The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1886-06-03
WEST INDIES "oecAA MEN,"


: WEST INDIES "oecAH MEN,"
Superstition Which Was Once q Dan.
gerous Thing-Jusgling and Poisoning.
must say that in travelling nearly all
over the West Indies have never come
across a single instance of any person
being poisoned or injured by an "Obeah
man" but have read and heard of u
great many such instances. for Obeah
works by frightening the ignorant and
poisoning those who are in his way. I
had seen q good deal of the superstition
and witchcra:t among the negroes i'll our
southern states. Two years ago came
across a curious case of it on the Ohio
river. A young mulat.o @hoodo,cd" a
steamboat, greatly to the terror
of all the colored people on board.
and within six hours the steamboat
struck Il rock and sank. OF course il
had heard this story should not have
believed it. But saw the hoodooins
process and was on the boat when she
sank. Every colored man on the boat
believed in it and was satisfied that the
boat sank because she had been be-
switched. Aftcrward told of the occur
renee to colored acquaintance in the
southern states, and many of them in re-
turn told me stories of still more curious
cases of witchcraft. They all believed in
il and dreaded it.
Wherever there are colored people
there is superstition, and there was Il
time in the West Indies when "Obeah
worship was very serious and danger
Gus thing. But that was long ago when
the negroes were enslaved and oppressed
and naturally locked for some safe mode
of retaliation. Now they are free they
no longer have this incentive, AMI
--Obcah' is comparatively harmless SUI
perstition. This probably is why never
have come upon any serious case of "be-
witching:" they use now only foolish lit
tie charms, where formerly they used
dangerous poisons. 1t was an oppress-
lively hot morning in October when /
visited the gentleman in Trinidad who
was to tell me about Obcah worship, and
was glad when the roof of his piazza
sheltered me from the burning Trinidad
sun.
"Obeah is the dread of nine negroes
out of every ten in the West Indies,"
said the Trinidad gentleman, whom for
the sake of convenience / shall call Mr..
Smith. 1t is a nuisance to them and to
the whites, but all the efforts of the va
riOus governments to crush it out have
been unavailing. 1t has as many be-
1ievers now as ever, notwithstanding
the education of many of the blacks, and
wherever there is any conflict between
the two races it is still dangerous. I
can not tell you the derivation of the
word. Obeah, (Which, rs you must have
noticed, is always pronounced 'obcy0 is
not an imaginary being or any tangible
thing. but simply the name of the
wretched system of juggling and poison
ing.
Certain men among the negroes set
up for 'Obeah men, and profess to be
able to do marvellous things. suppose
there are 500 'Obeah men on this island,
to whom the other colored people go for
assistance and advice. They have to
pay for this assistance, so the conclusion
is inevitable that the Obeah men go into
it as matter of business, seeing way
to make an easy living out of the super
stition of their comrades. They are
naturally shrewd fellows, who know how
to give some impressiveness and plausi-
bility to their nonsense. There is some-
thing like system in the 'Obeah wor-
ship but it has so many variations that
it is difficult to trace. 1t is substantially
the same in all the islands. with such
differences as each performer chooses to
invent. In every island, for instance,
three white cocks heads are used to
bring trouble to the enemy. There is no
variation in that Though there is a
great deal Of the 0beah business IN
Trinidad this island is by no means one
of the worst. 1t fiourishes more in Hayti
than anywhere else. In Jamaica it Is
very much OH the increase.
There is no doubt that it came orig
inally from Africa. Nearly every Afri-
can negro in the West Indies is firm
believer in it. There is n great deal Of it
in Sierra Leone, and there it flourishes in
its worst form, that of poisoning. Its
home in the West Indies is St. Vincent.
There it is carried to greater extent
than anywhere else, and old Obeah men
for a consideration teach the secrets of
the trade to beginners and make them
accomplished prisoners and jugglers.
Pupils Of these humbugs have spread
through the other islands and "St.
Vincent Obeah man" is considered an
expert. There is very little poisoning
done by them in: the West Indies now.
lunless 1t may be in Hayti,) because there
Is no occasion for it. In the slave times
it always had to be guarded against.
New York Timess.
The Language OF Precious Stones.
The quality of turquoise imparts e.
prosperity in love. =
ChTysoiite was used as an amuEess
against evil persons and dependency.
The opal imparts apprehension and in
sight, and is the emblem of uncealized
hope.
Conjugal felicity was symbolized by
the sardonyx, which it was believed to
insure. .,"I
The topaz was thought to promote f.
deity and friendship, and calm internal
passions.
The diamond has the mystic symbol
ism of light and purity, faith and up
Brightness of character.
Tho properties of the amethyst is to
calm the passions of the body and pre-
vent drunkenness.
The bioodstone was taught by the an
clients to impart courage, prudence, forti-
tude, and stability of character.
The moonstone was the emblem of the
merchant prince, and signified well-di-
rected industry and the arts of peace.
Garnet or 'carbuncle represents con-
stancy of purpose and fidelity to duty. II
is pre-eminently the soldiers gem.
The ruby was thought to guard against
unfriendliness, and particularly that
form SO common in neutrality-suspicious.
ing.
The sapphire signifies modesty and
charity of opinion, and was thought to
possess the power of breaking the spells
of magic.
The agate or ohalledony represents
physical prosperity, and it is the stone of
the athlete and physician, and imparts
longevity and health.
Tho a,narold cvn, ho1; 700 Truth oy,I xx,os