, 1885-09-17
PLANTATION HANDS IN a PANIC



Negroes who Think che q rv,rameut Per
mit- Lv' Hod snatching.
" o. ans Co.. \ " York Sln.l
Though most OF the superstitions oil
the negroes are generally we'll known, 9,
have ne er s;en any ccoun OF Il vrrS
peculiar belief which prevails anon
them in this part of tile south. can
lest cSempiify this strain OF supersti
ton by %narrating the events OF an
evening on t. osalio plantation, oil
win h was the manager at the time.
IN August, , thirty three niles be-
low ew { rleans, on the Mississippi
river.
At about dusk I WIS sitting on our
broal plal n takin : the air aud the mo-.
quitoes, whon two strangers were an
bounced. There was o su ci mt
light TO see their faces. but | notice
that 9th were well built and dressed
alike in troYn linen suits, aud | in
ferre from tho little they said thar
they were not men of education or
polish. On their asking for a night :
lodging, | directed them to tho store
clerk, who was instructed to send them
TO sleep in tho white IN MS barra ks.
which were some distance fro II
tho cauins OF the negroes
The route vas pointed ont,
but on their way they concluded why ,
do not know to plss the nj 5ht in the
hay loft. which was midw y bel ween
the store and barracks. and about nifty
yards from the negro uarters. there
was nothing suspicious in this action,
nor was there in the fact OF a schooner
being ~ anchor on tho other side of the
river, and aDout a mile atove. There
are steamers, ships, barks and schoon-
ers passing almost hourly. and of course
they irelu ntly co ne to anchor or
was the schooner n plratical look NJ
ira t, but rather, ! should Judge. a
lumber schooner. And yet the negroes
fancies wrought the two men ami the
vessel into a realistic picture, which in
an hour developed the terrors OF a
panic.
| did not learn who viii pered the
first warning. but soon the various
groups o rapidly speaking darkies sc "a.
rat d.. The chi lren were hastily housed
iy the wo men. who barred AMI locked
III m selves in loors, and in a twin sling
The lights were OFT in twenty cabins
the negro men had gotten the r shot
& MS and surrounded the hiv loft, call
ing on the strangers to come down and
out All had been done 50 quietly that
the Olcers vi the plantation appre-
hended no trou.l lie and hld gone to bed
now however, the report OF firearms
aroused the overseer, WAC was nearest
to the S, ene.
The summons to come ont Icing dis
regar ed, the negroes tired three or
70 r shots intothe hayloft and the way
%farers, rni urt, ut thorough fright
ened, umpe / through n hole in the
side of the huilding an ma lie a dash
for the road along che river shore. As
the night was dark the two ~ en- cot a
good start, and it was only tho so I'D
of their footsteps upon the bridge that
discovered their escape. Instantly t c
mob was after them shouting Tn
s,utents, - he %scutents. but on get
ting to the pu lie rold there was n
pause, the rowd not knowing whether
the chase was up or down.
The overseer com ng up, by authority
and c postulation caused the pursuit to
re abandoned. and the negroes con
tented themselv s with posting senti.
nels for the night. rat women and
those who had fat children were the
most alarmed, and the 90 pound wi o
OF my old 'dr. yer or foreman insisted
on his noun ing guard at her door the
whole night through The alarm spr ad
80 that the GLOWING night guards were
Iostei for miles an miles up and down
the coast to catch the scufenis.
The two strangers vera believed by
I o negro $ to medica students stn n
out to kidnap living men, ONE and
chill rem fat ones preferred for pur
poses Of dissection. They elieved that
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