Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1879-08-23
A COLORED BEECHER !!
Sues for q Divorce
REV. ISAAC PALMER, PLAINTIFF
CHARGES Ills WIFE WITH COMMITTING
ADULTERY, AND ATTEMPTING 70 DO
HIM BODILY INJURY THROU'
THE MYSTIC POWER OF
VOUDOOISMl

h'' ''''SApua"c 'N''uNo Sho
charge of adultery, tho Rev. Isaac Pal
mer, colored pastor Of the largest Baptist
congregation in the city, sets forth that
his wife has practiced over him tho
dreadful sorccry Of vondooism!
Q When it is considered that the Rev.
Isaac Palmer is supposed to teach tho
| Gospel to fifteen hundred souls, whilst
he is intoxicating in their minds, through
his influence "a their minister, his un-
civilized, superstitious belief in African
sorcery or vOudooisnl, it cannot be Won
derod at that so long ns the masses OF
our colored population arc in the hands
and under the guidance of
SUCH SPIRITUAL ADVISERS
they cannot hope to obtain that degree
of enlightenment necessary TO fit thonl
for the intelligent exercise Of their du-
ties AZ good citizens, and to free them
selves from tho evil counsolors who
have led them to commit, 81 u people,
ERROR AFTER ERROR.
We deem ii our duty az u sincere friend
of tho colored race--one who desires to
sec it's rapid advancement in the path
of education and civilzation--to call
on such intelligent representative men
as Mcssrs. pinchback, Allain, Landry,
ella, Young, Dumont, Burch, and others,
to see to it that their people be rescued
from harbarc superstition
by TIE WEDDING OUT
of such ignorant and unworthy, so-called
preachers Of the Gospel.
All must agree that, IN order to render
practicable the measures contained in
the new Constitution, lool,ing to the cs-
Establishment of schools for tho ColOrcd rs
well as for the white race, the first blow
towards securing the benefits of cduca-
ton must be struck by organizing
AN ENLIGHTENED MINISTRY,
no matter what may DO tho denolnna-
ton that it represents.
In support of the above remarks, we
append such portions of the testimony
given in this suit that can bear publica-
ton in the columns of newspaper.
Our readers can draw their own conclu-
sions from the following:
Isaac Palmer, husband, %. 1dcle Frasier,
wUc--PWish court, East Baton Rouge
Testimony IN open Court, Tuesday, 1u-
gust l3h, 1879.
PLAINTIFFS TESTIMONY.
Isaac Palmer, sworn, says am tho
plaintiff in this case. The defendant is
my wife. She is not living with me,
and has not for the last three years She
has not lived with me since that time.
During the time she lived with me al
ways treated her with kindness, and had
every confidence in her. have lost all
confidence in her as q wife. First cause
for this is, she committed adultery with
Thomas Stubbs, in New Orleans, in Feb
runry, 1876. In the same year she cnt
all the mole of my hair ont of the top Of
my head while WAS asleep. am afraid
to sloep with her, or to eat or drink with
her. am afraid that sho will poison
me. She has attempted this three times
Robert Morris has been with her at I'M
Boasonabe hours in my house; this was
before she left me; this was sometime in
1876. She took a cotton string and
measured me from my head to my feet.
| There was nine knots in this string, each
knot inclosing hair from every part of
my person, besides other things, and
u kind of root was growing in each knot.
| This she wore around ber waist next to
her skin---this is called voudoosm. This
was intended to injnro mo. She dressed
a stick and put it in my mattress perpen-
dicular under INC when | would lay
in bed called four members Of my
| church to SEQ the stick, and they took
| it out, and the one that touched it went
blind for two months. This was Char
lottc Harris. Ii is considered dangerous
to live with any one that practices vou-
dooism. When went to speak to her
about getting n dinner, found with her
a man, and they were sitting together in
dangerously close proximity. This was
about four months ago Just before We
separated came home ut night and l
found she had a dirty man in my house.
They had something like u trap in the
middle door; it was something that you
could not see, but it struck me in the
foot III one of my toes, and run up my
leg to my back, and You could hear me
cry out next morning for q long dis
lance. have one child by my wife;
she will be nine years old in January
next
Cross Examination -- Defendant sent
| Wilson Gordon over tho river to Cora
Smiths, on Mr. Hilfs plantation for the
string, aud he was to give her ten dol
lars for Tie string, but he did not get it.
The first time saw this string it was
around her waist next to her skin. did
not examine it closely; from my own
personal knowledge it IL the same string
| that | got from the lady over the river.
Mr.. David Cook was the man that |
found with bis legs so close to hers. !
am minister Of the Gospel; | have
charge the Mount Zion Baptist church
of Baton Rouge. My wife is u member
of that church. For cutting my hair
she was turned out of the church. She
repented, and the church took her back;
for something she was siienced by the
church; the charges are i'll writing, and
are in tho records Of the church, and
were not made by me. | know Harriet
Graham, ! raised her. | know Ellen
Ellis, she il . mclnbor of my church,
| Harriet is excluded from tho church.
Harriet Low" sworn says, am hc-
puainted with the parties to this snit,
| know of acts of adultery committed by
| the Defendant, know that she mas com
mitted adultery with Robert Morris, he
is colorcd man, saw thCmin the act at
MIR. PaImcr's house.
Cross Eyomiaati0n-Ny name before |
was married was Harriet Graham, and
was raised by Isaac Palmer, | told
Mr.. Palmer at the time Mr.. Morris com
mittcd adultery with his wife, and they
| lived together afterwards, they were