Telegram-herald., 1890-03-10

rAs ysry Qss~r Dsi-<s ~ "a 0ae sssrs
DoekeE IA Ak&hAa.

lsoSkeE IA Alabama
IN T,-so.losss county seost the ~S<ks 40.
/. p.sro kuosn a. jack Nsars. '-(ssd Jsek q
To- Voodoos All ths Black Deesor was
arr-sssa oa aplaist of ssd &ossa eo.orsd
u~opi. No Gained that &c hGa oa~s kun
terla rneaa Tue laws of Alaszlns Do NOT
provide for the paolsaHasnt o. soaaes dos
tors. - Ga Jaek could only be charged Ulth
Disturbing tae peace When as trial csuas
on his alleged victims ~erss fr.id 10 TESTIFY
against ths cid gAn, ana De wss discharged
found Jsck ~ Us bonle a. bax cotton
plantation ten Iailes down tAs WArrior rlver
he wAs boase servant whso bs ~as slave.
and there 1 httls - TIE negro dlaiect in his
conversation
Il was born IN South Cxroiins about eighty
wears ago be sale to nie. n y mother vas
nurse for nv masters family and / gs~~ up
in the bg house With the white cslldren
They tauxht me - read and write and one
of nv youny masters was . doctor | read
some II his books and learned something
about meiicine when | vas only boy
When nv mother became too old 10 nurse
she made medieine for the negroes on the
plantation. Ny master moved 10 Alabama
good many years before the war | wss
an oversser over the other slaves for q while.
aud after nv mother died made the same
medicines she had used and cured tse slaves
on the plantation when they were sick"
But tell me something about your YOU
doc artT' asked.
Old Jack laughed and said There Is not
much To tell. / have studied the moon and
stars. and my mother taught me al about
roots and herbs | can cure any kind Of dis
sase. aud then can make people sick when |
want To- "
What is the effect Of rabbits foo, or .
dry snake skinF
~ rabbit's foot will keep OF fits aud the
snake SKIN cure rheumatism.
Can you really bring good or bad luck ts
peoplsf'
Il would be poor doctor IL couldn't ]
have charm which will keep the evil spiri's
away. and one which viii bring them 10 nv
aid fear no man, and II any one tries 10
harm. me can always get even with them.
Some of the negroes that caused my arrest
would not pay me for my medicines and sent
of for a white doctor when they were sick
put my spell on one Of them and they all
got afraid and had me arrested. They will
be sorry for il when | am done with them.
There'll be more sick niggers on this plants-
tion than a dozen doctors can cure
How do you make your medicine, JsckF'
THAT is a secret viii tell no one There
are plenty Of negroes calling themselves doc
tors, but they don't know anything. they
don't know how TO make the medicine.
II don't know anything about voudoo
dances The coloTed people here on the plan
tation have dances sometimes. and they come
70 me for love powders. They make folks
love YOU when they are under the spell, but
what are you asking me all these questions
fori | have told you too much now, more
than ever told any other white man. You'll
have the newspapers printing more lies about
me if | tell you any more"
Among Jacks neighbors found feeling
Of awe of the old man. Many of them hated
him because they believe he had "kunJered
them, but they dared not say anything dis
respectful of him for fear be would hear OF
it and put bad spell" on them.
Aaron Perry had bought love powders
from old Jack: he had attended one OF the
voudoo 1ances and had also been put under
spell ty the old doctor. He consented to
tell me something about the voudoo dance
Dem was love powders what ole Jack
blow outen is hand, an da make eb'rybody
feel sort 'er funny like. An dem women
folks! Da jis' sing an dance an laugh like
da ies' tickled mos ter deth. Now an den
ole Jack e lay down de fiddle an e sprinkle
more dem love powders an den de dancin' 60
on ergin'.
''Da all jes' stay right dar an da dance til
plum daylight, an den da go home, an fust
thing ebrybody knows da gin ter feel sick.
Ole Jack . edone put some sort er spell on EN-.
Green Weaver and his wife Matilda, who
lived on plantation lower down the river,
had been ''kunjered" by old Jack ! was told,
and ! went to see them. | secured a picture
of the couple as they looked before the spell
had been put on them, and between that and
their present appearance the contrast is
greater than in the average patent medicine
pictures of before and after taking.
Green and his wife did not believe in bis
alleged powers aud openly denounced him as
a fraud. In time this was reported 10 the
voudoo doctor, aud one morning Green and
Matilda found a snake skin and a lock of red
hair on their front step. There was also q
very small bag made Il red flannel and flled
with a dark powder. They were taken sick
that day with chills and their backs ached.
They went for doctor, and be pronounced
1. malaria, and prescribed quinne, but all the
negroes in the neighbornood insisted that old
and a doctors medicine would DO fatal, 50 the
quinine remained untasted and the chills and
back aches grew worse. At last they were
>eJSuaded by friends 10 send for old Jack and
acknowledge their belief in his power He
accepted their apology, gave them some
medicine and in time they recovered, but
were wrecks OF their former selves, 20 severe
had been the spell"
Among the white people old Jack is re
garded as a worthless old rascal who lives by
working on the superstitious fear Of less in
telligent negroes. A fe. Of the negroes have
no faith in his alleged powers, but they have
little to say, because bis following 10 so strong
; Birmingham Special TO New York Herald
steppiak. the Nihilist.
St-pnisk. the Russian Nihilist. who IA spend
ing some years 81 exile in London, il mt q,
prosperous as he might be, although he ha,
recently bcen paid biz sum for his new
work on Nihilisn. lie ia one Of the most tn
dustrious workers in London. be Is Away