The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-07-04
AeRAM's METEmPsYcHosls.
Changed by sad Accident From Pant'el
Into a Man.


Into Man.
Among the negroes of southern Ar
kansas there is belief in the transmi-
grafton of the soul. writes Opie p. Read
in the Arkdnsd1c Tfaceter. Their be-
lief, however. is different from the
inetempsychosis of more enlightened
men, for instead of believing that the
soul of man after death enters the body
OF an animal or bird, they believe that
the soul of an animal or bird after
death enters the body of a man-in
short, every man represents some
animal. reptile or bird that lived years
ago.
Abram Carter. very old negro. who
lives on the Sanders plantation. when
asked why he believed so absurd the
ory thus answered:
'Becaze it's de truth. sab. II amt
no yeresay wild me. Gaze / knows it to
be er plum fack. Sometimes you call
er man er dog. Why? Gaze he aeks
like ell dog. Why do he ack like er
dog? Gaze he's got de soul o. er dog
dat mout a lived er hunnud years
ergo
..Does man ever know to what
animal his soul belonged in the past?''
.'Oh, yas. sah. specially dem whut
hab got er powerful ricollecktion. I
knowd er powerful smart man
he wuz. too-dat ricollecks might well
when he wuz er owl. hyin' bout de
neighborhood."
..Do you remember what you were?''
jest ez well ez eff it wuz yistidy.
sah.n
What were yon?n
81 wuZ er painter, sab"
"A pantheri''
..Yas. dat's whut I WIZ. 1t want
fur from we're. down in de river bot
toms yander. | ricolleck playiu' wild
my mammy. one o. de fines '-lookin'
pant 'ers dat dar wuz in de whole coun-
try. / had two brurs and one sister.
We lived in de holler o. er gre't big
cottonwood tree. an reckon we wuz
erbout ez happy ez any family o.
painters in de curmunity till grief come
ter us. One day nanny she tole us
dat. as times wuz putty hard. she
would halter go out an git suthin' fur
US all ter eat. She tole US dat er awful
monster called mau had Jest come
round. an dat we must be keerfnl ter
stay in the holler tree lessen de man
would kill us. Wall, after NANNY
went erway my Oldest brur he sunter
talk. Tell YOU whut les do he saws.
les go off down yander by de branch
an' play whar de sun is so bright Den
sister she say No. we mus stay yere.
You ricolleck whut NANNY said
Oats all right, nv brur lowed. we.
been playin' 'ruuu' we're fur er mighty
long time an dar ain nothin' happened
yit-'
ssTV,U = tbe ,ld ,,,,,. -. ....l r..
a slight pause. I'VE went down by de
branch an guuter play in de sun. De
day WIZ beautiful an de dogwood was
in bloom an de wild plum bushe.
blowed bref o. sweetness. All al
Whut's dat?' / looked an | know'd il
mus be er man. Gaze / neber seed
nuthin' like it befo'. Oar he come
at him, said brur. He amt so awful
is he? Why. he couldn't hurt US eff he
wanted ter. He amt got but two leg.
an' / knows he couldn't ketch us eff ht
wanted ter. Nanny is awful skittisl
to get skeer'd o. sich er thing. I'm
gwine up an take er good look 1T him.
Ne an sister an my utlder brurs tried
to 'suade him not ter. but on he wen
an we crouched down an watched ds
outcome. 1t want long iu comm
De man he sorter jumped when he SEED
my brur an snatehed de thing offer
his shoulder. hill it out an den dal
come er awful noise wild smoke. ID,
smoke cl'ared erway. vile we crouchet
down closer an closer. an den we seeC
our bridder tumblin' over an over OF
de leaves an blood spurtin' outen hi
head. Den sister = mighty tendel
hearted she wuz, too-iumped up an
run ter brur. an all at once de man HI
snatched suthin onten his belt-tiidu
know whut er belt wuz den-an' del
dar come ernudder noise alInos' e
loud ez de fust one. De smoke craret
erway an dar laid sister-dead.
yeard er noise-I think | veard it-bu
den dar' wuz-wuz nothin'.
lit 'peared ter me dat tuck er Ions
nap" the old negro continued. after
pause. 1T 'peared ter me dat fur e
long time somebody wuz irwin teI
couldn' be woke. Den er light gunte
glimmer. sorter. All round me wul
+ er awful dark night, an / hil' out m
hans toward de light. 1t growet
brighter an brighter. an all at once
lay on er bed. | vered er song.I yere,
er banjo. an de light come in at d
winder. Er oman gethered me clos
up ter her. an she sung er tune an
dozed off ter sleep.
Il woke an den / was ruunin' rouu
de yard wild nothin' on but er shirt
De hens roun' de barn wuz er cacklir
an / noticed dat de redbirds wu
buildin' dar nests. Er man lifted NJ
up in his arms an er woman tole hir
ter look lout, an all at once / went te
sleep ergain. When / woke de hen
wuz singin' an de men wuz pitchiI
hay often de wagon. / thought al
thought. an den knowd dat wuz e
boy, an would be er man. OATS d
TRUTH" the old man added. Il uste
be er animal, but now Is er pussoI
an when quits bein' er pusson, d
lawd only knows whut Is gwine tt
be-"