The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-01
A WITCH DOCTORS
CEREMONIES.
TnG Terrible Ordeal by Poison to Prove
Innocence or Guilt
A Tragic Event in the Wilds of Central At
rica-A Queens False Accusation and
Her Terrible Punishment.

among the tribes of Central Africa offer
rich field of research. From the meager
knowledge l could gain about them during
my travels there, they may be succinctly
described as societies in which the youth of
both sexes are enrolled and placed under
what correspondent to prestly supervision
TO be initiated into many occult ceremo-
MES and signs, and to learn lam
guage known only to the inner cir
cleS of members. The influence of
these societies and the members of them
over the people at large was naturally enor-
nous; the native African being of an ex-
tremely supeTStitious cast of mind, and the
members of the societies claiming for their
especial control the sphere OF Spiritualities.
The notorious medicine men and witch doc
tors are recruited from their ranks, and the
power of an initiated member is supreme in
all things-oVer his neighbprs' souls and
bodies in theory, or, what amounts to the
same thing in practice, over their goods and
chatlels. Fanatieism is motive power at
once dangerous to encounter and difficult to
Withstand, but added TO the low cunning
typical of the religious impOster, it becomes
power by no means TO be deSplSed amongst
peoples peculiarly prone to its influence.
Chance made me an unwilling spectator of
an Instance of the abuse OF this power.
Ii had been my fortune to be intimately
associated in performing the duties of my
position with YillalnOus old African chief,
whom | will call Emba. lie was an obese,
sensual-looking black, with small, wiekediy
looking eyes. His head was adorned with
a towering head-dresS made OF cocks feath-
ers, interwoye with strings of cowries, and
his body was wrapped in large red blan-
ket. be was a man much feared in his To-
cality, where his character for low cunning
and cruelty had become proVerbial The
tribe neighborlng on his own was ruled by
a native queen named Nkula, and at the
time 1 met him this queen was his pet aver
sion. and he was occupied daily in deviSing
schemes of mean vengeance on the NELL
bers of IL whenever chance for doing
so presented itself. Emba's district was one
in which tile influence of these societies l
have alluded to was paramount and he pus-
sessed great influence with the leading med
lcine men, whose services he was able to
command at any tlme-a power that in
creased his Indifferent reputation. l had
seen a good deal of him " hen orders reached
me TO advance into Nknla'S territory. When
l babe farewell to Enba | hardly thought l
should be so soon uDpleasantly reminded of
his vicinity. 1t appeared in the sequel that
his enmlty toward Nkula had never slunl-
bered, and that he had conceived plot of
diabolical ingenuity, which he was able to
carry out successfully, in order to indulge it
TO the full.
Having taken leave of him we started on
our march, advancing well into the heart of
Africa, and each step bringing US into more
fertile and more thickly populated country
The farther we had advanced from the coast
the more we had got beyond that territory
upon which the old slaVe-uealiDg day has,
even at this distance Of time, left its ire
traceable marks in
THE THICKLY POPULATED DISTRICTS
And villages sparsely distributed and well
concealed. Daily the aspect of the country
artf, h mn and aS far
luXuriance went, Of the nature of an earthly
paradise In the vicinity of the villages the
land was we'll cultivated, and each home
stead was surrounded with thick planta-
lions Of maize and banana. Central Africa
is u curious conglOmeration Of diverse
peoples, who. in their tribal relations, re-
semble, in a large degree, the cliQues
of an English country town. Each
tribe subsists by and for itself, to the
rigid exclusion of outsiders. Though the
IN de of life is the same in all, because all
have the same natural conditions to which
to adapt themselves, the customs are not
inlrequentiy dlsslmilar. Thus it is by no
means uncommon to find tribe of restless
cannibals with rowing and brutal instincts
bordering on another that is peaceful in
dustrious and home-loving. Another strIk-
ing trait is the varying degree of difference
between the sexes. In the majority of
tribes the women are only so many slaves,
representing the real property of their
lords and masters, and upon them falls the
most laburiOuS and mental portion of the
daily toll. 1t was now, however, my good
fortune to view the reverse of this picture,
where the females were the recognized
chiefs of the land and the tribe was ruled
by a queen.
The short tropical afternoon was rapidly
closing IN when reached the chief village
of Nkula, tributary princess governing
one Of these latter tribes. As | neared the
clustering group of dome-Shaped huts
heard a monotonous and lugubrious sound
of tom-t0m, mingled with the grooming of
many voices raised in lamentations. Our
a. preach was not unexpected and did not
disturb the mourners, who were mostly fe-
males, seated in an open space in front of
Nkula's hut. On the report of our arrival
Nkula stepped out to meet US. Her appear
anee was pleasant surprise. She was
young, tall and well made, with shapely
limbs and figure. Her face and expression
were full Of meaning, and intellect Of an un-
lOoked-fOr capacity seemed to beam from
her dark and dreamy aimond-shaped eyes.
The sunlight gliSiened on and accentuated
the clearnesS of her smooth dark skin-for
her only garment was grass cinctnre-
and flashed upon her heavy brazen orna-
ments.
She received me with quiet grace and
manner not altogether free from curiosity
which she repressed with a studied courtesy
that elsewhere would have been called we'll
bred. In response To the usual salutations
she offered HE the shelter of her village. and
gracefully accepted a present in token of
good will. When asked what was the cause
of the mourning aud lamentatiOn going on
around us, her pouting lips seemed to culver
with momentary palu and her nostris to
dilate with sudden passion as she faced me.
Then II all faded away. and she simply
answered, Come"
Silently followed her into a hut, to a
corner of which she pointed sadly, aud in
10 half -liplt 4 ann1A liSfipunicl, -
by side. the bodies of two small black chill
dren stiffened by the hand of death. The
scene had striking pathos all its own. The
dim int rior, the tall, sad figure Pointing
silently TO the tiny forms on the ground,
over which death had cast halo of impress
sive calm; the wailing sound of the distant
threnody, with its rude chant and ruder
poetry, contrasting with the hushed cham
Der and its silent occupants, made up pic
ture OF which | have never lost the memory.
Nkula stood thus for few moments, and
then, with pathetic simplicity, she said.
with pereeptible tremor in her voice:
THEY ARE MINE.
Some one bewitched them suddenly. for
they were playing together when bedtime
came"
Sad little souls! A heavy and unbroken
sleep would mark their lengthy bedtime
Before we had pitched our camp had
learned the particulars of this event. Niku-
las two babes, on whom, as is common with
all African women, she had lavished an ex-
trayagant amount Of affection, had died the
day of my arrival quite suddenly. In ac-
cordanee with the customs and traditions of
the tribe their death was attributed to
witchcraft. and / learned that messenger
had been dispatched TO EmDa, Nikula's foe.
to send witch doctor. who was to discover
tile bewiteher, in order that he or she might
be forced to submit TO the inpariable pun
ishment in these cases-tlle ordeal by poi
son.
AS the brief twilight Of the following
evening faded into night was summoned to
attend the witch doctors ceremonies. /
found the village assembled In the open
blazing large wood fire, by the side of
which the medicine man squatted. lie was
thin, meager and hungry looking individ-
ual, clothed from head TO foot in fantastic
robe OF twisted grasses dyed in patches.
HIS hair was abnormally long aud stuck