Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-09-06
An Interesting Example! of Negro
SuDerstiti0n.

a tall, well ;dressed colcred man of
quiet demeanor entered the Jefferson
Market Police Court this morning. a
portly negress leaned on his arm. The
man begged Justice Patterson's pardon
for coming to cote, and said his wife
had been swuffiess' for long time, that
something allied her, and what is was she
would explain.
The man pushed the woman forward,
and then. folding his arms, watched her
pityingly.
The woman said that she and her hus-
| band numbered their friends only among
the white people. This and the fact
that they bad always been able to pro-
vide comfortably for themselves, had
made jealous the colored folks among
whom they were compelled to live
This jealousy had revealed itself in in
salts and Constant annoyances. i few
months ago they found il necessary to
change their address from Harrison
Street TO Thompson Street. Here. for a
while, they lived in peace, but lately the
same trouble had arIs6n. Two young
colUTed men especially were among their
persistent pp'-~rU.urs. O"e of these
men hzd An eva eye. He would lounge
in front of her house, il her hallway
and around the adjacent corners Hayin
for her. When they met he would wave
his left hand in the air three times,
while his right hand would perform ev-
olutious to the sidewalk. After these
eabalistic signs his eye would assume a
frightful expression and glare at her.
Al this poiHt the mans interest be
came intense. lie leaned forward with
extended arms. and while his eyeballs
protruded from their sockets, and a
frightened expression passed over his
face, he repeated several times in hus-
ky voice:
"T'wa. de witches, jeige; twas de
witche. what am sbriyelin' up her brett
an her po' body"
Continuing, the woman said that af-
ter each Of these meetings she used to
stagger home, h0artsick aud weary, and
for hours afterwsrd bugs and snakes
and vernin covered every part of her
body, and her efforts TO rid herself of
these things would be so great that it
of exhaustion, from which she would
suffer for several days, would set ia
She succeeded, after much dificrtty, in
getting fetish and went out On the
war-path. In the street she met the COL
ored man, and rubbed the fetish against
him. he screamed aloud with terror
and pain. and disappeared. For awhile
she WAS untrOubled, but few days ago
bugs of a trightful kind appeared upon
her person and rendered her existence
miserable. She took her fetish and
started to leave the room, when, as she
0pened the door, she met two white men
who had been engaged in sprinkling a
white powder in front of her door. She
struck them with the fetish, but they
laughed her TO scorn. and after 'squint-
in wild Dc left eye an droppin' de eye
lid ober de odder eye which caused her
infinite pain, the pair walked wild de
stump ob de dsbbil down dc stair AS
they emerged into the sunlight, she no.
ticed that one had red and the other q
yellow yaliSe. Her fetish was no pro-
lection against white persons, and she
asked that they be arrested. They could
easily be found by the hue of the wallis
es which they carried.
If yer glib her jssGice, yo' 'onah, I'll
call on de good Lswd ter bress yer sbe-
ry night"
An at nawin an at noon, interrupt |
ed the woman.
Justice Patterson advised the pairs to
change their place or abode, and then il
the trouble continued they might Call
and see him again.
Together they left the court On the
sidewalk they stopped and carefully
surveyed Sixth Avenue up and down
before they ven:ured TO start hOmeward.
N. Y. Evening Post.