Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-05-06
A FAMOUS vooDoo QUEEN.
Description Of Marie Laveau of New Or
leans-worshiping q Snake.

Description Of Marie Laveau Of New Or
Ieans-worshiping a Snake.
The worship of voodoo is paid to a
snake kept in box. The worshipers are
not merely sect, but, in some rude,
savage way, also an order. A man and
woman chosen from their own number
to be the oracles of the serpent deity are
called the king and queen. The queen is
the more important of the two, and, even
in the present dilapidated state of the
worship in Louisiana, where the kings
office has almost or quite disappeared
the queen is still a person of great note.
She reigns as long as she continues to
live. She comes to power not by in
heritance, but by election or its barbar-
GUS equivalent. Chosen for such quail
tiles as would give her natural su-
premacy, personal attractions among
the rest, and ruling over superstitious
fears and desires of every fierce and
ignoble sort, she wields no trivial infiu-
ence. once saw, in her extreme old
age, the famed Marie Laveau. Her
dwelling was in the quadroon quarter of
New Orleans, but step or two from
Congo square. a small adobe cabin Just
off the sidewalk, scarcely higher than
the close board fence, whose batten gate
yielded to the touch and revealed the
crazy doors and windows spread wide to
the warm air, and one or two tawny
faces within, whose expression was di-
vided between pretense of contemptu-
GUS inattention and frowning resent
ment of the intrusion.
In the center Of small room whose
ancient cypress floor was worn with
scrubbing and sprinkled with crumbs of
soft brick-a creole affectation of SUI
perior cleanliness-sat. quaking with
feebleness, in an Unlocking old rocking
chair, her body bowed. and her wild,
gray witch's tresses hanging about her
shriveled, yellow neck, the queen of the
Voodoos. Three generations of her
children were within the faint beckon of
her helpless, waggling wrist and fingers.
They said she was over 100 years old, and
there was nothing to cast doubt upon the
statement. She had shrunken away
from her skin: it was like turtles. Yet
withal one could hardly help but see that
the face, now 30 withered, had once been
handsome and commanding. There was
still faint shadow of departed beauty
on the forehead, the spark of an old fire
in the sunken, glistening eyes, and a
vestige of imperiousness in the fine,
slightly aquiline nose, and even about
her silent. woe-begone mouth.
Her grandson stood by, an uninterest.
ing quadroon between 40 and 30 years
old, looking strong, empty-minded and
trivial enough: but his mother, her
daughter. was also present, a woman Of
some 70 years, and most striking and
majestic figure. In features, stature
and bearing she was regal. One had but
to look on her, impute her brilliancies-
too untamable and severe TO be called
charms or graces-to her mother, and
remember what New Orleans was long
years ago. to understand how the name
of Marie Laveau should have driven itself
inextricably into the traditions of the
town and the times. Had this visit been
postponed few months it would have
been too late. Marie Laveau is dead;
Malvina Latour is queen. As she ap-
peared presiding over Voodoo ceremony
on the night of June 90, 1884, she is de
scribed as bright mulattress of about
4s, of extremely handsome figure dig
nified bearing, and face indicative OF
comparatively high order of intelli-
gence. She wore a neat blue, white.
dotted calico gown, and a brilliant
tignon uurbany gracefully tied."-The
Century.