, 1880-04-18

Gus CuFe-The Firm Belief Of South.
ern Negroes In "Charns s,-Voudor
Men and Women and Voudou Doc.
tors.
| Correspondence Philadelphia Times.
RICHMOND, Va, April 10.-The belief in You.
douism is deep and widespread among the ne
groes of the Southern States. To say that ali ot
them have faith in 1t would be to oycrstate the
case, still In most country neighborhoods there
may be found at least one Voudou man OF
woman, and the profession OF Voudou doctor
or dea1er in counter charms for the mys-
tcrious maladies which battle the skill OF
| regular physicians is by no means sInecure.
Like other black arts its practice is secret It's
| yotaries and victims alike guard it jealousy
| from the whites, among whom it forms a stock
! subject for ridicule. Now md then wide
awake newspaper correspondent unearths some
fresh story Of witchcraft, or the hand Of justice,
| cropping for criminal, finds the mesh Of YOU
douism woven into the tangled web Of crime;
and the local newspapers CRY out with one ae-
] cord that the negro race is relapsing into bar
| barism, and IS given over to the worship Of the
| devil. >~1o
| no white man knows, but the negro who believes
in it places no limits to its power. Let him once
be persuaded that he has tallen under its spell,
and he is doomed to dcnth unless he Gun and
some physician his confidence In whose skill cx-
ars seeds bis dFead Of big No other
the destined victim alone while ali other men len
charm buried beneath bis doorstep shall nail him
to bis chair with paralysis, while his wife and
children pass eyer it with perfect safety. An
hoe or tho hclyc of his ax shall poison his iifc
biood BY SLOW degrees; or the evil eye cast upon
MIN shaA bring all his purposes and plans to
That the negroes poison each other no one
VINO mas lived among them Gun doubt; indeed,
c11sbf1v 81
Ihe polsons they use are rarely those of the
chemist, however, and many an old cronc among
IN oa wh heb and
apart from this deaths often occur from sheer
force OF Imagination. He who is convinced that
@ ine aeath angel Is on his track has short lease Of
me writer has seen strong nun in the prime
o. youth dying by inches from no disease that the
slowly creeping from limb to limb until nt III
ne could only move his eyes. After be died lis
celored nurse told, in 4 whisper under prou1ise !
man in the neighborhood hnd made an image Of
ti,' hi,n' and wrapping 1t in garment stolen from
thn ict,, nad nutea It, As the image decayed SO
the f1ct1m nAu wasted away until both hnd
ce1sed to exist. 4@'"
4 colorcd woman, Of considerable intelljpenca
with q marvellous story of disease and c,1r.s
xahother woman had suffered for weeks with - |
vna o3e 10 her ~ m,rs,de and On application
nsnea f With lotion to be rubbed the seat Of
the pnfn anu drink to be taken internally Tho
for day Or two when tho patient 1itS vou1ited "a
leved: l.s,, ~ Nor said tho narrator, 'how dem
that Well my W mistis, was IL ths yo1s a1ger peieyf
@on, Su edre 1ht 70 f t. canse warnt thar, but tho
an ha,,1 know sho wanter gwine to tell me no lie
The .Youdou doctors must not he conro,,nao>,
with tho Voudou men and women vhnsn MIC.
chlcI It is their mission to couutcruct. Tha
1Wo trades are rarely combined in one persnn
enna sne doetor mny be respectable member OF
soclcty, while on the other hand the Voudo,1
man Is accursed. M outcast az were the witches
spoken OF IN the Bible. They ure regarded no
gxen 9a, ~ over to the DEVIL aud fearful stories are
seize M me soul OF his servants. Only people emi.
aemI ..a ior piety dare watch by tho death-bcd nf
~ 'aen 91Le. and bis grave is always haunted by
n nnothex rar spiEie which cannot hope for peace
4 physician residing In IN adjacent comfy
VIC llKe most Of his brethren hcreabouts has m
'GoP!e: on visiting colorcd woman nffiirtoi
ylaa yn.l, aropsy, short time since, found that
to stax aStog ana had ,vfees 6een caed H. Ho
hr2ugh lag strong curiosity did so. The onaeE aee
some mysterious mummeric3 nnI
9p4 open the pillows On which the SICK
Gathers. These, he said, were the s.tri1tn =.
,hieh bad caused all the ,ntschicf, and be en nro.
nd stine h San aot 5ae rpts rmafinK smell
nre certain. Tho patient died in a few .is1 =
~ 10 nota snc anu her colored friends were nor
or 6a as hann ~ a whs 9ny because the Voudou doc
d great part of tho trade Of +haca aoo4a
oasasts N the sale OF charms to be worn ns
m or asanssr shst III ieS SeaseS eansed " voudou
nese charms are of various sorts 4s snoi esn Gye
eneco ro9t VI newI ana toe OF frog, snake er
oners recon3 r"oa wnlsn iast many regutar practi