The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-04
A Voodoo Queen.

George W. Cable, in April Century.
the worship of Voodoo is paid to a snake kept
in box. The worshipers 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, called
the king and queen The queen is the more i'm
portant of the two, and even in the present
dilapidated state of the worship in Louisiana,
where the kings Office has almost or quite disap
peared, the queen is still person of great note.
She reigns as long as she continues to live.
She comes to power not by inheritance, but by
election or its barbarous equivalent. Chosen for
such qualities would give her a natural SUI
premacy, personal attractions among the rest,
and ruling over superstit;ous fears and desires
of every fierce and ignoble sort, she yields no
trivial influence. / once saw, in her extreme old
age, the famed Marie Laveau Her dwelling
was in the quadroon quarter of New Orleans, but
adobe cabin just off the sidewalk.
scarcely higher than its 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 pretence of contemptuous mat
tention and frowning resentment of the in
trusion. In the center of a small room whose
ancient cypress foor.was worn with scrubbing
and sprinkled with crumbs of soft brick-a
Creole affectation of superior cleanliness-sat,
quaking with feebleness, in an Unlocking
old rockingchair her body bowed, and
her wild gray wtchs 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, wagglng wrist and fingers. They said
she was over a hundred years DID, and there was
nothing to cast doubt upon the statement. She
had shrunken away from her skim it was like
turtles. Yet witnal one could hardly help but
see that the face, now so withered, had once
been handsome and commanding. There was
still faint shadow of departed beauty on
the forehead, the spark of old fire
in the sunken, glistening eyes. and
vestge Of imperiousness in the
fine, slightly aquilne nose, and even about her
silent, woe BECOME mouth Her grandson stood
by, an embarrassing quadroon, between forty and
fifty years old, looking strong. empty minded,
and trivial enough; but his mother. her daughter,
was also present, woman of seventy years, and
most striking and majestic figure. In feat
ures, stature and bearing she was regal. One
had but to look on her, impute her brilliancies-
too untamabe 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
the town and the times Had this visit been
late. Marie Laveau is dead; Mavina Latour is
doc ceremony on the night of the 23d of June,
1884. she is described as bright mnlatto of
about forty-eight, of extremely handsome
figure, digniied bearing, and a face indicative
of comparatively high order of intelligence.
She wore a neat blue, white-dotted calico gown,
and brilliant tignon tturban), gracefully
tied