The Portland daily press., 1880-07-20
Plantation Witches.
Uncle Remus Explains their Origin and
Operations.

Uncle Remus Explains their Origin and
Operations.
[From ]. c. Harris's coming work on Folk LORE"
The next time the little boy got permission
to call on Uncle Remus, the old man was sit.
ting in his door with his elbows on his knees,
and his face buried in his hands, and appeared
to be in great trouble.
"What's the matter, Uncle Remus?" the
youngster asked.
'Nuff de matter, honey-mo' dan dey's any
kyo fer. If dey amt some quare gwines on
roun dis place, amt name Remus.'
The serious tone of the old man caused the
little boy to open his eyes. The moon, Just at
its full, cast long, vague, wavering shadows In
front of the cabin. A colony of tree frogs
somewhere in the distance were treating their
neighbors to serenade, but to the little boy 1t
sounded like chorus of lost and long forgot
ten whistlers. The sound was wherever the
imagination chose to locate ito the right, to
the left, in the air, on the ground, far away
or near at hand, but always indistict
Something in Uncle Remus's tone ex-
actly fitted the surroundings and the childs
nestled closer to the old man.
"Yasser," continued Uncle Remus with an
ominous sigh and a mysterious shake Of the
head, ''ef dey amt some quare gwines on in
dish yer naberhood, den I'm de ball headest
creature 'twixt dis en- mex Jinawerry was
year ago. witch knows amt. OATS wat"
''What is it, Uncle Remus?"
Il know Mars John bin driyin' Cholly sorter
hard 7 Jot Il
roun' bout dus' en- fling nueder year er corn
in de troff en- kinder gin i'm techin' up wild
de kurrier koam: en- bless grashusl amt bin
in de lot mon minnit 'fo' seed sump'n wuz
wrong wild de hoss. en- sho' huff dar wuz his
name fuller witch stirrups'
Full of what, Uncle Remus?"
"Fuller witch stirrups, honey. Amt you
seed no witch stirrups? Well, when you see
two stran' er ha'r tied tugedder in a hoss'
name, dar you see a witch stirrup, en- mon dat,
dat hoss done bin rid by um.''
"Do you reckon they have been riding Char
ley?" inquired the little boy.
( "Co'se, honey. Tooby sho dey is. Wat else
dey bin doin'?"
'Did you ever see a witch, Uncle Remus?"
"Dat aint needer yer ner dar. Wen / see
coon track in the branch, know the coon bin
long dar."
The argument seemed unanswerable, and
the little boy asked with q tone of confidence:
"Uncle Remus, what are witches like?''
| ''Dey comes diffunt," responded the cautious
old darky. "Dey comes en- dey cunjus foxes
Squeech owl holler every time he sees
| witch, en- wen you hear de,dog howlin in de
middle or de night, one un um's mighty ap ter
be prowlin' 'roun'. Cunjun foxes kin tell
witch de minnit dey lays der eyes on it, but
dem W at amt cunjun, hits mighty hard ter
tell wen dey see one, kaze dey might come in
de e'pearance un COW en- all kinder beas's
amt been useter cunjun on myself, but bin
| livin' long nuff for ter know wen you meets
up wild a big black cat in the middle er de
| road, wild yaller eyeballs, dars yo' witch fresh
| frum de Ole Boy. En- fuddermo' know dat
| tain't proned inter no dogs fer ter ketch de
| rabbit Fat uses in a berryin, ground. Dey or
| de most ongodlies creeturs wat you ever laid
eyes on continued Uncle Remus, with unc-
| ton Down dar in Putmon County yo' Unk,
Jeems, he made like he gwinter ketch wunner
| dem dar grave yard rabbits. Sho nuff, out he
goes, en- de dogs amt mon got ter de place fo'
| up jump de ole rabbit right 'mongst 'um, and
| after runnin roun' time or two she skip right
up ter Mars Jeems, en- Mars Jeems he des put
de gun bairl right on 'er on damned aloose
Hit tored up de groun' all roun,' and de dogs,
dey rush up, but dey want no rabbit dar; but
|
der tails tween der legs, en- he look up, on dar
wuz de rabbit caperin' roun' on tombstone,
| en- wild dat Mars Jeems says he sorter feel like
! de time done come wen yo' gran'ma was
spectin' un home, en- he call off de dogs en- put
| out. But dem wuz hants. Witches is desc
| yer kinder foxes wat kin drap der body en-
change inter cat en- wolf en- all kinder
| creeturs''
"Papa says there amt any witches" the lit
| tie boy interrupted.
"Mars John amt live long ez is" said
Uncle Remus by way of comment. "He amt
bin broozin roun' all hours er day en- night. /
knowed niger ich his brer was a witch,
/ kase he up en- tole me how he tuck'n kyo'd
i'm; en- he kyo'd i'm good, mon."
How was that?'' inquired the little boy.
Hit seem like continued Uncle Remus,
'dat witch folks is got a slit in de back er de
neck, en- wen dey wanter change dersef, dey
des pull de hide ober der head samc ez If
twuz shut, en- dar dey is.''
| "Do they get ont of their skins?" inquired
| the little boy in an awed tone.
"Tooby sho, honey. You see your pa pull his
| shut off? Well, dat's des ezzackly de way dey
duz. But dish yer Niger wat I'm tellin' you
bout, he kyod his brer de ve'y fust pass he
made at him. Hit got so de folks in de settle
ment didn't have no peace De chilluns 'ud
| wake up in de mawnin wild der b ar tangle up,
en- wild scratches on um like dey bin throo a
brier patch, twel bimeby, one day dis Niger
he low dat he'd set up dat night
EN- keep his eye an his brer, en- sho' nuff, dat
| nlSnI, UeZ eZ u6 chickens WuZ CROWN Ter
twelve, up jump de brer, en- pull off his skin,
en- sail out'n de house in de shape un q bat, en-
wat duz de niger do but grab up de hide, en-
turn it wrongsudout'a en- sprinkle it wild
| salt. Den he lay down en- watch fer
ter see wat de news wuz gwineter be.
| Des TO day yer come big black
| cat In de do, en- de nigger git up, he did,
| en- driv her way. Bimeby yer come a big
I black dog snuffin 'roun', EN- de nigger up wild
a chunck en- damned I'm side or de head.
| Den a squinch owl lit on de koam er de house.
i'm flew away. Las yer come a great big
black wolf wild his eyes shinin' like fire coal,
| EN- he grab de hide en- rush out. 'Twan't long
| 10 de niger hear his brer holerin' en- squal-
| lin, en- he tuck a light, he did, en- went out
| en- dar wuz his brer wallerin' ON de groun' On
| squirmin' 'roun', kaze de salt on de skin wuz
| stingin' wuss'n eff he had his britches lide wild
| yaller jackets. BY mex mornin' he got SO he
| could sOrter shuttle long, but he gun up
oungun', en- of dar wuz any mo- witches in dat
| settlement dey KEEP mighty close, and dat Mig
| ger he amt skunt hissef no mo- not endurin'
| er my 'membunce."
The result of this was that Uncle Remus had
| to take the little boy by the hand and go with
| him to the "big house," which the old man
| was not 10th to do; and when the child went
| to bed he lay awake long time expecting an
unseemly visitation from some mysterious
| source. 1t soothed him, however, to hear the
very far away, wrestling, so to speak, with
| lnsty tune; and to this accompaniment the
| little boy dropped asleep
Hits eighteen hunder'd forty-en-eight
Christ done made that crooked way straight.
In don't wanter stay here no longer;
HITS eighteen hunderd, forty -en-nine,
Christ done turn dat water inter wine
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