The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-05-08

Gated case OF tnlS SORT, Dut nave hedru vi
them frequently Kingsley in his visit to
Trinidad picked up number of cases of
Obeah poisoning. He says the habit of
poisoning did not spring up among slaves
desirous of revenge upon the white mas
ters, but that it was imported from Africa.
Perhaps he forgot that many of the Afri-
can negroes were slaves in their own coun-
try, with hard Portuguese masters. He
says, too, and truly enough, that some
white West Indians will deny the existence
of Obeah, because they believe in it little
too much, and are afraid to have it known
that they believe in it, There was an old
woman named Phyllis, in Trinidad, some
years ago, who was called an 'Oheah
woman and who furnished poison at cheap
rates She lived and ruled in remote
little village, where her supposed super
natural powers gave her such influence over
her companions that she could make them
do almost anything she liked. A large
number of murders were laid at her door,
but it seemed impossible to get any legal
proof Her acquaintance were too much
afraid of her to tell what they knew about
her. A Government agent was sent out to
her town to get evidence against her. She
tried to get into his good graces by giving
him bottle of beer in the little shop she
kept. The bystanders were Mortified to
see him drink the beer, expecting to see
him drop over dead in few minutes.
But nothing happened to him. He knew
what he was about and looked carefully to
see that the cork had not been tampered
with and then poured it himself, Soon
after colored policeman was sent to her
and bought preparation that was to win
his sweethearts everlasting love. She
walked into the trap, was arrested and con-
victed, and she and the man she lived with
were sent to Jail as swindlers. But that
was the most that could be proved against
them, for none of the victims dared to tes
tify. They were frightened at the temerity
of the lawyers who dared to prosecute her.
But when she was once convicted and safo
in jail they raised the courage to attack her
house, tear it down, and search for the
skeleton of rival Qbeah man who visited
her one night and never came out of the
house alive.
''Did you ever hear of 'Jumby dance?' y
Mr.. Smith continued. 'I need not ask
whether you ever saw one, for l am sure
you never did. They are very scarce and
hard to find. 'Jumby, l suppose you
know, is another name for ghost, like Duppy.
These dances are 50 hard to find out that
/ have never seen one, though have made
efforts. But friend living on an out-of-
the-way plantation managed to be admitted
to one, and he gave me a very good de-
scriptiop of it. Such dances are always
held In some secluded place, where there is
little danger of interruption, Generally
you will find them in negro house in the
midst of a Jungle, where nobody is likely
to 90 by accident. There were at this one
about 20 Africans, of both sexes. 1t was
held in wretched shanty house in the
high woods. The people wore as few
clothes as possible, with necklaces of sharks
teeth, carved bones, dried frogs and beads.
Some of the men, wearing only what we
would call swimming trunks, had thei1
bodies painted to represent skeletons. The
shanty was dimly lighted with half dozen
candles, and in the middle of the floor was
the Jumby, sort of life-size idol with
the body of man and the head Of cock.
He was an object Of the deepest devotion
and was treated with great respect. The
dancers all remained outside till signal
was given, and then they entered, and the
leader began to sing an African song, ac-
companying himself with an instrument
called the tom-tom. As soon as he got
under way he quickened the time, and in a
moment one of the women sprang into the
middle of the floor, in front of the Jnmby,
and began to dance furiously, keeping good
time with the music. A man joined her;
and presently another couple sprang out,
and another, and another, till the floor was
full of dancers Gradually the lights were
put out, one after another, till only one
candle remained burning, giving just light
enough to make the dnsky forms visible
The music continually grew faster and
faster, until all the dancers were whirling
like tops. Through all the apparent con
fusion the Jumby was kept in the middle
of the floor, and was not once touched
This dance continued for hours, and did
not break up till long after midnight.
"They understand too well the effective
ness of ground glass, Mr.. Smith continued.
We know it usually as coarse powder
useful for exterminating rats or troublesome
dogs. But they make more dangerous
poison of it. They pound it up between
two hard stones till it seems hardly coarser
than flour. In this form it is shaken up
with water in bottle, and really seems tc
dissolve. Administered in small doses thii
produces what is known as West Indiar
dysentery, and if the doses are continued
death is sure to follow. These bottles
filled with ground glass and water are useC
for charms. One of them hung under {
tree in an orchard is almost sure to keeI
the negroes away from the fruit. They
believe that the charm poisons it, and thai
they would die if they should eat any of it
A bottle of 'Qbeah water put under ;
mans doorstep is supposed to bring him tn,
worst possible luck, 1t is worse than find
ing a white cocks head lying in the yard
with his beak pointing toward the door
When an Obeah man wants to give yol
just mild touch of his supernatural power
he gets somebody to bury near your dool
bottle containing toad, spider, rust,
nails, muddy water, and other articles
They know how to work With corrosiv
sublimate, but that is not often used, be
cause other poisons are cheaper and easie
to obtain. A negro could hardly go to
chemists and buy any of the deadly poison
without suspicion being aroused. In slav'
times, of course, they never bought an
medicines at all, for everything was fur
nished by their masters. So they fell nat
urally into using such poisons as they wer
familiar with in the fields. And some 0
these are deadly enough. A few leaves o
Brinvilliers put in water cooler woul
poison whole family. Still, do not thinl
from what 1 tell you that the negroes Q
Trinidad and the other islands are continu
ally poisoning, and that the West Indian
are constantly in danger of eating or drink
ing something that will send them to tn
cemetery. Cases of poisoning are now yer