Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-05
LEGENDS OF LOUISIANA.
The Remarkable Sequel of an Old
Negro Incarnation.
Emancipation of the Neg roes Fore
Swallowed Twenty Years Before
1t Happened-A Curious
Story.

but it has profoundedly solemn and
tragic element of mystery In it. often lit
tie suspected even by those most familiar
| with the negro people, says writer in the
Philadelphia Times. | gained some in
sight into this strange religion by an adj
venture / had while visiting in the early
days of the forties the plantation of Gen.
Etchevarry, situated in Southern Louisi-
ana.
| had been riding over the place with
my friend, when, observing a storm brew
ing, he directed me to the house, saying
that he wished to speak to his overseer,
at whose house he could wait till the
storm ceased. | rode on, but unfamiliar
with the place and bewildered by the long
rows of the cane overlapping my head |
lost my way, and the rain beginning |
made for a small open space short dis
tance off. Reaching it | found myself on
the banks of the river and before dilapi-
dated old house. | dismounted and was
about to secure my horse when a sudden
thunderclap caused him to break loose and
gallop off. Troubling little about him,
knowing he would find his way home, |
entered the inn.
1t had evidently once been a large
| dwelling house, but all the partitions had
| disappeared, and it consisted then only of
one large room above and one below, con-
nected by a rickety old staircase. TIE amuse
myself | rashly assembled this and just as |
reached the top step a loud crack heralded
| the fall of the crazy structure, and had |
been a second longer in stepping for
ward | should probably have broken my
neck by sudden contact with the neither
floor.
Reporting of my idle curiosity, I looked
| in vain for some means by which / could
| escape, but the room was absolutely
empty, and the windows looked down on
bare walls. So, arguing that my host
would soon miss me and send some one to
my rescue, and thinking that, in any case
| could finally leap down-though, as it
was twenty feet to the ground, / reserved
| this as last chance summoned what
patience | could command There was
| nothing to sit on, and, being fatigued, |
| swept aside some of the dust with my hat
and lay down. In addition to the de-
pressing influence of almost continuous
thunder and lightning, night was COM
ing on, and I fell asleep before I knew it.
How long [ slept | could not tell, but
was awakened by a reflection on the
broken window panes of light too red
and warm to be the glare ST electricity,
| and, looking out, saw most singular pro-
cession, composed of about 100 colored
people, men and women. stark naked,
save for a snow-white cincture, walking
silent and grave, one by one. Each carried
flaming torch, except four staIwart men,
who, marching at the head, bore upon
their shoulders a chair, on which sat, or
rather crouched, a woman, and the most
remarkable looking being | ever saw.
| Owing to her position | could not Judge
| of her size, but her face was the oldest and
yet the keenest imaginable, and from out
| its mass of wrinkles burnt her eyes, glanc-
| ing here and there like diamond points.
| Her hair was as white as cotton, and of
great length for a negro s, while on Ter
breast device, with seven points, some
thing like double star was painted or
defined in red. The procession entered
| the house and formed in rows about the
walls, while the priestess took up her po-
| sition in the center.
One of the men produc ed from under
some loose bricks of the hearth kettle
| and tripod, and another kindled of the
shattered wood a fire beneath it, while
| the three others thrust knives into their
arms and holding them over the kettle al
lowed the blood to flow into it. When a
| sufficient quantity had run, women came
forward and bound up their wounds with
the leaves of some plant. Each of the
priestess, cast something into the kettle,
though what I could not see The bag
took her place at the caldron, and, stirring
1T, began low, monOtonous chanting of
some weird melody set to words of a langu-
age strange to me- The crowd joined in,
evidently agitated by powerful though sub
dued excitement.
1t was weird picture | gazed on
through the cracks of the floor. The
glossy black bodies of the negroes with
their flashing teeth and eyes, the ruddy
glow of the fire, and dancing of shadow
and the bag peering into the seething
kettle; while an occasional flash of light
} ming, and rolling thunder and the chant
ing emphasizing the lurid aspect of the
scene. What | am about to relate was
no creation of the fancy though, but a
| fact.
The contents of the pot grew clear as
water and from it arose mist, or, rather
| transparent haze, possessing transferring
power, for the bowed, bent form of the
| priestess showed erect and majestic, the
withered face grew smooth and command
ing, white hair was crowned by diadem,
or rather, helmet with seven points, while
the device on her breast glowed as if
marked out in pho sphorescent fire. Still
chanting, she made several passes with
her hands, and l saw, as if gazing into a
mirror, one battlefield after another, saw
the wounded, the dead, the rising smoke,
and the moving troops-all.
Then the pictures faded, and left one
| or two figures. negro standing one step
belowa white man, but with the two
clasping hands. And this twenty wears
before the negro began to dream of eman-
| cipation. The mist died away; the con-
tents of the kettle darkened, the bag,
withered and drawn, bent over it once
more, and struck it with her clinched
hand. A faint report followed, the chant
ceased, and one by one the crowd approach
ed, and, laying three fingers on each
breast, the priestess delivered to him a
piece of the cooled and hardened mix
ture.
The procession formed again and
shortly was alone, but did not linger
for with an instiutive feeling that it
might better not be known where I spent
the night, ran the risk of a broken limb
and jumped down, then wandered around
| till | found the residence of my friend
| Day was just breaking and | met Gen.
Etchevarry on his way home, too. He
| had spent the nj ght at the overseer's never
| dreaming but that was at his house, and
! no uneasiness had been felt there, as it
was supposed that we had both put up
at the overseer's. When l related to my