The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-01-06
THE NEGRO GHOST DANCES.
The Weird Orgies Carried On by
the COl0red People of Kan
SaS City.


newspaper correspondent visited the
section of this city known as Belle
view Hollow last night and by the
aid of a negro friend secured admit
lance to where the sO-called ghost dance
was in progress. 1t was presided over
by Reuben Carter, who proclaims
himself as the forerunner of the black
Messiah. The dance was one of the
most grOtesqe scenes ever witnessed
in this part Of the country and was
nothing more nor less than the
"voodOo" dance of the negroes of
Georgia and Louisiana, only the
orgies were not SO horrible.
Carter was most Enthusiastically ar
rayed and led the mad dance with an
energy which was surprising. He was
stripped stark naked with the excep-
ton of a cloth which was fastened
around his waist and hung down to
his knees in the form of skirt. His
body was oiled til it shone in the light
of the candles which were stuck
around the room. Around his neck
and down his back were lot of rattle
snake skins. On his breast hung a
"voodoo" charm string, composed of
bones, shells and odds and ends of all
sorts. In his left hand he carried a
rabbits foot, while in his right, he
held willow wand, at one end of
which was tied bunch of ROSTERS
feathers, which he whirled about as
he danced.
The prophet went from one end of
the room to the other, while the fol-
lowers OF the new craze sat around on
their launches watching the mad
gyrations closely. As he passed
along the line he would touch one
after another with his ward and those
so designated would follow him in the
dance. This was continued until fif-
teen men and women were on the |
floor dancing, presenting a weird
scene. As the dance proceeded, those
kept up a monotonous song
full of negro melody, with a hum
ming interlude, the refrain being the
word "come," which some of the
singers repeated constantly.
Faster and faster became the dance
until suddenly Carter came to full
stop in the middle Of the floor with
both arms extended forward and up
ward. His eyes became fixed and
CLASSY appearance and be
slowly sank to the floor and after a
few convulsive tremors lay perfectly
quiet, while the devotees waited with
painful silence for the next NANTES
5ation. Slowly, like one asleep, the
prophet rose to a kneeling posi-
ion and with his eyes still fixed began
to talk. His voice was changed and
seemed to come with the action of his
lips. Gradually it rose from a whis-
per until the full volume filled the
room with a sonorOus sound.
His words were those of a camp
meeting exhOrter, and his talk con-
Iinued for many minutes, during |
which his hearers interpreted the
harangue with groans and cries. By |
degrees his voice grew weaker snd
it ceased. He again sank
to the floor, where he lay for a mo.
ment, and then he started wildly to
his feet and gazed around the room in
a dazed manner. He was led to the
corner of the room where he was
placed Oh a couch and given nourish-
ment by some of his followers. As
he Jay there he told of the glories
which had been revealed to him
while in his trance. He told
them that all who believed would be
led to a land OF perpetual summer.
They would all have Whist their hearts
desired. They would be shown mira
cles and signs and wonders which
would convince them that their leader