctors lore
"My black cat tells me that the witch
I is here; and she is here !" Immense
| sensation among the children OF Ham
| ''But," continued he with a majestic wave
of the arm, 'she can do you no harm, for
also am here, the great DR.. Rutherford,
the witch doctor Of Boston ~
Doctor" inquired Edward in loud
voice, "can you tell who is conjured and
who is not p
81 cannot tell unless robed in the bland
ishments OF plagiarism and the satellites
OF hyglenic art as expunged by the gyra-
tions of nebular hypothesis. Await We n'
lie and Mr.. Smith went into the house
he negroes were very much impressed
iheY nave excessive reverence for grand
lioquent language, and the less they un-
oerstand OF 1t the better they like it,
"What dat he say, honey ?" asked old
Nanny. II can't heer like | used ter y
''IIe says he will be back soon, NANNY,
and tell if any of you are hick ked.n said
1; and just then Edward and the doctor
reappeared, bearing between them a pine
table. On this table were arranged about
forty little pyramids of whitish-looking
powder, and in their midst stood bottle
containing some clear liquid, like water
DR.. Rutherford seated himself behind it.
robed in the black gown he had used in
the dissecting room, and crowned by s
comical head-picce about two feet high
manufactured by Edward and himself, ant
which they had completed by placing or
! the pinnacle thereof human skull. The