Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-09-21
VOODOOISM.
THE BLACK ART, As IT is PRACTICED IN THE
CITY OF WHEELING.
John Bonner, Who Pretsnds TO be an Adept in Thu
Sort Of Thing, Arrested and Held for OBJ
tanning Money Under False Pretensss

| thing about VOodoOlsm, out IN the average
mind it is vaguely associated with the ne
groes of the far South, in the swamps Of
Florida or the bayous Of Louisiana.
Certain novelists Of the picturesque and
uncannv school have dragged this black
art out to form the nucleus Of a shudder
CHAPTER. but outside of limited literary
use in this way people have had very little
opportunity to become familiar with either
the word or the thing it describes, and few
suspect, much less believe, that this par
ticular method Of extOrting money from
the ignorant and superstitious still flour
ishes TO any extent, especially IN thls part
of the country.
Asa matter Of fact. vOodOoism, or some
thing akin TO il, has been exercised right
here in Wheeling, for quite a while back
at least one family of cOlored people OBJ
tanning their sole support from the cash
they are able to collect from those who be-
lieye they are able TO exercise some myster-
ious or supernatural power. This was
illustrated last evening, at the Office OF JUS
tice Davis, where John Bonner was ar
raigned on the charge of obtaining three
dollars and seveuty-hve cents, part OF a
sum of five dollars, promised him by one
Mrs. William Smith, the white wife OF a
colored man, in return for the money Bon
ner agreeing TO give her a charm which,
applied to her husband, would speedily and
effectually cure him OF running after
other women" and especially head OF ms
infatuation for one Mag Case.
The formal charge was obtaining money
under false pretenses, and Mrs. Smith
testified about as follows.
Bonner and his wife live at the east end
of Alley -, in the Fourth ward, and the
wife is known far and wide among the col
ored people and a certain class of whites rs
a fortune teller. while the husband does
the voodOo act, claiming 10 be able 10 sup
ply his customers with charms OF various
sorts Mrs. Smith said she had been
troubled by the disposition shown by her
husband to forget the promises made AT
the altar, and she went to Bonner and told
him the situation. Bonner said he could
fix the thing up all right and keep Will
liam in the narrow path of rectitude, but
10 would cost money. Mrs smith was
willing to pay. but when Bonner told her
he sometimes got fifty dollars FOR really
iirst-class charm, she threw up her hands,
i'm the venacular of the wOOlly West, and
said that settled it: she didn't have no
fifty dollars" Bonner said he was willing
to do the right thing, and would cut rates
so far as TO get up a neat and proper charm
for ten dollars. But where am j 10 get
the ten dollars said Mrs Smith. Bonner
couldn't tell, and the negotiations stopped
right there for a time Finally Bonner
said he would throw aside all professional
regard for proper fees, and would give her
a charm for five dollars, but l do it as a
favor, and il is something ! wouldn't do
for anybody else
After thinking il all over, Mrs. Smith
concluded it was worth five dollars TO keep
her lord and master straight, and she
agreed to the terms and paid two dollars on
account right there and then. On receiv-
ing the money, Bonner told her 10 raise the
rest as soon as she could, and he would
have a charm fixed up by Tuesday of next
week. the 23d inst. He cautioned his client
to say nothing about it, but instruced her 10
cut piece out of garment that her nus
band had worn and sIveated in," and
which had not been washed. Mrs. Smith
left and sent Bonner a piece of an under
shirt. and a day or two afterwards took Bon
ner seventy-tive cents on account. He
again assured her that the charm was work
ing all right, and that he would
be able to straighten her hus-
band up by Tuesday, and Friday he
called at Mrs. Smiths home, and obtained
another dollar on account. Ike Smith was
with Bonner on this visit and between the
two. according TO Mrs. Smith, they charmed
eleven dollars in cash out OF bureau
drawer in the room i'm which they were sit
ting At any rate, when her two callers
left the money was gone. That little incl
dent seems TO have somewhat shaken Mrs.
Smiths belief in Bouner's honesty. if not
i'm his supernatural powers, and she told
her husband about it. The result was
Bonner's arrest, and the proceedings in the
Office of the Justice. Bonner made no de-
Tense and could give no explanation, and he
was held in 500 to answer before the grand
Jury to the charge of obtaining money UNI
der false pretensos He was committed to
jail.
After the proceedings in the Office of the
Justice We're over, cOlOred man was
asked if Bonner obtained much money by
the exercise of his voodoo fraud. In reply,
ii was stated that between telling fortunes
and practicing vOOdoo, Bonner and his
wife made a fair living, and lots of people
called upon the couple. You mustn't
think they are all colored people. either
said the reporters informant "A good
many white folks, mostly young girls, 90
out to see him. and they must pay him
pretty well Bonner is always running
around town. looking after customers, and
whenever he can yet anyone To talk TO nm
he invites and insists upon their coming
out to the house. There's lots of people
believe in Bonner, just as Mrs Smith did,
and they are willing 10 pay, too"