Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-04-03
The Ball of the Gallows.
The Singular Scene That followed
A Virginia Hanging.


March 26.-This morning at S
O'Clock closed one of the most
remarkable balls ever known in
the history of Virginia. gal
lows ball. Yesterday two ne
groes, Patrick Smith and Julius
Christian, were hanged for muir
der, and the hanging attracted
hundreds from every part of the
country. The negroes came in
immense numbers. 1t was a
gala day for them, and they were
all in holiday attire. The field
in which the men were hanged
looked like country fair.
Booths were erected. An en-
ierprising Yankee had a side
show and educated pig, and
itinerant musicians enIiyened
theoccesion. Altes,the hanging
tthe crowds Of whites went away,
but the negroes hung about the
field and around the shallow
graves of the feIons until dark.
They had determined TO have u
ball, but according to some SUI
perstition among them it could
not begin until after the mid
night hour. A large barn near
the field was swept clean by
hundreds of willing hands. AT
II o'clock it was crowded. On
small stage i'll u corner the
stand for the musicians was plac-
cd, which was occupied by four
banjo players and one fiddler.
In the middle of the room was
another stand, upon which the
man who called out the fig
ures stood. 1t was a weird
scene. Boys stood in the cor
nefs Of the room with pine knot
torches, which filed The place
with black smoke, and made a
murky light.
At 1915 the festivities began.
Peter johnson, a burly tobacco
hand, occupied the stand in
the middle of the room, and
sang out in a stentorian voice:
Choose your partners" The
strangely made-up orchestra
struck up "The Mississippi Saw
yer" wild Ethiopian air, and
the dancing began. As the mu-
sic went on, the musicians and
dancers grew wild and wilder,
until they shouted and sang as
though possessed by the devil.
Such ordinations as Il could
die dis moment!" "Oh, Lord,
how happy l isl" and the like
were heard, especially from the
women. At about 2 O'Clock
Lucinda Macon, an old Voudou
negress, suddenly made her APP
pearance in the barn. The mu-
sicians and dancers stopped in
terror; the old bag slipped into
the middle of the room, and
then began a series Of strange
incarnation scenes. The'.trick"
doctress was dressed in an old
blue and white chcckeled dress,
and had in her hand large bun
die, tied up in a red handker-
chief. She opened it, and after
muttering a lot of gibberish, in
what the negroes say here
was an African dialect, she said
she had the rope with which the
men were hanged, and that after
she had touched any bit of it,
that piece would secure the pos
SCISSOR against the evil designs
Of any person who tricked them
or poisoned them. She sold it for
fifty cents. The rush for these
pieces of rope was great. The
men fought for them. uo.
This ceremony was kept up
until q A. M. The rope did
not go around, and when this
became known, those who did
not get a piece acted like fiends,
and begged The bag for a
thread only. She told them
that nothing else would effect
the charm except small particles
of the clothing in which the
men were buried. a large party
then started off to the grave un-
derneath the gallows, Tor the pur-
pose of disinterring The bodies
and bringing back the garments.
They soon returned in horror to
the ballroom, swearing that
they had seen he two men who
were hanged walking around
the grave. The hag added to
the excitment by declaring, at
the top of her voice, singing out
the words, that Smith and Chris
tian had not died, because she
had given them charm. The
secret is, that the visit of the
dancers to the graves frightened
off two resurrectionists who
were after he bodies for the
doctors. Tie dancing and sing
ing was kept up until 5 O'Clock.
1t was announced by the You
dou doctress that all who danced
at the gallows ball would be
able TO dance as long as they
lived no matter If thav Hyad fo