Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-21
AWFUL RITES.
Atrocious Pract hes of the Can.
nibals Of Hayti.
In Their Voodoo Worship They Sacrifice
Human Life and Feast Upon the
Flesh of Innocent
Children.

Human Life and Feast Upon the
Flesh of Innocent
Children.
A Haytian refugee lately spoke OF
voodoo alteration and of human sacri-
fees in Hayti, not far from Port au
Prince. Another witness to the same
thing has appeared, says a New York
report. Maurice Feldmann, Hun
garian mechanic employed in machine
shops at German, eight miles from
Port au Prince, learned some time ago
that there was to be human sacrifice
not far from where he lived at $3.50
o'clock in the afternoon. It was to be
conducted by the papaloi or voodoo
priest of German. Accompanied by his
assistant, named Schmidt, Feldmann
made off in the direction in which he
had heard that the sacrifice was to be
performed. The expedition was not
devoid of danger, for the negroes, feel
ing undoubtedly that their butchery of
children would arouse the wrath and
opposition of the white inhabitants of
the island, were exceedingly careful to
carry out the atrocities in the seclusion
of unfrequented groves. The two men
were armed with heavy revolvers and
were careful in the selection of their
route. When they reached their .des-
tination they climbed into the branches
of tall tree, from which they could
plainly see all that was going on below
without being seen. From their posi-
ton they witnessed the voodoo sacrifice.
The ceremony was begun by the burn
ing of aromatic plants around a sleep
ing child two or three years old, which
had been put to sleep by herbs. The
papaloi stepped up to the infant and
severed the head from the body with
one stroke of a sharp knife, and passed
the head to all present. While the
head was being passed the papaloi cut
up the body, which was thrown into
large iron pot with some red peas, rice
and other native vegetables. During
the cooking the negroes danced round
the fire. This bambou1a dance is a
native negro dance of the most revolt
ing sort, consisting mostly of contor-
tons of the hips and abdomen. The
end is reached when the participants
become so excited and exhausted that
they throw themselves on the ground,
where they wallow over each other and
howl.
When the dancers had recovered
they gathered for the feast and de-
voured every particle of the child.
Having finished, they gathered the
bones in hole in the ground, buried
them and erected a wooden cross over
the grave. After the two observers
had given the cannibals time enough
to reach their homes they climbed
| down and went back to German. The
| Haytian negroes do not always seek
| seclusion for their cannibalism, as they
| did on this occasion. On March 10,
| $780, Emile Huttinot, acting consul of
| France at San Domingo, stopped in a
small restaurant on the north road,
only half mile from Port au Prince.
At this resort every Sunday the negroes
hold a voodoo dance. Mr.. Huttinot
| called for soup, but when it was served
he found in the soup the hand of a
child. He Immediately rode into town
| and notified the police, who searched
the restaurant and found child's en-
tire body in the cooking pot. The wom-
an who kept the place was arrested,
but suffered only three days imprison-
ment for her offense.
| A gentleman from Hayti said that he
knew personally a woman named
Ulysse, living at La Crois des Bouquets,
| ten miles from Port au Prince, whose
seven children were eaten at voodoo
dances during her absence by their own
grandmother and the neighbors.
| That such cannibalism is well known
to the authorities is shown by this quo
tation from the official organ of the
Haytian republic:
| Omcial notice No. 2202.-F'ro m the commits
| sary OF the government at the civil courts to
| the judges Of the peace Of the precinct: In my
| official notice Of November 90, No. $40, asked
| you to order the cessation OF all voodoo dances
| and superstitious practices which attest the
| belief in q gross and absurd religion. I also
| added that I counted on you to suppress these
| things, which you know are condemned by
| moral sense and punishable by law. Having
| learned to-day that the voodoo dances, which
| had for a time been stopped, have recon
| menced, I order you to strictly enforce the
| law against all who abandon themselves to
| these practices. In this way you will aid in
establishing the true principles Of civilization
| on this island.
Among other reports which have
reached here concerning voodooism,
human sacrifice and cannibaism is one
which says that it is a well-known fact
in Port au Prince that it is unsafe for a
person not DESTROYS of becoming an
thropophagous to buy 'lamb chops in
%1,rY Il or1yo fc