The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-12-08
NEGRO CONJURERS.
NEW YORK CITY.
BY LILLE E. BARR.

BY LILLE E. BARR.
Both Carolina and Virginian Ne.
groes have great terror Of an evi
eye. Indeed, | believe almost any Of
them would prefer to have root chew.
ed for them rather than come under
the power of an eye. In Caroline
they say: "De debil look out oh him
eye and make my blood clear run
backward" In Virginia they say:
''Dere's bad luck in his eyes, and
worse luck yet if he looks at you
Mule-shoes keep witches out of a
house, they believe; and as to the late
fashionable emblem Of a horseshoe,
they say it is not fortunate unless it
is inherited. Nor will it bring good
luck if it be bought or given. 1t
must be found or stolen to have any
virtue of prosperity.
In almost all cases con jurers are
men. 1t is the men who understand
the arts of mixing herbs and making
strange powders, who can bring the
dead back, and show you the true or
false heart of lover and friend. 1t is
men only who can burn certain herbs,
and show you in the wreathing smoke
the image and presentment of your
past, present, and future. There are
Negro women who can do wonderful
things, but | have never seen one
worthy to be more than a handmade
to the real wizards Of the South.
[ shall never forget one man whom
[ saw in South Carolina. l had been
directed. to his hut; but | had some
difficulty in finding it, and it was al
most sunset when | pushed my way
through tangle Of Cherokee roses
and swaying canes, which skirted the
swamp, and stood before the herb
doctors house. 1t was a rude build
ing Of big pine logs, chinked with
mud, and its situation was as solitary
and isolated as can possibly be i'm
agined. | opened the door, and as |
did so an old, old man rose from
kneeling posture before the fireplace.
He rose very slowly, and stood a mo-
ment looking at me through the lurid
light which blazing pine-knot, held
in his hand, made. | was half-fright-
ened at his strange look and the
strange room in which l stood. From
the smoke-blackened roof hung bunch
es of herbs, fantastically-shaped roots,
and .glistening snake-skins. Walls
and shelves were covered with grease
and dirt and hanging soot-fakes, and
amid the lizards and bones and various
charms and implements Of witchery
nothing was so remarkable and weird
looking as the old wizard himself.
He was bent together with age, his
gray beard was tangled in little curls,
and his keen, bright, snake-like eyes
cleaned out from beneath scarlet
handkerchief, which not only covered
his head, but was bound tightly over
his forehead down to his very brows.
He came shuffiing forward, with the
torch raised above his head, and asked,
sharply: "What you want here, white
lady?"
l told him | had heard much about
his skill, and had come to see some
proof of it. Then there was the usual
assertion ''that he was a church men,
Der and never did such things now"
A piece Of silver made him reconsider
this assertion. He never answered it.
He rose slowly and took from various
places different herbs and roots and
some snake-skin. These he burned
slowly, and silently motioning me to
observe that in the wreathing smoke
and in the glowing ashes my past,
present, and future passed before me
like a picture. Was it memory?
Was it imagination? Was it the
fumes OF the burning herbs, acting in
some mysterious way upon these fac
ulties? How can | tell? Whatever
| thought, | was too prudent to ex-
press anything but wonder and credu-
lity; and, as | do not profess to be a
wise woman and am only ambitious to
tell exactly what | see and feel, may
as well confess the man did wondrous-
ly and amazed and confounded me be-
yond measure. | never tried to ex-
plain it to myself, but | did ponder IA
little on the Importance attached III
the Arabian Nights to African nee
romancy, and on the fact that the
magician in ''Aladdin's Lamp and
other tales went to work very much
as my Negro conjurer did
He dismissed me, after our inter
view, very curtly, and quite refused to
take my hand; but have since learned
that this class of men will not shake
hands with any one. Old Zachary
(for so my wizard was called) was said
to have an immense black-snake, that
did whatever he ordered it to do. /
think it likely he had a snake, proba-
bly, several. [ have never known con-
jurers to be without one; some, in
deed, have three. As far as | can
learn, Onl y water-snakes are used as
charms and the black-snake is univer-
sally acknowledged the most potent.
These snakes are easily tanned with
bread and milk, and there is no ques-
ton but that very strong attach
ment springs up between the snake
and the person who tames it; so much
so that the Negroes say if the man
dies the snake will grieve to death,
and if the snake dies the man will fall
into decline.
| once asked noted Negro conjurer
in what way he came to learn the art,
and he told me the following story:
1T was in slavery times, missee.