The Osceola times., 1886-04-03
A WIrCH.DOCTOR.
The Tricks Employed by . Repuisivs
Looking Female Exorciser.

Tno Tricks employed Dy . hepuisivo
Looking Female Exorciser.
Major General Bisset gives the fol.
lowing account of an African WITCH
doctor, and the secret of her art A
rich Kafir residing at British Kaflraria
believed himself bewitched. He was in
great pain all over his body, but partic-
ularly between the shoulders. Several
native doctors treated him in vain, and
the English physician went to see him,
and pronounced his aflliction acute
rheumatism. But the man would be
treated by no one except celebrated
witcb-doctor from the interior, for he
said he was devoured by animals and
reptiles internally. She was sent for.
This witch was most repulsiye-looking
creature. Her eyes were snake-like, her
hair tangled mass Of close clotted
wool, with fishes bladders and the in
sides of reptiles tied here and there.
This hag first commenced to ''smell
out" the bewitching matter. This she
did in variety of ways, crawling
round the hut inside and out, burning
charms, by gesticulations and exorcisms
Of all sorts. But before doing this, she
demanded ten head of cattle, five to be
paid at once, and the others when the
cure was effected. We were invited to
witness the strange proceedings, and
see her remove the living things which
she said were in the man. First, the
patient had to be ''overhauledn by this
fearful specimen of humanity. Hewas
in great pain, but she was merciless
his arms and legs were pulled, his body
pnched and squeezed, he bowling with
pain. At last, she found the tendercst
point-at the extremity of his right shoul-
der blade; then she began to make fantas-
tic gyrations, and declared that the rep
tiles were there. Then she howled, and
again crawled round the hut, and re.
turned with a corn cob, with which she
approached the sick man an rubbed his
shoulder blade. She then applied her
mouth to the spot. and sucked till a
stream of blood followed. She then ran
from the house to a little rivulet close
by, but soon returned and again applied
her mouth to the open wound, and
brought forth renewed stream OF
blood She now desired every one to
search her, and assure YOU she had
very little clothing on in which she could
hide any thing; but she made us look
into her mouth, and even into her ears.
She then re-applied her mouth TO the
sick mans wound, and spat out a
grasshopper!
There said she, sis the monstsrl
but there are more!'
And she again proceeded to suck the
wound, and this time spat out black
beetle! She again acted the ''vampirc,
and out came lizard, a long, narrow.
crawling reptile! The sick man was ex-
cited. and declared he felt better. Again
applying her mouth to the wound, she
spat out matted clot of hair. This she
said was the bewitching matter. Here
was a mystery which we determined to
upravel. We offered the hag five
pounds to tell us how her trick was
done She refused. Then we convert
ed it to silver. and again tempted her,
but to no avail. Next we turned it ia
copper, and though this seemed like UNI
told wealth to her, she was still OBJ
durate. But when we turned it to
beads. knickknacks, looking-glasses
etc, it was too much. After making us
promise solemn secrecy, she told us.
She had collected the reptiles in a
calabash. When she ran down to the
water, she gorged herself with nuid, and
then swallowed the creatures we saw
her produce; and she had the unusual
power, by an effort of nature, to bring
these living creatures back into her
mouth The Kafir was cured by the
counter-irritation and by his imagin-
alton, and he and his benighted breth-
ren still believe that the living creatures
were taken from his body Yoath' $
Companion.