The daily gazette., 1881-08-27
vOUD0U HORRORS.

-
Cannfbalism Openly Practised i'm
the Island OF Haytf by Serpent
worshippers.
London Vanity Fair. ls
"The religion Of HaytI Is ostensibly
Roman Catholic. An archbishop, four
bishops and nearly one buudred priests
are established In the country, but they
are really powerless In the face Of se-
cret religion called Nv Voudou'' OF serpent
worship. The sect 10 very powerful,
many presidents having belonged to ii.
The great feasts Of "Voudon" are at
Christmas, at Whitsuntide and at Easter.
The drum ID beaten At midnight and the
people assemble. The ceremony COM
mences by the most terrific oaths of Sc
crecy. Then dancing begins, and the
excitement u kept up by copious liba-
tions OF rum until enc or more OF the
performers iall down In fit, when the
spiriL OF "Voudou" 10 supposed TO have
entered into them. These orgies last
generally last three nights and sometimes
longer. On the frat night cock Is Of
fered up ct the altar, and its blood is
drunk warm. On the second night q
goat il treated In the same way. But on
the third night children are brought in;
their throats are cut by the priest; their
blood ID handed round and drunk warm,
and their bodies are then cut up and
eaten. "a Y vaa taif,o,iii, ys..f..
Before the sacrifice takes place the
priest orders % many children as he re-
quires. They must be OF pure African
descent, and not over ten years OF age.
These children are invariably forthcoIn-
ing, either by being voluntarily given up
or obtained by being stolen by women
who make profession Of II. They are
expert at their trade. Entering house
ct night, naked and oiled, they steal the
child, and by administering a narcotic
poison render 1t insensible. It Is then
conveyed to secret place until required
for the sacriace, when an autidote brings
1t 10; then its throat is cut. Children
are often Voluntarily given up by their
mothers for the sacrifice.
In order to be Initiated into "Voudou'
1t Is necessary to have killed some hu.
man being; 4 child is preferred.
another horrible custom in Haytl 10
the devourlDg Of corpses.
So strong 10 the taste for human flesh
that midwives have been known 10 de-
YOUR the children they have just brought
into the worlS. ,aThelparts preferred are
the knucklss and hands.
Lest 1t should be imagined that these
are not facts, l will give one or Two IN
stances. u. - q lr4T ul
In May, 1879, two women were caught
eating . female child, II was proved
that the child had been first drugged
and rendered insensible. The parents
supposing 1t to be dead buried 1t. These
women Immediately. disinterred it, re-
stored ID TO its senses by antldotes, and
then inserted reeds through Its side and
sucked the blood from the heart. This
happened at Port an Prince.
A Haytian OF good position was also
caught with his family eating small
boy. Another was found tied to tree
close by. The man was pointed out to
me. v4A
These offsnses were published, In one
case BY q months, In the other by SIX
weeks imprisonment, the fear Of Voudou
not allowing greater punishment.
In January, 1881, eight people were
fined tor disinterring and eating corpses.
In the same month the neck and
shoulders of Q man were exposed for
sale In the market at Port au Prince and
were purchased and identified by an
Epgllsh medical man.
In February, 1881. at St. Marks, a
cask of so called ''pork" was sold to a
ship. In IL were discovered the fn-
gers and finger. nails of o human being.
This'pork' was allidentified as human
flesh. p u -''I-s $50 -,A-@J
A Haytian assured me that the kid
neys of o child was frst-rate eating.-
On my asking how he knew he inform
ed me that he had eaten them. He
did not seem to think 1t strange or at
all out Of the way. s.u
At Cape Haytien colored clergy
man OF the Church of England COM
planned that q "Voudou" neutralized
all the good he was doing, and declared
that he had had human flesh offered
him tor sale, and that his wife nearly
bought it, believing that 1t was pork.
In. February, 1881, four people were
hned for devouring corpses.
3 AT Jacmei Two o3rpses were recently
disinterred and partly eaten. Two
men were in prison for this, not being
able to pay the fine. A man caugh
eating child was arrested the day Of
my arrival. At Christmas time 9,00t
people assembled at the house Off
noted svoudou" priestess (pointed ou
to me) living in the country and car
ried on Voudou rites In the wood
close by during the week.
At Aux Cages the child of an Eng.
lishman was stolen from it's cradle or
the 4th of March, 1879. The thievel
being hunted they threw the chile
down well-killing it--and escaped