Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-09-06
Customs OF Haytl.

| | zette of some OF the habits OF the out oil
the-way people of that land: "The Cit,
of Aux CaycS," he says, sis built OF adob
for the most part, with small sprinklin:
of frame buildings, and. in the suburbs
bamboo thatchcd with grass. None o
the buildings have any shape to them
and all are ancient and crumbling away
and are no better than stables. The
', streets are mpaved. and are full of hole
and gullies, and ponds of water coverct
with green scum. and great pools OF muC
with swarms of horrible looking brutes o
hogs wallowing in them are to be seer
everywhere, and the odor that arises from
them is sickening. Droves OF goats anC
donkeys wander about the streets anu
affiliate with the pigs, and all run back
and forth through til houses without re
ceiving any check from the inhabitants
The Ignorance OF the people is appalling
All their acts are governed by the moSi
miserable superstition. They are blood
thirsty. yet kind and hospitable. Every
man carries his revolver and poniard in
his belt, and if another insults him he con
sidcrs it breach of honor il he does not
at once kill him or get killed himself i'll
the effort. The consequence is human
life is held cheap, and the law seldom re-
venges. Last evening party of young
men called for me to go with them to the
bathing place. = small river about n mile
and half east of the town. On the way
as we proceeded along the beach we came
to 4 small inlet which had to be waded
A few days ago hadmy foot badly crush
ed, and had it still bound up and did not
like 10 remove the bandage, and thought
| should have to turn back. when lad in
the crowd squatted before me and signed
me to get on his back, which did, and
he carried me over nobly.
Returning, we passed small moraSs
by the roadside, and at the further end,
on 4 small elevation on the ground, burn
ed small light which looked ghastly. |
asked one OF the party who spoke broken
English what it was. He shrank back
with fear, and replied that it was au obia
something which a man who hates an
other is popularity supposed by these peo-
pie to mysteriouSiy perform, so that great
evil and even death comes to him. They
told me that if the light was extinguished
it would at once take fire again OF its own
accord. quite astonishedthem all when
announced my intention OF visiting this
socalled otia and making an examination,
and not one of them would accompany
me. When | reached the spot found it
to be simply Il calabash iull of oil and Il
taper burning in it. | overturned it. and
the fire was extinguiShcd. | learned from
my host on my return home that when 4
man tails in battle during the frequent
revolutions, and his place OF intcrmrnt is
| in doubt. his relatives every saturday
night place one OF these tapers over the
spot where he is supposed to have been
buried
The inhabitants of the mountains back
of Aux Cayes. and, in fact, nearly all the
interior OF Uayti, and 4 few i'll Aux CayeS
itself, adhere still 10 the old African
system OF hcathenism called Obladism.
They have ,hcirchuichcs in the mountain
Businesses in almost impenetrahlc thick
cts, where none hut their own kind dare
enter They ale the most degraded cam
nibals. Some OF my readers may be as
tonished to know this. but, nevertheless,
| assure them that such is the fact.
Americans are engaged in missionary
work in China and Japan, but in this
country, So much nearer home, where
actual cannibalS exist even in one of lis
largest cities. this work has been sadly
neglected. These people do not eat
adults. but children. which are constant
" stolen for the purpose. Last evening,
in the same street where | am stopping,
q poor woman went out to a neighborinT
shop for n moment, and left her child
asleep. When she returned it was gone
stolen by an Obad for sacrifice. | am
told that the manner in which these peo-
pie operate is thus: For instance, ut
each service in 4 temple the priest allotS
to n certain person the task OF procuring
child at the next meeting for sacrifice.
When the child is produced, il it is found
to be lean. they apply themselves TO the
task OF iattening it as quickly aS possible
before it can be killed. All sorts OF means
are resorted to by these tiends in procur-
ing victims. One Of the most common is
the use of certain plant which grows
here, the secret OF which is known only
to these Obiads One of the women will
come into the city selling cachou-nuts or
something of the sort, and rs soon aS she
sees nice fat child she will manage in
some way to embrace it. at the same time
taking lis hand in hers, which has priv
. ously been rubbed with the juice OF the
plant In few hours the child apparent
ly dies. and the parents wonder rs the
cause OF its death. 1t is buried, and the
same night these people will come and
dig il up and carry il of into the noun
tains ard there apply the juice OF another
plant, which arouseS it from the stupOr
produced by the other plant. and it be-
comes rs well aS ever and Is sacrificed.
A story is told here, and vouched for
even blythe foreign merchants here, of 4
child which died in this way and its faith
er was suspicious of the cause and went
at night with four men, all armed. and
laid in ambush and watched. About l.
o'clock some Obiads came and commence
ed to disinter the body. Soon after twas
brought to the surface il came to lie and
walked about, and the whole party We're
about to start of when the ambushed
party fired on them, and on hurrying To
the spot the father was astOni>hed to find
among the slain his own mother. The
child lives in Aux Caycs to-day and is 4
handsome young lady. | had a man
pointed out TO me who was in the grave
three days, having incurred the hate ot
another man who applied the Juice of the
plant to him. After three days he was
resurrectcd his by enemy, and the effect OF
the plant passing away he came to life
again, but without reason or speech, his
enemy not knowing the countcractinG
plant, and his enemy made Il servant oi
him, and he toiled every day in the fields,
till one day an Obiad priest who hated
this mans master applied the proper
plant, and reason and speech returned.
The Obiads, when children can not be
procured, sacrifice sheep. and tor this
reason you Can not hire ll.ytian tu eat
mutton. The Obiads are believed bv the
Haytians TO fly nj the hour of midnight.
and they say that at such times they emit
fire from their mouths.
There is 4 tree grows here that it You
sleep under it you will never awake. You
will swell up and die before the morning.
There is another tree which if you rub
yourself with the Juice OF its leaves your
skin will successfully sustain any attacl,
with any sharp instrument, or even bull
lets, without the least injury. 1t will
remain so for two or three days, and then
assume its natural SoilncsS again. \
IIaytian, should he out after 10 o'clock at
night and see 4 pig or cow lying in the
pathway, would not disturb it for worlds,
Tor he would firmly believe that some
horrible disease or other misfortune would
come upon him should he do So. |
might enumeratc 4 hundred different
superstiiions which they believe in. but
have given sufficient for the reader To
draw his own conclusions rs to the de
graded condition of the people. At -
o'clock in the day all business is >uS-
pended in IIayti; stores are closed and
merchants repair 10 their homes. and
everybody goes to bed. and the streets
are almost deserted till p. M. when
the stores gradually open again and bust
ness goes on till ; p. M. when they are
closed for the night. At night the streets
are almost deserted, and at 10 O'Clock
the drums roll at the various police sta
tons. and il you are found on the street
a.. .. L ...1