New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-19
ROOTS OF MAGICAL POWER.

FrTICBEs ENOUGH TO KEEP ALL THE NEGROES IN
NETWORK IN LUCK.
A house with four gables, each one of which
seemed to lean for consolation and support against the
telegraph poles that had sprung up beneath them.
windows whose long service had apparently deprived
them of usefulness for their dngy, implanted onnds
we're tightly closed and bound with faded green muslin
A sign which bore the legend Herbs Sold Here, and
a row of dingy window-panes, through which could be
discerned punches of partcolored leaves that resem-
bed nothing more than the trophies OF some san
culinary Indian had fought and bled but who had
conquered his enemy Within, in strange contrast with
the accumulation OF DUST stood young man whose
hair cast lurid glow over the piles of boxes that
reached the ceiling filed If the labels on them could be
trusted with i'll that human feshis heir
to- as well large variety of Others and with powders
and potions whose presence In active stomach would
make death welcome relief Across the counter stood
colored woman avordupos could only be correctly
determined by hayscaes There was an eager look III
evaa and with one hand clutching with convulsive en-
e-gy dollar BILL and the other stretched Ike signal
service storm map on counter she whispered in the
most accessible ear OF the youth
Gimme Adam and Eve"
twas DONE aud the money changed its owner. The
oored vanished amid the thunder OF her tread
and che clerk behind the counter with fash Of his
lard locks.
TRIBUNE reporter asked the clerk what the woman
meant. He was enlightened as follows;
eve have cclored men and women call here every
dsy and ask for Adam and Eve. 1t is root
found in New-Jersey swamps and is supposed to
bring the best fortune to It's owner We
charge 81 q single root Here is one Of tbem The
reporter shown small, ght-colored root resem-
bling In fibre the peanut-root. From slender stem
bulgcd two protuberances Of unequal size rhe small
bulo continued the clerk, is Adam the larger, Eye
Cclored people put the roots In bottle and then pour
n Of hey on s sy sTe ,h ss iqGS
valuable possession have known negroes TO e0mmt
eoorcd man came in here few days ago aud told me
that he had Philadelphia and that he made over
team he had got drunk by imbibng the whskey in hi.
Adam and Eve bottle, and in ht OF frenzy had
from him before he arrived IN Jersey City, and he had
spent week hunting over the tracks OF the Pennsyl-
yania Railway for his lost Adam and Eve. sold him
sTne superstition about the four.eaved clover is well
known have them for sale and have good trade
for them They be bought IS EACH Some persons
who have found clover wouId inv pes s
for brings destruction on the fortunes OF man IL ne
"There Is . that is known among colored people
as the dead root II u very small shaped somewhat
more 90 H. The peculiar virtue Of the dead
root not alone prevents death by violence. but
sSCut the remains q worldly negro after des.s
you meet With Soers Sa man =. n o. res
root hung about MIS- II 10 necessary. however
that you are the Of one for such Is the faith
che negro has in their virtue that 4 any man sup
danger q sssds. the
have spoken about, there many others that
have special virtues The snake root will cure snake
btes however poisonous they may be- and the devil
root supposed 70 prevent dclirfam tremens."
These supertitcns arenot confined to the negroes
by any We have white customers wcll but
cS course. their number is small II 10 true that the
colored people who come here 10 buy the charmed,
xoos belong to the most ignorant portion Of their
but there to be grain Of the most senseees
ston Inherent In the that Is found IN the
bers Of otherrace The herb business not what
It usedtobe In fact IL has decreased ore-hsf in the
ast ave years. whiIe the treatment with herbs 10 still
regarded good the scieRce OF pharmacy has become
such that only the active principle OF the herb IL used
instead Of tho plant itself Our stock y gathered 10 New
ING regular busness The plants are dried and packed
tberes and cent TO u In bseA OF course, We
obliged 10 depend e great extent the knowledge Of
the but they are trained from ,her chd
hood TO mako proper selection, and their training
seldom leacs Them asttsy Herbs and roos TO
~ from Gil parts Of the country there plants
vicinity. but II indeed that IL cent q us
from ever the scas II safe to cay that there e
plant that which - valuable In medicine that can
bot ~ feund within the boundaries Of our country