National Republican., 1876-02-23
AatiauaI gepublieaa
C0NJURE.
What John Hill Knovs Of tbs Black Art
Ihe White Lady Of phiIadalnhia

Aao WINS Lazy OF fhliadelphla.
In Tuesdays REPUBLICAN, was noticed tbs
advent OF colored man, named John HILL to ths
seventh precinct station, and the variety sad az
tent Of his personal property. HILL according to
MS own statement, was formerly slave. near
StauntoD, Va, and after following the "R.puoIt-
can" army, as he terms 1t, during the war. n,
drifted up through Pennsylvaaia to PhflsdsI-
phls, near which city he has been employed asa
farm hand. He is on his way back to ''Old Viz
asf the Rspss Tnny I ystT to ,'s ns
and Sarah Hill, all my sisters, down thar" hs
says. He Is colored bachelor, about forty one
ySaIs OF age. With that love for accumulation
whlcn charaeterizes ali bachelors of his race. hs
mas gathered about him enough old and tattered
eIothes TO start well-stocked second hand shop.
to suspicion, and Lieutenant keiIey TestsriaT
handed him over to the detective eorps 10 Be
Looked over" and when he was taken 10 police
charms" and cards and watches we're taksa
from him, and he was thrown into the MPrisOn
iss hes!h. as nc Is queer character, and one Of
''coDjuriDg" and dread It, a REPCELIcAN re-
porter stIollsd into the anteroom by the cell and
a white man, who also had bad luck. Hi, ,fsllow-
prisoner was asleep and stretched out on the
oeneh, SO Hill was crowded up in 4 little corner.
with bis elbows resting on his knees and his chin
buried In his hands He was castIn0 rnafaJ
glances through the gratings of the cell. wander
ing over the bare walls OF the outer room, AMI
throug the dirty window beyond.
Although unable to read and write. Hill pos
sesses 3 natural shrewdness, which has enabled
him to fleece great many Of his own color by
card playing.
The reporter looked through the grating aal
aroused his subject from q reVeris By exciaint.
Ing: "Hou are you, John?''
his face denied IL.
with him, and he said "thst they ware nm ,TaiSx
with his other things"
., $50 you believe in cODiuring, do you."
Inar 9 something In it," he answered slowly
and cautiously. Il believe thar is sich thinxs
Those people says there Is"
John when he was searched had bottle oE
over bis heart.
What do you keep that bottle for" asked hts
keep me from being hurt in the feet: peopis can.r
conlure me in the feet when I've got that"
When asked what was in the bottle he SAID:
That's holy water. got It from a white IlIY
in Philadelphia"
"pid she get 4 from prIest:"
~ dunno; think she did. She said no oas
me-"
You are not Catholic, are you:"
No, sir; amt Catholic. don't bsloaSts to
"YOu believe in religion, don't youg"
les, siri believes 10 religion. Thar's soma
snlns stI In u: don't belong to no church. am
=, -wha5 DO you do with the hares foot you h,r.
that iIon the white lady in Philadelphia"
Conid she conlure people:"
aey say So" he answered cautiously. anI
than talking in very low volcs, as If is EsI
afraid to be heard, he continued "I'ys sean
some things myself I've seen living things taken
Snt gitS ~ tbnS @ @crestqre kind q long and
I've seen the white lady in Philadelphia taxa
things cut Of people. They was co!oret peopls
who had them in."
.Ho. DO people know when they have living
things In them:''
They don't Ehow themselves. Couture psop,;
c6me and tell EN-"
"How do the coniure people get them out7"
IneJ nave different kinds Of roots. which psp-
pie take, and they say coDjure words"
SSg!dn't you take living things out Of people.
y could If had the right kind of roots. L, o,a
GO tsafned the same as anything else
,r1soi o.e;oIe people are generally old women"
mo they sint; old women ainr no better ,h,a
s yGgng women. They're mostly women though;
Were you ever coDured, john"
was nurt once, inside; white fOl Ks ia hIgheru,
in such things than our color / went 20 an o1G
cose.ea man ana ne couldn't do me any goOi:
went 10 the white lady in PhiladeIphis and ans
cured me. can't be copjured now when I've xot
my things; Men are sometimes conjured in their
feet, and their feet swell up"
You gamble q good deal don't YOU. ant
always carry q deck with you:''
John had been answering the questions about
the "cop3ure In hesitating manner as if II uers
an occult science, only the effec. of T6ish couId
oe seem and which he greatly dreaded: bu, vheu
the Conversation turned to card playing he an
great card player. 1 play first FIVE old seysn'
ing cards"
You never eoDjure the cards any?'
mo; don't do things like that l play n
square game. Sich things can be done 90 a, "a
MAKE the cards run. Thar's men IN this CITY can
do it. L don't do nothing like that IYsbse-
beaten since I've been IN this city. apt <S0ris
couldn't DO itlf the cards were ea,;-s.s,vu.
~ ou don't conjure any o., men
John seemed s. t6ns. dss that Il was o a.
Iuring nobody. I've had whisky locked up in my
trunk: and given it to men, and they alnt dead
yet. II I'd been eopjure man, they'd a-bssu
dead, wouldn't thsy9"
1hs reporter supposed they would When John
was arrested he was little drunk, ard had had
night IN the boarding house where he was stop
Ping, and his nose had bled all over his shirt
brought to the station; and what did you let any
with you?"
They won't help me from being hurt with .
mans INST. They keep me from being hart In
side" he said my ysteriously. They couldn't lick
me, though If you and me were lighting, ami
some one pulled me OF from you and put you On
top of me, couldn't you beat me -
Hill said other things which indicated his hrm
telief In the efficacy OF roots and charms anu
other implements Of witchcraft, although hs
knew not from what source their power WAS
drawn. He explained his possession Of the sksl-
eton keys. BY saying that a man gave them 10
him and then went away. The watches, he said
he won squarely and honestly. Tns reporter
left him In the gloomy call, . man, hanging on
and with his small intellect ttngsd
dSrkly with superstitions as rude as those ths.
Lspire the fetch worshipers Of Africa.
DIED.