The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-05
5 5-nd IN THa1soUrH.
Dire Havoc Caused by Them Among
the Coon Dogs.


Goldsboro IN. CT Cor Philadelphia Times.
In Wayne county, of which this town is
the county seat, many of the inhabitants
believe in witchcraft as firmly as they ever
believed in states rights, and are as willing
to sacrifice their lives on the altar of Their
superstition as they were to die on the plea
OF mistaken patriotism.
The Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and
other Southern States abound in so-called
witch DOCTORS who will cure your ais and
Kill the witch that is troubling you. Some
of these doctors actually believe in the per-
sonal existence of witches and in their
supernatural power, but many of them
are frauds who make a living by imposing
on the credulity of their neighbors.
The negro race is naturally superstitious,
but the poor white CRACKERS are also
ignorant, and for believing in spooks. spirits,
hobgoblins and other natural phenomena,
they can give the colored man cards. spades
and aces, and then beat him. The cracker
is worse than the colored man, because he
fondly imagines that he is SO much
shrewder. and 50 he does not use what
brains he has, nor does he try TO learn any
thing. He has thousands of signs, omens,
cures and beliefs that are a continual
source or annoy nee to him, and perpetually
keep him in a state Of unrest and dread.
The simplest incident is one of sinister aud
occult meaning to him. and, he is ever in a
tremor lest ill-luck and misfortune overtake
him.
The evil influences manifest themselves in
various ways, and each one seems worse
than the other. His gun occasionally hangs
fire and refuses to Ego off" properly, and at
times is so badly deranged that it cannot be
discharged at all. At other times his favor
| lite coon dog is bewitched by some evil
minded and envious person, and then the
woe OF the cracker is something painful to
| witness If his gun were not bewitched,
why could he not kill a squirrel with it?
| And why should his dog refuse TO hunt
| coons, when to hunt c1ons was his busi-
| nesss These are questions that he can
answer only by assuming that a witch has
been influencing him and his property.
be employs a witch-doctor, to whom he
| pours out his tale of woe and yields I'D his
hard-earned cash. The dJctor cares little
for the woe, but the cash is grateful and
| exhilaratiug. The doctor is sauguine, and
| declares that he has method of killing that
| Is strictly original, copyrighted and war
| ranted to be effectual. In one case that |
| came across the doctor learned that an old
woman living several miles away was the
suspected party. and he commenced a
campaign against her. He told the victim
to go to her house some night and
| stretch a white cotton string around
| the building, and tie the ends to-
| gether with a "weaver's knot" Then he was
| to welk around the house seven times each
| way, recite a given sentence in front of each
| door while making mysterious marks on it,
and the cure would be completed. The
directions were followed, and am happy
| to say that they proved effectual, as the
next hunt resulted in the death of three
| coons. u
Another time a small powder was given,
| which must be swallowed by the witch
without her knowing it. The cid lady was
| invited to dinner, the powder placed In her
cup OF coffee, aud the cure was as complete
| as could be desired.