The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-09-03
WitchCraft in the West Indies.
Obeah in the West Indies, writes

Obeah in the West Indies, writes q
correspondent OF The Philadelphia
Fess, is twofold art-thc arr OF poi
sning combined with the art of i'm
psing upon the credulity OF ignorant
pople by pretense OF witchcratt. The
Cbeah man OF woman j one of q great
gIild or fraternity of crime.
Hardly a criminal trial occars in the
dfercnt colonies in which he is not
Implicated in one way OF other. His
influence is unbounded, the credulous
pasantry holding him as prophet,
PRIEST, and king of the district over
which he holds sway. ia negro maiden
wants charm to make her lover
good to her, il man wishes TO avenge
awrong, or to know the secrets OF the
future, the Obeah man IS at hand to
supply the means and 20 protfer his as
sItance and advice.
Under the title Of ''bush doctor" he
wandered from place to place at the
cost OF his dupes; supplied with food
bT one, with money by another denied
nethiug. His pretensions are high,
bat he has means at hand TO enforce
item. He declares himself powerful
tt cure all diseases. He can protect a
nan from the consequence of crime;
be can even reanimate the dead.
His knowledge of pOisOns is inl-
mpnse. Every bush and tree furnishes
weapons for his armory. Unfortunate
" in too many Instances, more ctfec-
tire agents are not wanting on his hand.
How many planters have had poison
administered TO them in their coffee,
htw many DookkeepeTs have come to
al untimely end by the mixture of
gIound glass in their food may be seen
in the records Of the slave courts in
the different colonies Barbados and
jamaica especially. Next TO cholera
and yellow fever, Obeah was the great
est danger which every white man con
nected with the administration OF a
sugar estate had to encounter.
There is something indescribably
sinister in the appearance OF the. Obcah
MN. which is readily observed Dy per-
sons vino have mixed much with the
negroes. Sometimes, as an outward
ard visible sign OF his trade or calling,
he carries about vita him staff OF
wand, with scrponts wrc&laed about il
or the rude likeness o. . human face
ROUGHLY deline"laG co tne handle. LIZ
ards bones, cats claws, ducAs' skulls,
grave dirt-that is, earth taken from
Tie grave of = freshly buried corpse
hang in Il bag at his side. lie has his
cabaiistic book (alhcit he can seldom
read), full OF strange characters; crude
figures and roughly traced diagrams
and devices, which ne pretcnds to con
suit in the exercise OF his calling.
On one occasion 1 happened TO be in
Z courthouse during the trial Of q no.
torious thief, when | noticed one oi
these gentlemen enter the room: a very
dirty handkerchief was bound tightly
round his head, and from under hi>
shaggy brows | could see 4 pair O
small cunning eyes which never tool
their gaze from the face of the Judge
The prisoner was undefGnded, and wa.
finally convicted, but | was afterWarl
4>,..', -, = iis>.t,....l r-f employing a law
Obeah man, and had actually paid hin
the sum of guineas for his services
The wizarg. lad undertaken TO Xix tht
eye" of the Judge, and had persuaded
the miserable dupe that this would in
| fallibiy insure his acquittal.
On another occasion young negres
was brought up charged with assault
and battery upon a very old man. II
had scarcely taken his stand id tn
witness-box when she fell down in ii
and had to be carried out of the court
The case was adjourned till the mex
| day, when, to my intense astonishment
the same thing was repeated. On th
| third occasion, when she was put il
| the dock, | noticed her tremble all over
Soon her face began to witch and sud
denly she fell down foaming at til
mouth. It turned out that the witnes
was an Ooeah man and he had trumpe
up this charge against the child, an
tie mere sight Of him standing up t
accuse her had brought on the attac
! | have described