Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-01-27
NEGRO SUGGESTIONS.
Southern Darkies Who Sec an Omen in
Nearly Every Animate Object.


The belief has prevailed among the
Southern negroes for many years that
the hand of dead friend will bring
continued prosperity to its possessor.
and no doubt if the many colored
graveyards in that section were made
20 give up their dead the skeletons OF
not few would be found to be minus
the right hand. The Southern blacks
also believe that the big toe of de-
ceased friend. carried on the person,
will keep away disease, and that the
toes OF an enemy can be used as
charms to conjure their living enemies.
Thus it is they originated the lines:
Wild dis honey toe,
I'll bring dem woe,
Fore daylight In de mornin'
Voudoo doctots-and there are plen-
ty Of them in the Southern States
carry on an extensive traffic in human
bones and other portions of the body
They use the skull to perform Il mystic
ceremony for the sick. or to bring luck
to Il poverty stricken family; the ears
are employed in another ceremony,
the outcome of which is to find out
what your enemies are saying about
you, and the other bones all have a
mission to perform while the voudoo is
humbugging his victim. The voudoo
doctor is usually a naturally smart
darby, with good flow of conversa-
ton. and us much inventive genius a.
Bowery confidence man. In Wash.
ington of late the voudoos have becom,
rather scarce. as the police arrest them
as Migrants whenever they put in an
appearance.
The country negroes in South Caro-
lima, Georgia and portions of Florida
have very pretty and somewhat poet
ical superstition. During the stiffness
of the night, when the gentle swayins
pine trees are singing their weird re-
QUEENS, whole families will sit about
their cabin doors and listen intently t,
this music of the forest. In its chang
ing melody they hear the voices of dead
friends predicting good or evil for the
future or revealing secrets of the tomb
No reward could induce the negro
surfmen on the North Carolina coas
to walk along the beach at night, es
pecially during storm, when tn,
lightning is flashing and the huge white
capped breakers come suffering in OF
the sandy beach. They imagine the,
can see in the phosphorescent light tn,
forms of sailors who were lost at sea
riding in astride of the huge pillows
On account of this superstition it ha.
been found impossible to induce negr,
coastmen to enter the life-saving ser
vice, no matter how well adapted they
may be for the work. The tedious
night patrol along the desolate sea
shore is what they object to. The aver
age seashore negro would almost rathe
die than to encounter the vague form
| of departed sailor man in the surf o
on the beach.
There are many minor superstition
among the colored people. If a Gov
stops in front of house and bellows
is a sure sign that some one on tn
premises will die. If the COW below
twice the party marked for dissolution
will die in two days, two weeks or tw,
months. Should the animal bellov
five times, which is rare occurrence
adeath will occur in less than one week
| When cock enters the house an,
crows therein, it means that the fami
| ly will have visitors To crow Jus
outside the door indicates tina
the residents of the house will b.
suddenly called away on mission
| Sometimes an overfed hen will make
sound which resembles the faint crow
ing of a young rooster. This is re
garded us an evil omen, and the luck
less hen is always decapitated when tn
owner is at all superstitious. Scien
fists say the sound is caused by indi
| gestion. The d:.rkies have II verse the
repeat in this connection. 1t is this:
whisting woman
And growing hen
| VIII never come
To any good end.
The owl usually boots three times
| When this uncanny bird forgets itsel
and increases the number of boots t
| four or five, the plantation negroes re
| gard it as an omen of sickness, starvf
ton or death. To kill cat mean
that the person who did the killing wi
have seven years of bad luck. I
catch water-snake on your fishing
line is a sure sign that your enemie
are trying to entrap and kill you
Thus the negroes say:
Catch snake,
| Let him go,
! For death is a comm
| Sho and sho.
| To see a flock of crows hoverin
about your house is very bad sigr
and to drop your Bible while going I
church indicates that the devil is afte
you. To see three white horses at tn
same time is an omen of death, and t