The Morning herald., 1875-09-29

severn cold disase1r like magic bsfors
dose of . bitter bla& tea whereof tn
patiest knew Dothing save that t" wa
made ont of re6t," the cole inlormstioa tn
giver deigned to vouchsafe. One of thei
poisons is distilled from the jamestown
h weed; spother from the deadly pishtshade
4 yet another Is common green ;gla@ beatef
fine and sifted through muslin. This i
administered in food or drink, and thu
dinty particles, working their way into the
intestines, cause inflammation and lingering
death. Most of the deaths from Voudou
are, however, the result of sheer imagina.
tion, and the story told by Abercrombie o.
the Scottish student who, while in perfect
health, was rendered i'll simply by imagin.
ing himself 80, finds a frequent parallel
among this race. They believe fully in
the power of the evil eye, and it is only
necessary to convince one of them that it,
baleful influence is upon him to produce
all its accredited effects. Not to every
negro is given skill in Voudou, and if one
not 70 gifted desires, to bewi,ch his neigh
Dor he must seek a Voudou man or
woman for the purpose. This wise one
will perhaps give him a mixture where
with TO anoint his enemy's tools or door
sill; perhaps a packet to bury under
his doorstep or in his daily path;
perhaps, surer still; - subtle poison
acting by slow degrees. Of the
poison an idea has already been given.
The ointment is probably a mixture rival
ing the witches cauldron in Macbeth. Eye
Of newt and toe of frog" The packet may
contain "bloody hand" done on white
paper, in the blood Of some animal, or a
charcoal sketch supposed to represent the
victim. This is wrapped around dead
toad, snakes head, lizard, or some such
reptile, 10 which is added little earth
from graveyard and anything from the
person Of the victim which can be obtained
such as lock of hair, nail clippings, or
fragment Of clothing. This constitutes
the magic employed, and the negro who
believes. himself the object of such arts
may be left TO his own fears for the rest.
There is many grave in the South which
has been filled by just such agency. He
who is fully convinced that the Angel of
death is upon his track has short lease of
life, and strong men "Fade ava like snow
when it is thaw," under the power of thi.
fearful superstition. They shudder in its
grasI; they scarcely dare speak of it, and
they yield themselves its victims with the
apathy Of despair. White men are impa-
tient Of their belief in it: to us it seems so
childish, so wholly incredible. but to them
it is the heritage of their African origin to
which they have clung through all these
years, guarding it from the ridicule of the
whites as the devotee guards his religion.
Argue with them about it and you receive
the ans wer, "White folks don b'lieve in
these things, but they kills coloaed folks
all de same, and your arguments fall on
deaf ears.
The waters of \ spring, the fruit of
tree, even the milk of COW, may be
tricked' for one person alone, and while
they bring death to him all others may use,
!hem with impunity. The fetch buried
beneath his doorstep may nail the destined
victim to his chair with paralysis, while
his wife and children pass in and out over
it in perfect safety. These misguided peo-
pie place no limits to its power, except in
Iced that of distance, it cannot follow its
object to another State. In the days of
Slavery men and women were known to
,eseech their owners, in mercy, to sell
hem away from home and kindred, as the
'nly chance Of escape from the doom
which they were fully persuaded was be. !;
ore than. 1t is hard to tell what thev
v'll not believe of this terrible bugaboo.
colored woman, by no means lacking in
atural intelligence, and even able to read
little, came to the writer one day during :
he past year, with marvellous story Of
lckness and cure A female friend who
ad suffered untold agonies from some
Mysterious disease, for which regular ply {
cians could afford no relief, had at last :
pplied to "coujur' doctor. He had pro-
ounced her "tricked," and had given her
To remedies, to be employed conjointly-
9me pills, to be taken internally, and an .
intment to be rubbed on the pit of the
omach, the seat of the greatest pain.
lfther making use Of these for a few DAYS
1e patient was seized with violent nausea,
nd "vomited quart of hairy worms" re-
Ewing immediate relief. "Now," added !
~ informant, triumphantly, "how dem
orrums git thar, eff somebody didn' put
m thar% "M-," l said, mildly, "do !
ou think that can be soT' "Weil, my
'issis," was the answer, IT can't ,,clar to it,
ause l nuvver see it mvse'f, but de oomau
lat tole me is member ov de church. =
nd know she warnter gwine tell me no
e bout it,"
The Sabbatarians.