The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-23
UNDER THE voUDoo 3REE.
orgies In Which Oncs Upon Tine a
drunken sailor Played a Part.


spring up In New Orleans before the OBJ
serving eye like fungi in the ruins Of the
Augean stables 1t is not the well known
midnight Shrek. the popular ghost that
walks the alley-way, nor the nocturnal rat
Ting OF chains that sends the grewsome
thrill through the frame Of the callous
legend seeker. 1t is the rare incident, the Gu
rlous haunt, the startling phenomenon. the
blood red moon that pauses in its pathway
through the heavens to swing ominously
over the silent witchery of Wondering
ruins. Clothed in Disgusting rags and
tatters the legend-sseker walks the mid
nigha streets. peeplng into dark byways,
staggering dramatically through peatilen-
tlal cesspools of human degradation, going
into ecstasies over the sublime antithesis Of
the purity of the pale crescent
moon hanging over the gloating slums Of
sleeping cities.
The Voudoos are rare bits for the in
sahable analysis of the mythist. Who are
theys Where did they come from9 What
Is their origin? their Cenets! their religion
are questions which engross and puzzle the
mythlst, are incentives which send in the
rain or the Stvgian blackness of star1ess
nights far into the gloom of unpaved streets
and rambling trees aud curious residences.
In no other great city in the world,
tanned the footing that they have in
New Orleans. Their outlaudish form S
launched amid the superstition and ignor-
anoe of the locality in which they are found
blandly assimilated with its unresisting
susceptibility. A half dozen or so acres of
topping shanties, ivied and crumbling tene-
ments and deserted stables, tenanted by a
horde OF half-Savage negroes, unscrupulous
Sicilisns and hybrid nationalities That is
the scene upon which the curtain rises TO the
melodrana Of the Voudoos
Their rites are undoubtedly degener-
ated modification OF that mysticism which
has been an unsightly excresoence upon the
history or earth from the time that the
GALL aud Cory bantes performed their prints
tive and lascivious services around the
marbled image of Cybele in the starlit tom
pies OF ancient Phrygia down through the
parallel worship of the Thraciau BaptR be-
fore the naked image of Catys, the alchemy,
demonology, and astro!ogy of Christian
Rosenkreuz and his neophytes, the. Rosicru-
clans, the egotistical quackery of
Paracelsus and his beard of wisdom, to the
Mesmer and Caliostro OF the evening of
time and the "Quacks of the Helicon" of
tho present dav. The black art, however,
modified or elaborated into dissimilar forms,
still has as its distinctive feature an animos-
ity to the well being of men. Vindictive-
ness and unnaturalness no less characterizes
the rights of the tropical Voudoo of o-day
than did excessive greed and appetite of
yore typify the ogres Of Jack the Giant
Killer.
There is haunted tree in the romantic
old plaza of Congo square around whose
Scared and hallowed trunk it is said that
the ghosts of long dead Voudoo queens dance
when the rain fails in the moonlight
but at no other time. Then they come
down from the black clouds 10 the
drops of rain. and their rites are
lit by the witching brightness of Hecate,
the goddess of witches. These are the
ghosts. Yet not many years ago, before
the white light of electric lamps disslpated
the shadows of the Congo square with a
seemingly perpetual moonlight, there were
wild dances about that same hollow tree
and there were weird phantasmagorin of
hldeous faces and imprisoned forms show
1ngs beneath the f1tful glare Of foggy oil
lamps.
No more dramatic spot could have been
chosen by these wizards and witches for
their nocturnal rites. The square
itself is odorous OF romance, of duels
and abductions. and of undiscovered
deaths. A stones throw away arc the
hoary walls Of the historical parish prison,
beyond is the aged Trome Market, to
the left of the tree the black waters of the
Old Basin with its crowding of dark YES
sells like q glimpse of Venice. Behind it the
holy walls OF the venerable French cathe-
dral, from whose deep-toned helfry comes
ever and anon through the night the ON
inous ringing of the hours.
The story Of the Voudoo tree is this:
Years ago, when the Voudoos were
power among the ignorant and supersti-
tious denizens of the slums contiguous TO
Congo square, there dwelt In a shanty
certain Noudoo queen who was known to
her benightsd followers as Zourinous Zou,
rinous was progressive; Zourinous was poor :;
Zourinous was ambitious; Zouri-
nous was we'll qualified by an insidious
and INSCRIPTIONS MUD to gain that ascend
ancy over her ignorant followers which
would give her not only fame, but riches
A peculiarly lean and angular form, dis
torted and hideous face and a wonderful
strength and supernatural agility added to
her intellectual capacity that palpable in-
trinsic superiority which goes so far in i'm
pressing the savage.
Zourinous advertised that she had charms
of singular potency for the quietiug of
enemies, that human obstacles to success
were rapidly, effectively and permanently
removed without loss of blood and without
the possibility of police interference.
Her patrons were not few, but she wanted
more. The ceremonials must be more pub
lie. This would increase her popularity.
Her popularity would necessarily increase
her clientele. The increase of her clientele
would be rapidly followed by a more
plothoric condition of her exchequer.
One night Zourinous walked through
Congo square. As she passed a certain tree
her attention was attracted by the peculiar
ity of hollow in its side. The hollow was
large, wide, and high enough for tall man
RI atand in It's SbaDa was that Of an Indian
spearhead. The quick perceptions of Zou-
rinous Immediately turned all Of this to
account.
She announced to her followers that in
the smoke from her caldron of simmerinG
fats and fetiches she had read that in the
Congo square there was tree in which was
a hollow, modelled after the fashion of the
magic spear of powerful wizard of the
east. This would wonderfully augment
the efficiency of her already preternatural
magic. In future all of her charms and
dances would take place after midnight
around the tree. Thus instructed, subjects
of her witchery came in the quiet of the
night to the Voudoo tree of the Congo
square. Zourinuos and her assistants were
t ere before them. They had the tree al
ready arranged.
In its hollows were deposited the feet of
toads, the heads Of chickens, the preserved
toes of dead negroes, and a great steaming
tin bowl of stew compounded OF various
disgusting and unsavory articles. The in
dividual TO be charmed was stood in the hol
low tree, the Voudoo queen sat down in
front Of him, her Oldest bag beat upon
and the rest of the crew Joined
hands and danced with horrible contortions
OF the face and body around the enchanted
tree. The person to be charmed before
,o,,1f,,r, O,,k haOaafh the howl Of cfaU