The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-07-03
WEST INDIES NEGROES.
THE MYSTERIOUS AND DANGEROUS
POWERS or THE "oREAH MEN,

very expert IN PvepuflnG EOtSOue-A
Practice Imported from Africa---Thss
Effectiveness ef Ground Glass-A shop.
Out I'm the woods.
"Some of the Obeah men ara very expert
in preparing poisons. They have severah
kinds, 10 be used according tocircrmstancss..
Ono Of tue worst of them III made from tlicp
root OF the cassava hey EXPRESS the iuis 3,
and allow it to ferment, anil quantities or,
small worms are soon seen in the AGni,i, ono,
Of which taken into the stomach Is o rnosE
certain to cause death. One Of tho wornn
's concealed under a thumb nail, which is-
allowed 30 grow long for the purposes, and
the operator In handing his victim cup Of
coffee or some dish OF food manages to droy,
the worm into it. In Jamaica almost every
negro has growing in his garden hunters ut
arsenic bean plants which are neither useful
Tor food or handsome in appearances, bus
the Leans are very poisonous 1t 10 saii,
too, that dangerous poison II made from
the liver and gall of the alligator. ThS'
Obeah men are also too handy in the manu-
facture OF narcotics They could not pro-
cure opium without too much risk, but they
knew how to distili narcotics from various'
plants Some Of them seem to have q con
sioSA0DAc hnOWtoukO VI AuCy N&98
find leaves anywhere that IL put in q water
vessel will make tho water q deadly pois0n
in q few hours
PoIsoNs FURNISHED AT Low RATxR
Kingsley in his visit to Trinidal picked
up numher Of cases Of Oleah poisoning.
He says the habit Of poisoning did nee
spring up among slaves dssirous Of reven 10
upon the white masters, but that It war am.
ported from Africa. Perpaps he forgot
that many OF the African Negroes wsae
slaves In thoir own country, with hard Pcr-
tuguese masters He says too, and truly
enough, that some white West Indians viii
derry the existence Of Obsah, because thsy'
believe in it a little too much, and are
afraii to have IL known that they believe IL
it. Their was an oil woman named Phyl q,
in Trinidad, some years ago, who was calleL
an 'Obeah woman and who furnished poi
sons at cheap rates Shs lived and ruled In
remote little village, where her supposed
supernatural powers gave her such influence
over her companions that she could make
them do almost anything she liked. A larxo
number Of murders were lail at her door:
but it seemed impossible to get any legat
proof. Her acquaintances were too much
afraid of her to tell what they knew. ab0ut
her.
"They understand too we'll the elective
ness OF ground glass We know n usually
as coarse powder, useful fos axterminas-
ing rats or troublesome dogs But they.
mako more dangerous poison Of Il They
pound it up between two hard stones till 10
seems hardly coarser than four. In this
form 1t is shaken up with water In a.bottlc,
and really seems to dissolve Administered
in small doses this pi oduces what ia- known
as West India dysentery,' and II tho doses
are continued death is sure to follow Thepo
bottles filed with ground glass and wator
are used for charms One Of thasu buuc.
under a tree In an orchard is almost suSe ~
keep the negroes away from tho fruit They
believe that the charm poisons u, and tho9
they would dio II they should sat any of it.
A bottle Of 'Obeah water put uuS1or -
mansdoorstep Is supposed to bring him tho
worst possible luck IL Il worre than Gind*
ing white cocks head lying In. 10 yard,
with bis hoax pointing toward the door
When an Obenh man wants TO cfvo H0u Inn
a mild touch OF his supernatural poWUCs f.
gets somebody TO bury near your door =
bottle containing toad, a spider, RUSTY
nails, muddy water, and other art{cI0k
They know how to work with corrosive sub
Innate; but that IL not often used, becauoo
tain. A negro could hardly 60 10 chem-
lists and buy any OF the deadly poison1
without suspicion being aroused In slave
times, OF coarse they never bought any med
icines at oil, for everything was furnish6d
by their masters. So they felf naturally
into using such poisons a. they were famil-
lar with in the fields And s0ns of thsal
are deadly enough
THE TRADE OF THE oBEAH NAN
aIn the old slave times, OF coursc, tie
Obeah men, being slaves, had TO work ~
well as the rest But when they were frced
they could uss their influence over th8
others to even better advantage They afU
generally now In somo small business, very
often keeping little shops, where thsir cus-
toners, of course, are wholly negroes They
sell any cheap thing there Ii demand for.
principally ruri and fruits and sugar aud
poor kerosene oil and salt meata 10 thefr
profits from the sale of goods, which ~
oa...en considerable, they add what they calk
make from the Obeah business II serv-
ant wants something 20 make his master ap~
preciate him, he goes to the Obeah man an6
buys some nonsensical thing In which ~
has every faith. II may be no moro than q
few white pebbles, wrapped up in . pacExSo
with some human hair; or II may be harn1~
less powder, to 10 scattered about tho naan.
ter's sleeping room. Or perhaps 3 silly col
orel girl wants someth ng to secure the a.
fections OF her lover. They have to pay
well for these thinga II they have No
money tho Obeah man viii take goods hs
exchange; bananas viii do, or cocoannts, q,
some jewelry-any Of the little things thar
negroes nearly always have M
II visited one Of these little shops kept ~
an Obeah man some time ago He haf1
hanging up openly some OF the peculiar
beads that are used at Obeah dances thn
same kind that years ago the mere pass1u.
sion OF was punishable with death Tjyo
shop was not In village, az You might IN
agine, but alongside Of frequsnted path
through the woods, with not nnotber build
ing within two or threc mikes OF Il And
can hardly call that building. for it wn1
little more than . shnnty, with . fhatched
roof. The proprietor OF IL lived IA small
room partitioned or at thu back, ANIL tn0
shop was in 'front.' Why did he keep ~
shop out In the woods, do you asks That
vas just as good for bis business as Il r.
had been In the midst Of . towu-much
cheaper and more retired You must have
noticed all through the West Indies that =
negro Is never afraid Of long walk n
may be too lazy TO do anything else, hut -
will willingly undertake walk OF dvs -
ten, or even twenty, miles Il he has any -
iect to gain. He will not hurry about u.
bat be win go ! should not hesitats ~
send negro on an errand thGt would tnk1
him Ave or SIX miIcs, for he would rathe1'
enjoy 1t He would loiter along. pick up :
little fruit here and there, and have achanco
10 talk with the friends he mst on the red
So distance from his customers II no drav@
back to one Of these little shopksepeSx -
New York Time&
A Family BedstsaA In Htlwsukse.
A Milwaukee frsn has iust turned ont i
bsdstead twenty -four fest wide, with ntn1
compartments, for the chiidrsn Of ths fnxn
lily. Inter Ocean.
Modssty b very becoming n = etrI, -
n sometimes makss man appoos ukojx
tool Carl Prstxsl.