The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-01-12
THE OBEAH MAN.
Horrible Supcrstitions of the Ignorant Ne.
Rroes OF the West Indies.

Jamaica Letter to Philadelphia Press.l
Obcah, in the West Indies, is IA two
fold art-thc art of poisoning combined
with h art Of imposing upon the Gre
dulity of ignorant peoplc'by a p%rctcnse
of witchcraft. The Obcah man or wo-
man is one of n great guild or fraternity
of crime. Hardly n criminal trial &C
ours in the different colonies in which he
is not implicated in one way or another.
His influence is unboundcd, the crcdu-
lous pensantry holding him rs prophct,
priest and king of the district over
which he holds sway. If a negro
maiden wants n charm to make her lover
good to her." if a man wishes to avengc
a wrong, or to know the secrets of the
future, the Obcah man is Mt hand to sup
ply the means and to proffcr his assist
nee and advice.
Under the title of s'bush DOCTOR he
wanders from place to place at the cost
of his dupes; supplied with food by one,
with money by another, denied nothing.
His p%retcnsions are high; but he has
means at hand to enforce them. He de-
clarcs himself powerful to cure all dis
eases. He can protect a man from the
consequences of IL crime; he can even
reanimate the dead.
His knowledge of poison is immense.
Every bush and tree furnishes weapons
for his armory Unfortunately, in too
many instances, more effective agents
are not wanting to his hand. How many
10 them in their coffee; how many book
keepers ave come to an untimely end
by the mixture of ground glass in their
fnnI NOV Ha cany -, <hn n-~-l, IS &l>o
slave courts of the different colonies
Barbados and jamaica especially. Next
to cholera and yellow fever, Obsah was
the greatest danger which every white
man connected with the administration
of a sugar estate had to encounter.
There is something indescribably sim
lister in the appearance of the Obeah
man, which is readily observed by per.
sons who have mixed much with the
negroes. Sometimes, as an outward and
visible sign of his trade or calling, he
carries about with him a staff or wand,
with scrpcnts wrcathed about it or the
rude likeness of n human face roughly
dclineated on the handle. Lizards
bones, cats claws, ducks skulls, grave
dirt-that is, earth taken from the grave
Of a freshly-buricd corpsc-hang in a
bag at his side. He has his cabalistic
book (aibeit he can seldom rcad), full OF
strange characters, crude figures and
roughly traced diagrams and devices,
which he pretends to consult in the ex-
ercise of his calling.
On one occasion / happened to be in 9
courthouse during the trial of a noto.
rious thief, when | noticed one of these
gentlemen enter the room; a very dirty
handkerchief was bound tightly around
his mead, and from under his shaggy
brows I could see a pair of small, cum.
ming eyes which never took their gaze
from the face of the Judge. The pris.
oner was undcfcnded and was finally
convicted, but I was afterward told that
instead of employing n lawyer he had
retained for his defense this Obeat
man, and had actually paid him the sum
of three guineas for his services. The
wizard had undertaken to Elk the eye
of the Judge, and had persuaded tn,
miserable dune TINT this would infalli.
bly, secure his acquittnl.