Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-11-17
NEGRO SUPERSTITION.
SPIRIT LORE OF THE SOUTHERN
PLANTATION HANDS.

The Ghosts That Stalk On Moonlight
Nights-spooks - Tall ~ Pine Trees.
How Old Uncle Jee's Spirit Was SpeedeA
ON It's Way.
Down south it is interesting to hear the
darHes tell about the ''spirits" as they sit
around the log wood fires, in their old, tumble
down cabins In the woods. None can equal
in horror their thrilling stories nor make
their listeners feel 80 truly that the spirits"
are really TO be seen.
An old darby, Aunt Peggy by name, was
an enthusiast on the subject. How she en-
joyed telling Us about one eveutful evening,
when she was nearly ''skeered to DEATH" She
was going to prayer meetin'" through the
lonely pine woods, and ''thinkin' right hard
bout de guide Lawd, when, what should she
see but ''shadder walkin' right dar aside
her." She told how she closed Der eyes right
tight 30 as not to see it, but stumbling over an
old stump which happened to be in the way,
she had to open her eyes, and ''dar it war
agin, right afore her"
''Lawd a'mussey," she said, show she did
run, an dat ,ere speerit right erter her, and
it came so close that 1t made her feel cold all
over. The good old soul declared the ''spirit'
did not leave her until she reached the meet
ing house. There no spirits can enter, as ''de
guide Lawd sees arter dat, an they's skeered
of him"
ONLY STALK BY MOONLIGHT.
She told Us that the 'spirits" were only to
be seen on moonlight nights, and that some
times they looked like long, thin shadows,
dressed in gray. They often bend right down
over people and peer into their faces, whilst
their breath ia like cold north wind If
any one notices them they sigh dolefully, and
then suddenly disappear with wild shrek
OF knocking laughter. Some Of these shadows
are as tall as the lofty pines, and as they toss
their long arms wildly in the air, the clinging
drapery Of their shrouds waves In the breeze
This belief might well be accounted for by
the long clinging Spanish moss, whilst the
wind ''soughing" through the pine trees
might be compared to the plaintive wall of
some lovely spirit" hailing from the Land
of the Dead"
Another old darkey, by the name of Aunt
Sallie, once lived in log cabin in the woods.
She was a queer little old woman and de-
lighted in telling US about the ''spirits" and
how she could ''smell them when the moon
shun, though, the Lawd be blessed, she'd
never seen EN-"
Some of us dared to suggest that she might
possibly have reference to the spirit" Of the
''ittle brown Jug" but the good old soul
failed to understand our meaning. Poor
Aunt Sallie: she is now at home among the
"spirits" and is far wiser than we are as to
their peculiarities.
Uncle Joe, another Of our darby friends,
dwelt in log cabin on our estate, within q
short distance of the house, and we had an
excellent opportunity for observing the ways
and customs Of the ''darkies' in that part of
the country. One day while the poor old
man was driving team Of mules he was
thrown out Of the wagon and dragged some
distance. Although he was not badly hurt,
yet he was much shaken and could do very
little work after that.
With care he might possibly have recov-
cred, but his friends seemed to think that it
was about time for ''de guide Lawd to take
his SOUL" so they came tramping In from far
and wide to hasten him on his Journey They
certainly did SO most effectually, for they
gave him every possible thing to eat, from
fried alligators to unripe watermelons.
Finally the doctor who had been attending
Uncle Joe declared him hopeless case, and
after futile effort to disperse the crowd, he
pushed his way cut and left the man to his
fate.
SpFEnINc HIM ON TIE wAv