Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-08-06
CHARMS AND pHILrERs.
Their Manufacture n Practice Nearly ~
Old as the Race.

Their Manufacture n Practice Nearly ~
old as tho Race.
The manufacture OF love charms and
philters is practice nearly rs old us
the race. The medieval astrologers
found their principal revenue from the
sale OF charms. which were to attract
different eyes TO the owner OF them, or
bring back to its allegiance some errant
heart The male sex, when driven to
entire despair by some heart-whole.
flouting she, did not scruple TO use the
charms OF the philter as last resort;
but the gentler sex were the as
trologer's better customers. Perhaps
because men are naturally more
given to vanity and more confident
of their unaided charms; per-
haps because immemorial Gus
tom has decreed that woman must
wait TO be wooed, and forbids that she
should put forth her powers of per-
suasion and eloquence. At all events
women are TO this day the chief users
OF charms and secret devices for COM
pdo5luk buoiI tuuo III hitttCtc VI tAO
heart Here is love charm which is
declared TO be absolutely infallible and
was recommended and manufactured
for years, and in great numbers, by a
very old New Orleans negress, who
was a voodoo priestess and who was
said to be more than hundred years
old. She was native African and
never learned to speak English very
distinctly. She lived by telling fort
unes, the sale OF herbs and voodoo
charms, and this love charm, which
had a very high reputation for eff
ficiency, not only among her. own
people, but among the Creoles as well.
1t vas made by catching a small tree
toad, one OF the sort which make night
resonant in those warm regions, and
which are not very muchlarger than the
first joint Of mans thumb, provided
the man be a big one, but with voice
out OF all proportion to their size. Their
backs are smooth, delicate green in
color, without speckles, and on the
underside they are pure, silvery white.
These little, noisy reptiles are very
shy and difficult 10 catch. and 1t was
always a mystery how this antique
darby managed to secure them, as
they generally prefer to sing In the up
per branches OF the largest trees. She
did get them. however, and compassed
their demise by the kindly barbaric
device Of driving large pin through
their heads. She then looked for an
ant-hill-and in Louisiana the for
mice are numerous and voracious-
near which she buried her wretched
little victim, whose bones are imme-
diately picked and polished 10 snowy
Wilderness by the ants. In the course
OF day or two the remains were dis
inferred and went through certain
voodoo formularies -mysterious Afri-
can words-and were passed through
fire upon which salt was sprinkled.
The charm was then ready for use,
and the purchaser having paid ~. so,
all In silver half dollars, for this treas
ure. was then required 10 wear 1t
about her neck for seven nights In
succession. She was then to lie in
wait for the insensate wretch who
had failed to properly appreciate
her attractions. and, unobserved, hook
the little skeleton to the gentle
man's.coat by its sharp, white claws.
He probably crushed 1t or dropped it
very shortly after, but II 1t remained
only very few minutes. Ave or six at
most, the charm was sure to work. so
great were its mysterious powers. The
ancient African managed TO dispose of
some forty or fifty OF these charms
every year. and she was wont solemnly
to assert that out OF several hundred
cases in which the charm was used but
seven had entirely failed, and in those
cases because the charm had been APP
piled in the dark Of the moon, 1t being
necessary that all love charms should
have their use when the moon was
waning. -Philadelphia Item.