Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-03-08
VOODOO WORSHIP.
The Haytian Peasants God and Their Sick
ening serpent Alteration.

ening serpent Alteration.
! What is voodooismp
The whole subject OF vaudaux, as the
word is spelled in Hayti, is delicate
and offensive one to the people. l was
forewarned that it is considered bad
form to introduce the topic in CONVEX
sation among the upper classes.
The story of Vaudaux is too we'll
known to be recounted in detail here.
Sufficient TO mention that it is the re-
! ligion OF considerable portion of tho
savage tribes of Africa. In the king
dom of Dahomey hundreds Of thousands
of human victims have first and last
been offered up TO the yellow god. In
Ashantee the serpent is possessed of
supernatural powers in the minds of
the followers OF Obi. There is largo
yellow snake which is used as the me-
dunn OF the mysterious power of Vau-
daux. VauduaX is the God on high,
but the all-powerful controller of tho
negro's universe dsigns to employ in
termediaries, and the serpent becomes
the black savage's Jesus OF Nazareth.
The priest OF Vaudaux is called papaloi,
a corruption of papa roi (papa king).
He shares his regal honors with q
dusky dame, who is generally his
''placed" wife, as they say in Hayti,
which means no wife at all in legal or
religious sense. She is known as
mamanloi, and she plays highly inn
portant part in the midnight conclave
will be seen as this story proceeds.
If you are awake at late hour of tho
evening at Port-au-Prince you will hear
dull, monotonous sound waited down
the heavy air from the direction of that
portion OF the town which lies near tho
plain of the Cul-de-Sac. 1t is the noise
of the bamboula or Congo drum-weird,
uncanny and suggestive. The beats
are low and at regular intervals.
Black men and women dance the UNI
couth measures they witnessed in their
childhood, the same as their fathers
in Africa. To dance the bamboula is
one Of the few apparent pastimes the
Haytian negro enjoys. The drum is
also an invariable associate TO vau-
daux meeting. Without it the black
man would be bereft of his closest
intimate friend.
ST. John relates in great detail tho
case of the Bizzoton canuibals who
were executed at Port-au-Prince for
the murder of IA child at the vaudaux
hnr A. i
formed Haytians, who were or ought to
be familiar with the whole story, deny
the authority of the affaire Bizzoton,
took steps TO discover on my own &C.
count the truth OF the alleged hor-
rible and disgusting crime. The
person / addressed at Port-au-Prince
answered sententiously: The story is
true. Go to B. He will show you
photograph of the accused which was
taken after the trial"
soon afterward had the opportunity
of studying the faces of the criminals.
They were Jeanne Pelle, who was
mamanloi; Nevoide Francois, Beyard
Prosper and Roseide Sumera, women,
and Julius Nicholas, Floreal Apollon,
both papoloi; Congo Pellier and Gun
nier Francois, all blacks, and belong
ing to the suburban peasantry class.
One had been "a gardener, one carrier
and the women were house servants
and washers. Their faces were no
more brutal or depraved than the aver
age Haytian type. The story of their
crime in brief is as follows:
Congo Pellier. wishing to advance
his situation in life, called on his sister
Jeanne, the mamanloi, TO aid him by
her necromancy. They talked the sub
ject over and resolved to devise
scheme to assuage the presumed wrath
of the serpent in the case of Congo.
There are several stated periods when
the votaries OF the ''goat without horns"
hold their meetings. The favorite &C.
casion is Twelfth Night, but Christmas.
New Years and Easter are also popular
epochs of the vaudaux year. The two
papaloi were taken into necessary con-
fidence. The grizzly quartet cast about
for a suitable victim. Congo had
niece, girl OF about eight years-St.
John says twelve years She was de.
coyed to the hut OF the papaloi. Julius
Nicholas, and was bound and gagged.
Her mother was absent from home at
the time. Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer.
--Teacher-"Whend does suicide be-
come crime?' Smart Boy When
IL becomes confirmed habit" "Non-
sense. sir. Why is suicide a crimeP"
Because it injuries the health"
"A young man with pedometer
found that in twenty-five dances he had
travelled thirteen aud hall miles.