, 1885-11-20
TERRORS OF FETCH.
sUPERsTiTioNs OF THE NATIVES or
THE CONGO COUNTRY.
Ceremony Performed by tho Man Wh'
Makes Fctich when Its Powerful
Aid l. I~nvoked-1hs Growing
Act. or Seal.



.Boston HoraHl
Like all aboriginal people. tho Congo
blacks are very superstitious. but to what
extent they believe in n future state can
only lie tunjcctured They believe ia the
existence OF good and bad spirits. which
they believe arc all the time lowering
nround. aud when one OF them dies they
bciefe thai his spirit or soul Is seisc'i
upon by either the good or the bad spirits
and carried away TO become one OF them
Hence when a native Is dying. MS friend
come around, ire oil guns. aud make
horrible noises. Tor The purposes OF fright
ening OIL the evil spirits nat effect THIS
may have on The good spirits ~ not
stated.
Their religious ceremonies ARE not Of n
propitiatory nature. or for the purpose Of
warding on danger, disease. etc and here
the fetch plays an important part They
d. not make human sacrifices like the
Ashantes but when they wan any fayors
from the invisihlcs they bring IA goat or II
chicken TO the fetch man to be sacrificed,
and are given in return an amulet or
charm. or fetch. as they call H. The
fetch is the terrible. the unknown power.
al once the prosecutor or The ayengcr. &C
cording ms its power is invoked or
directed THIS the present informant
illustrated by an anecdote
THE FACTORS STRATEGY.
The Dutch have A factorv nj Banana
point. which is approached by two roads.
one on each shore side Of the narrow pen
iusuln On the boundary line of their
property. on each roal. "A walch house was
established TO regulate admittancc from
the outside. But the lnborers. servants
and sn.lors from outside came in in such
numbers. and gave 81 much trouble hy
getting drunk aud creating Disturbances,
that the agcn 5 finally thought il best to
make a fetch, as II is termed. on the
boundary line. They employed a fetich
man to make a fetch. THIS consisted
nrst in bringing his let CHI or idol on to the
line. maxim figures in The sand around il.
aud tourishes or signs around and above
ii with his hands and arms. and then
taking Il chicken. cutting its head oil and
s%priukling the blood around. This cere-
mony was performed on each road In
about twenty four hours time the news
of what had been done spread far and
wide. aud so cfectually did it frighien
the natives that they ceased to go TO the
Dutch factory town thereafter unless they
had business there They supposed that
II hey passed hat Ii c aud made any
trolh Z; n.ey Would u ect 10 the pen.
ai'ies o. tne Ieucu, "naleNer they mlsnt
uc' anu lhty were no uouot an me more
lelHuue oc'"use 'ne'r p'eciSe hA'uFe WIS
not hhoMn'
One OF Tie chief uses OF fetch by the
factors on the Congo Is TO recover stolen
articles Of any value, Tor unless the loss
be considerable 1t often COSTS more TO re-
cover u Dy tnis means than u Is worth
though the thiet has invariably TO pay Inc
cost oil prosecution II he eau be held TO
10 IT, men an artlce mas ncen sleien
ana Inc aid OF the ietich - nYokeh III
the men upon whom suspicion iei $ are
called out INTO an open place ami made
10 stand IN a semi Gree iacins ne ictich
mhn- inc tch-Whl Is "A hlnu 81
IDOL made OF wood representing IN rude
carving a man or beast usually WIN Two
hehds-ls nrst placed on a cloth on INC
ground the tetich man handling II win
the same caro- and treating 1t with The
same consideration as II II were a living.
senilcnt being. as undoubtedly The ma
yves generally also regard IL lie then
ueItNeIs u klnu ol haIanBue I" the Hleh
III rom 81 nlm tellihg WIN. mas oeen
slopeu' anu S"ls uPon u tniel ~ oN" up
y Tint ie1'l'u.i1n eetoIS nc i"'"N'
INC power auu Nia'n oA the le'lc"
TX Il hl RES.
Ia the majority of cases. this eXhorta
tion IS effective. hut If not. he gets down
upon his knees and talks and mumbles to
MS idol. making ii presents of say a bottle
of gin. a piece or more of cloth. brass
wire, a looking glass, printed cotton hand
kerchiefs etc etc, If II will only point
out the thicf-the things thus promised
being those agreed upon beforehand with
the loser for the recovery Of the stolen
goods Having done this the fetch man
again calls upon .he culprit to own NJ.
aud II this appeal does not have the de
sired elect the fetch man proceeds to
gradually work himself up into Il state Of
excitement similar 10 thai affected by the
Mohammedan dervishes in their religious
frenzies. in tho course Of which he calls
down all manner Of dire calamitics and
evil happenings upon not only the actual
culprit. but his wife, children, parents
relatives. and even his whole tribe. in
cluding his chief, the same penalties being
invoked also in behalf Of any one or more
Of the persons who know Of the theft and
will not reveal il
ff,s. ia. faff.l, man yVut,I.s 81. ..r.AHn