Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-11
..SNAKY JAKE"
Interview With the Renowned African
COpjur DOctOr-His Outfit.
Athens Banner- Waterman

4
There lives near Athens an old negro
man, now verging on three-scOre-and-ten,
known as s'Snaky Jake" and who has
long been recognized as authority on the
dark art by his race. Jake is full
bleOded African-in fact, be claims that
his ancestors were great ''medlcine men"
in the black kingdom, who handed down
to him the secret knowledge that he now
enjoys. This old negro, with his snow
white wool and ebony skin, has the eye
of a hawk, and in speaking of his work,
his tone and bearing almost cOnvinSes one
that he Is honest in his convictions.
Yes, loss, Pse a cOniUr doctor" re-
marked Snakey Jake to a reporter, who
sought him out for an interview, sam am
now in town TO tend on a cullRd lady
who has been bewitched by a young gal
who lubs her husband. las bad case of
cOnjur, too, for she billed de heart OBJ a
rattlesnake in her coffee an from de way
she's tackled, think dar am some corpse
work, too, about it. II dat am trRe, dar
am nuthin' kin sabe her"
what do you call corpse wOrkg''
"Well, YOU know, dat de little finger OBJ
a boy child, de eTe-toOf oh gal or chen a
lock oh nair from de head oh a grown
pussOn dat am dead, if put where lib
bin pussoE kin step ober il tree times one
day, twice gOin' and once comm, dat
PussOn am doomed to death. Oh course,
you've got to do certain works ODER de
pieces. but dar am plenty oh niggers who
has larned enough to eOnjur pussOn, but
dey don't know how to remove spells. |
kin cure any kind Oh cOnjuring unless its
corpse work, an dat am always fatal,
when the right spells are used"
DO you make much money, Jake?' the
reporter asked.
Not much now. boss, but Use seed de
time when l made s. out oh one case. De
ole man gifts in enuff to lib on. Some
gimme chicken, some 6ushel OF corn
and some a half dollar. Use kept right
busy hunting up my truck and lending
folks. White people sometimes send for
me, toe, but [ can't do much wild dem. 1t
takes "A 'cuIiar Kind OBJ medicine for
white skin. | sells great many Sd desc
little c0njur bass at IL cents apiece, but
dey am vUf n half dollars" and Jake
produced a handful of dirty little sacks
lrOm his pocket, each suspended by
string TO tie around the neck.
'.Wht are they filled With = we asked.
sVarOus tiEgs, boss. Oar am de tOnf
oh de mOccasin snake, &c finger nail ob
cal child dat was born dead, all KINDS of
con iur roots beat up. some blood from a
chicken an heap Ob udder tricks dat you
don't understand. Fye got spell on
'em. too, for widOut dat dey would be no
gOou. n man via one % aeti DtSS dIOunu
his neck kin nebber come to harm, unless
de dog star be rising. lcOuld nebbsr larn
10 git around dat dog star"
Snaky Jake then began TO show as his
stock in trade. From various OF the old
rags that covered bis body he brought
forth the most hideOus Objects-snake
heads, wool. dirty bags filed with foul
smelling powder, pieces of withered flesh,
ground glass and many other nauseating
objects, explaining, with great pride, the
peculiar use of each. Many negroes be-
lieve firmly IN this NoudOo doctor, and
often, while under the treatment of white
will stop the use of his drugs
to send for "Snaky Jake" to experiment
~, .hgra