St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-13
OONJURED BY AN OLD COON"
How a ssvoodoo' Negress Exercises
Patient.
She Pretends to Extract Scorpions
From Woman's Ankle.

A case of voodoniSn. or ''conjuring." has
been the sensation here for several weeks.
says Lumpkin (Ga.) correspondent of the
Atlanta Constitution.
1t appears that Clara Lewis. a bright
mullato about twenty years old. was taken
/ suddenly i'll while going from Mrs. Harrelrs
to where she lived. She felt sudden pair
in her ankle. and the part affected swelled
to such an extent that she could not walk
home. DR.. I. B. Miller was called in anC
pronounced it case of articular rheuma
tism. The case attracted the attention of q
common railroad hand. who 'spected il
was case of cOnjuring." Other wise ones
were consulted, and the result vas that q
''conjure doctreSS'' named Cotton, was sem
for.
She came. But before she arrived at the
house she had gotten the full history OF the
case from the man who was sent for her,
Arriving at the house she threw up hel
hands and cried out:
Great God! What trouble dere is in dis
house! Deep trouble! l smells doctor.
truckI'
She sent all the bystanders out and pro-
ceeded to manipulate the girl. Preserving
in her mind the circumstances of the case
she told the aSt0nShed girl that she wa:
c0njured by railroad darkey on certain
night. out of revenge for slight she haC
"iven him. She told the girl that the man
had dropped "a trick at her gate where
she would have to walk over it in going
home.
The result of this. repeating many thing
which the girl knew to be SO. fastened con
victim on her ignorant mind. and the doc
treSs soon had her in HI" lower. She pro-
cured some silver with W. -. to purchase 6
peculiar KIND of medicine. and getting the
girl to promise not to take any more doc
tors truck" departed. DR.. Miller calleC
and, learning the situation. withdrew il
| disgust. The girl soon became very sick
from the lotions the old woman had giver
| her and was thought to be dying. The
family again sent for the old witch. but at
ter carefully questioning the driver as to th'
symptoms, turned what she had learned
upon the poor driver to mystify him an(
steadily refused to come.
"Why?"
lease dis am case of conjurin' an my
set time amt come. If de aiIment is in del
stomach she wont die. Which is it?"
In the stomach" said the driver.
1
| till de set time; den I'll be dar and cure
| her."
With this the driver left. She came bach
after few days. When she came TO The
door she waved her hand maiestically. aud
the crowd of negroes fell back in awe. Sht
went i'm and began her manipulatiOns. She
gave some med cine and then called for {
skillet of warm water. Into this she pu
4 SyvnIlar, Than ha traapd cor
pent.ne lines with her finger through the
water and mumbled out some strange mean
| tatiunS.
Oar nowi see dati'
With this exclamation she exhibited tC
the affrighted girl and the rest of the negroes
two little live. wrigging black scorpions,
of the sort commonly called ground lizard:
or ground puppies" They are commonly
| found under decayed logs in damp places,
are damp and slick and look quite hide0us
She claimed to have exercised them from
the swollen foot of the patient. When she
exhibited the strange little creatures to the
| bewildered bystanders her triumph was
| complete She has been sent for again and
| is now here. though the girl is still sick.
There is much method in this old wOman'S
practice Thus. it takes silver money t.
get the truck" But one dose IS given al
long intervals and that only by her owl
hands. She does not carry it about il
saddle-bags. When a dose is given she
has to return home with some silver t.
procure another supply. Again her ex
penses are all paid. She only comes when
she is urgently sent for. and her lodging,
as a matter of course. is provided. The
only outlay to be seen IN this strange prac-
tice is in the labor Of procuring the herbs
| and the live lizards.
Her art of foretellng is very simple. Sll
manifeStS no interest in case until she gets
at SOME facts upon which to lay the foun-
| datOn for a case of ''cOnjuring." Thus il
| is manifest III this case that she
adroitly picked out of the unsuspect-
J ing driver the fact that the girl had met the
! railroad negro at the gate and had offended
I him. With these facts she had entrapped
the patient. Tie exhibition of the lizards
completed the triumph of superstition.