The Southern herald., 1885-01-24
"Snaksy Jake.s
THE RENOWNED AFRICAN C0NG0UR
DOCTOR.

Athens (Ga. )Banner; There lives near
Athens an old negro man, now verging
.onthree score and ten, known as "Snakey
Jake" and who has long been reoog-
nized as authority on the dark art by
his race. Jake is a full blooded African
lin fact, he claims that his ancestors
were great "medieine 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 cOnvinees one
that he is honest in his convictions.
eyes, boss, Use conjur doctor" re-
marked Snakey Jake to Banner Watch
man reporter, who sought him out for
an interview, can am now in town to
tend on a cullud lady who has been be-
witched by young gal who lubs her
husband, It's a bad case OBJ conjur, too,
fur she billed de heart OBJ rattlesnake
in her coffee, an fun de way she tackled,
think dar am some corpse work, too,
about it. If dat am true, dar am nuthin'
kin sabe her.
"What do you call corpse work."
"Well, you know, dat de little finger
OBJ a boy child, de eye-toof OBJ a gal, or
eben lock oh hair from de head OBJ a
grown pusson dat am dead, if put where
a libbin' pusson kin step ober it tree
tunes day, twice goin' and once comm
dat pusson am doomed to death. OBJ
course, you got to do certain works ober
de pieces, but dar am plenty oh niggers
who has larned enough to conjur a pus-
son, but de don't know how to remove
spells. kin cure any kind of conjur-
ing unless its corpse work, and dat am
always fatal when de right spells are
used"
"Do you make much money, JakeY"
the reporter asked.
nNot much now, boss, but Use seed
de time when l made $5 out OBJ one case.
De ole man gifts in enuff to libon, Some
gimme chicken, some q bushel Of corn
and some half dollar. Use kept right
busy hunting up my truck and tending
folks. White people sometimes send
for me, too, but l can't do much wild
dem. It takes a 'culiar kind OBJ medi-
cine for white skin. / sells great
many OBJ desc little conjure bags at fif-
teen cents apiece, but dey am wuff a
half dollar" and Jake produced a hand
full of dirty little sacks from his pocket,
each suspended by a string to tie around
the neck.
"What are they filled with?" we asked.
"Various tings, boss. Dar am de toof
OBJ de moccasin snake, de finger nail OBJ
gal child dat was born dead, all kinds
of conjur roots beat up, some blood from
chicken, an heap OBJ udder tricks dat
yon don't understand. I've got spell
on 'em, too, for widout dat dey would
be no good. A man wild one OBJ dem
bags around his neck kin nebber come
1
to harm, unless de dog-star be rising. I
could nebber larn to git around dat dog
star"
Snaky Jake then began to show his
stock in trade. From various of the old
rags that covered his body he brought
forth the most hideous objects-snake
heads, wool, dirty bags filled with foul
smelling powder, pieces Of withered
flesh, ground glass, and many other nau-
seating objects, explaining, with great
pride the peculiar use Of each. Many
negroes believe firmly in this Voudoc
doctor, and often while under the treat.
ment Of white physicians, will stop the
use of his drugs to send for "Snakey
Jake" to experiment on them.
The Bishop of Melbourne, in declin
ing to have the prayer for rain read il
his diocese, explained that before com
planning, people should do something
themselves towards storing up the su
perhuity in the wet season against th'
drought.
A Western editor promises, with th,
assistance Of his wife, to name bab,
each year after the person who shall
send in the largest number of subscrib
ers to his paper. If any dispute arise
as to the claims of rival canyassers, h
will settle it with twins. Any industri
ous editor can prosper if he has goo,