The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-12-07
DARKEY SUPERSTITIONS.
Anew of the Many Signs or which
the Old Plantation Hand Implicitly

Snrerstitious ielief extends from
away down behind the misty horizon o!
the past to the present bright midday OF
knowledge and progress. Its past h s,o-
ry in the world is frelghted with horrors
and barbados to the light of knowl-
edgs. Referring TO the subject in one
of his poems, Southey says:
tbs a history
Handed from ages adowp; a Eurse's tale,
Which children open-eyed and mouth'd
dtvoNr;
Andtt.us Ms garrulous ignorance relate =,
We learn it and believe.
Negro superstition. however, is not so
ancient, and il almost purely of !Ameri-
can origin. Much Of it was invented in
the cotton fields of the South, around
the blazing hearth-tire OF the old log
cabin, or in the boys and swamps, where
slaves were assembled together at work
or past;me. The negroes were not alone
in these beliefs. for the poor
whites of the South eagerly believed IN
sims, forebodinrs and dreams, and do
to this day. in common with q
large majority of the colored oeople.
From these plantation superstitions a
class Of humbuGs sprahg up, known rs
voudoo doctors and conlurors, who hold
the ignorant III dread of their nvsteri-
Gus arts, and against whose practice laws
have been passed in several OF the
| southern states. Following are some of
these beliefs, collated 10y a Republican,
reporter after extensive conversation
| with the above classes:
The Growing off, hen at midnight is a
sure sign OF death. 1t a rooster ~retires
to his roost with a hoarse voice and
crows in an unusual manner, it is regard
o: as the voice of a hen, and if any
one about the place is sick, prepara-
lions are frequently made for his tuner
al. Fla luckless nen should at any time
make III attempt at drowning, her
! head Is instantly cut eff to prevent the
death of some person. In connect II
with this class of universal birds the ne-
groes recite the following couplet:
p! D. whlsttln' wouiau' AZ tie CROWN hen
| Neh'r Gums to envy good cad.
Frogs. and particularly toads, play an
important part in southern sup r~stitions.
/ The hearts of ten toals made il to astew
will cure the effects OF conjuu'ion. The
hind legs of u frog hung over the fire
place, one week before Christmas, will
bring plenty of God and presents, and
the large eyehalIS of a water 'rog, or
blood noun" as they are called worn
as a breast-pin, will keep his satanic
majesty at a respectable distance from
the WrHrer
The weird jack.o'-lanterns which bob
up IN the boys of the South during dark
nights are regarded as ghostly appari-
tons and indicate the presence Of white
sheeted spooks. The average plantation
negro or white will dash wildly toward
home on the Appearance of %iack'o-Iau-
tern before them. Indeed, il is q very
difficult matter to get one of the above
classes ont OF doors after sunset under
any circumstances.
The disappearance OF frost is anxious
ly watched for, and its pretty formations
eagerly scanned. The gllstening pictures
must be observed when the sun rises.
The silver pictures thus seen in the first
frost OF the season are regarded as illus
tratlons OF your fate. A coffin means
death; flowers a wedding; money, riches
birds, long lille; and Stars sickness.
The approach of a coon" or 'possum
coming toward your house in the day
time is a very bad omen. The cornfieid
bard says of this rare occurrences:
When de conn Guns out
ln de broad daylight,
Some person will Gle
Bt1o' dat mite!
1t is also regarded as a bad sign to kill
an even number of these animals. and if
upon the reassembling of Il party after
a moonlight hunt it is found that an even
number has been bagged, the party will
hunt Tor hours to capture or kill another
animal, and thus make the number odd.
Plenty of rabbits in the stubble and
surrounding fields Indicate a large and
healthy crop the next season.
a white crow is a harbinger of death
and disease, and the appearance OF one
'ithese birds in a n~eighborhood will
cause the entire negro populationt to turn
out with their old muskets, and the luck.
less white crow is Killed if possible. If
it is killed. the belief is that the sickness
vii. prevail, but no deaths will result
from such sickness, Carrion crows in
large numbers Is q very good sign there.
tore their lives are sacred to the planta-
non hands" who feel deeply aggrieved
if one of these birds is killed.
Thunder and lightning d%urlngthe win
ter means that the devil is abroad on
the earth, and it invariably causes de-
voUt negroes to pray and sing. One of
their plantation hymns says of the at
mospheric phenomena:
When you hear de ligntuiu'.
a yeilin' at de sr0w,
DE- ole split footed debill
Is cum up from below.
The weird and unearthly hootinc of
an owl, from its lofty perch at the ton Of
q sighln" pine tree, reverberatiny and
echolng through the gloomy forest and
II over the surrounding marshes, is re-
garded rs an announcement OF the pres
ence of ghosts. When ne hootinp is
heard, the pickaninnies gather close
o the Old grav-haired sire before the
blazing hearth fire. and listen to hisnar
rative # how 'de 'hants' ar waikin
o in de woods wild dere white shee
an pointing hands,"
o see a snake in winter means much
trouble. Sharks swimming close to the
shore ls a bad sign. and indicates ship
wreck. Wild geese hying southwark
proanosticates cold weatl err, and their
flight northward is sign of warmer
days. For a gun to hang fire means
sudden death. and for q horse to balk at
the loot of a hill is a good omen.
h ghostly superstitions CT the south
are numerous. 1t is impossible to get
either black or white man on the south
ern sea coast to go out upon the beach
during q storm at night. They see rid
ing. upon the white-capped breakers
which roll and spiutter ia upon the
hard sane and ghostly forms OF marin-
ers who were lost at sea, with their
shrouds Hopping in the gale. Neither
will they pass the corpse OF the
iuckless sailor tnat drifts in upon the
reach. and frequent cases are known
where even superstition life-saving men
made a detour of at least a half mile to
avold the object. Spooks are believed
to be very partial to storms, and man
startling stories are related of their
pranks during the prevalence of gales
and thunder and lightning at night.
their skeleton frames could be
seen with each vivid flash of electricity