The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-06-08
yOEdOuisal.
shreveport Democrat. |

AS'StcAp AolIloCIdLJ
\ t." days since the New Orleans
papers gave al accouut'of the raid by
the n"l c= of a low den kept by negro
)" omar. There were present twenty
hve or thirty persons, most of whom
were females and some eight or ten OF
these were white. Their ages ranged
from seventeen to forty-five years.
Nearly ali were in Il state of max ejness.
some of them lying prone upon the
floor. They were going through the
voudou services, repeating prayers
couched in stupih gibherish, and in.
dulsing in other incautatiorls. A negro
or Indian 'siocto," named johnson
was master OF ceremonies, who claims
to he inspired and that il has been
known to him that be was TO liv.
for the accom- plisment Of some great
purpose.
ACCUSTOMED as the police are to ali
Indecent scenes OF the kind even their
sensibiitties were shocked al the pic
ture presented. All the parties were
arrested and locked up.
The Picayune of the Ash has the fol-
lowing article in reference to this sub
jet:
The Atlanta Constitution, comment
Ing on the recen, development of YOU.
don operations, participatedinb y 10th
whites aud negroes Of this city, says:
"The% pssemistic vi.w Of orr race
problem Was never presented ia "a
stronger or more striking shape. The
voudou relations in the Crescent show
that the deusest ADD most aggressive
bagbarism may exist in our oldest and
enlightened COM rnun,ties, side by side
with the highest types Ut civilization,
within the sound of Ginning church
bells and under the shadow of our
temples Of learning. We have not
added one touch Of. fancy to the da nnn-
log facts OF the case. We have simply
outlined the situation without attempt
Ing to disguise its hideous, repulsive
and threatening features aud now the
startling question comes up: What
are we going to do about it?''
There is nothing to bs done in the
premises except 10 suppress the vouiou
doctors ny severe laws. Legislation
regulating he practice Of msdic.,.e
and combining il 10 persons whose quai-
ifications are established by the certiti-
Gaze uf proper, medical board or by
the possession oil credentials FROM re-
spectacle medical school, are Ia use in
some of the States and can he made
| available in this State. In ths way
much of the lawless and pernlc!ou5 drug
giving, nnt to speak of the beastiv
rites Of the african doctors, could b.
routed oot. Supeisti,u luton is not en-
tirely the offspring of ignorance. %
People Of good intelligence aud sdu-
cation have been among the common.
est patrons OF fortunetelers and work
ers in the so-ca!led dealers in nysier
les. The ordinary fortuneleller is
| swinalar, but the voudou practitioners
are addicted to the most abunina,,le
and revolving practices, and ,hey are
capable, as isc,s have demons raIe.3. OF
bringing respectable whites under their
baneiul and deimoraiizing Influence.
The whites are attracted t., these.
workers Of imiquiiy uuder the b. I:rf
that they possess powers Of healing. Ii
these pretenders were driven tu, IF the
pale Of medical practice by p dts auc,
penalties, much of their ahiiitv TO Der
petrate crimes would be Destroyed.
Education alone will not eradicate the
evil. 1t will not put All end Ia
superstition, tier in the matter of
body healing or soul saving.