The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1882-08-12
SNAKES ON THE INSIDE,
And a Voudoo Doctor onthe Outside,

Raise mn Almighty Commotion with
the ruwardness of Martha Harris,
a. "CuiIud" Lady, who Lives ON
the Eastern Commons - How u
Snake WINS voudoocd Into Her ana
How 10 was vOudOOcd out Again
Habits, Practices and Tricks of the
vOudOO Doctors.
youdoo doctors and conjurers are sect who
have been drug upon the market OF ignor-
ance for lol these many years. American h is
tory records the fact that In the year 1877
tone Cephas Jones, an negro body.servant of
Aldwcll Hamilton, Esquire, of Virginia, was
bewltchcd by person OF like color and evil
tendencies" the extent OF the conjuration bo~
ing ian disease pronounced by ablo men of
medical functions strange and incurable."
Up TO tho present day the superstitious art
has been practiccd upon the ignorant ana
credulous OF this country, the class comprls.
ing mostly negroes, who, VIII on found ignor.
ant, are generally susceptible to the wlles OF
"mysterious claptraps" OF
The vOudOO order.
CRITIC reporter has Just discovered
number OF tricks practiced by the latter class
upon their victims, the cases being ofqulte re-
cent occurrence, and the victims residents OF
those portions OF Washington known as the
eastern commons" and tho lowland, south.
east section known by the suggestive title OF
Frogtown.
Martha Harris, n sable-hued female, posi-.
bly, 10 years of age, who lives in the former
locality, was visited by voudoo doctor sew
eral nights since and told that by the wish of
her husband, with whom sho had recently
had trouble, and who, by the way, paid lib
orally for the service, no had como to conJure
hcr. Martha protested, but the operation was
quickly performed by the voudoo, who burned
a package OF red fire, pronounced lot OF
1argon, and after calmly telling Martha that
he had
"Givcn Her Snakes
remarked before leaving that no would re-
move them II she could ind 1t convenient to
pay him i've dollars, which, no added conf.
dentially, ais moro dan de old man paid me-"
The theory Of voudooism Is that II tho Victim
can muster more money than the instigator
OF the conjuration the effects Will DO removed
by tho doctor.
The voudoo thereupon left, stating that no
would ''call again" Martha, whose imagina.
ton and ignorance had 'been torn all to
pieces" by the doctors display of pyrotcch-
MICS and 1argon, because firmly convinced
that
Her Interior WAS Alive With Snakes
and creeping reptiles, as is the case with VIC
Tins OF dog bites, whose imagination carries
them into the depths OF hydrophobia, and, MS
physicians have frequently declared, "the
dread disorder results mainly from great
fright and imaginative Effects"
When the voudoo returned Martha was sick,
the snakes wero disturbing her inwardness
and she readily consented to scrape together
inc required amount and have tho Shiny rep.
tiles removed
The trick of removing the reptile, for II is q
trick, was performed as follows The voudoo
administered q strong emetic TO the woman,
and while she was engaged In vomiting copi
ously into n basin he adroitly dropped small
moccasin snake into that vessel, and as the
reptile glided about from one side to the other
he exclaimed:
"Dere, Dun Brung IIim!-LOOls at
Dat!'
The effect can easily be imagined, and the
woman Mt once felt relieved.
The snakes sting Is removed In every case,
and the youdoo drops 1t Into the vessel from
his coatsleeve. The operation is generally
witnessed by n number OF people, and the re-
suit Is that the voudoo manufactures material
for future operations.
Among very ignorant people inflammatory
rheumatism is often thought TO be the effects
of conjuration, especially whom such sufferers
consult voudoo doctors about the malady, the
latter class always rendering their services to
remove the difficulty,
The Following Method
being employed in most cases:
The sufferer, or near kinsman, is instructed
to rise an hour "before day." draw an i'm.
| aginary picture OF the supposed enemy who Is
the cause of tho trouble, and after posting 1t on
tree, fre three loads OF silver from gun, pis-
| tol or blunderbuss ut tho picture each day for
| six days. The shooting Will result upon the
sixth. day in "killing tho enemy's conjura-
| tion."
The silver used is generally coin ten.cent
pieces, and as two of the pieces cut Into quar-
| ters are required for a load, on the sixth day
victim will have shot away $3.50 out of his or
| her hard.ea savings.
Several Other Tricks
| are practiced by this class OF superstition.
| the resources of these poor superstiuous
| mortals, who believe In voudooism and con-
| Duration. The skull trick, fiery hand lin the
| performance OF which PHOSPHORUS is used),
| sagi.hagi, and other tricks are the means re.
| sorted to by the class to extract money from
| their subjects.