San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-12
SOUTHERN BELIEFS.
QUEER SUGGESTIONS THAT PRE-
VAIL AMONG NEGROES.
Signs for Everything-The Ball ofFeath-
ers in a PIllow-The GrewsOme Custom
That Is Practiced in the city OF New
OrIeans-A Difficult Task.

a ers IN a BlllOW-Ine Gie"sohie S"''
# That Is Practiced in the city OF Ne"
!. OrIeans-A Difficult Task.
y Webster defines superstition rs "belief
e in omens and prognosticS," and further,
n "omen. a sign, a prcsage; prognostic,
q foreboding, token" &, all these detinl-
T tions the only one used and understood by
o that most superstitious of all races, the
t African, is sign" a sign of trouble, of
r sickness, of JOY, of sorrow, of visitors, of
f accident a voyage, death!
If the cat washes her face with dainty
touches of velvety paw, DAT a sho' sign
hit gwine to rain, Miss Nanniem If Senior
Cockalorum crows Justify three times be-
fore the door, "Gwine hab visitors dis day,
Miss Mamie, sho's YOU bawnr If sparks
scatter in golden showers from the chin
| ney Don move, chile; hit won't burn
yo'; dat sign money comm to you"
Dom burn the egg shells, honey, case dat
| bring you sorrow" "Fo' de Lawds sake,
see dat rat run cross dat heyth [hearthl
You's got a bad enemy, chile, gwine to do
you sum dirt" "Wha' for you kim back,
| honey? Dom you know you mustn't turn
back arter You git stated? Dat sho' sign
| you gwine to hab bad luck while you out.
J
! on de bed? You an her be bad friends sho',
| you see"
BALLS OF FEATHERS.
These and hundreds of similar sayings
| and superstitiOns are as familiar to south
erners as the blue skies and fragrant bios
| SONS of their sunny cline.
In the extreme south, more especially in
Louisiana, and in New Orleans worst of
all, where French, Spanish, Italian and
African-all races peculiarly susceptible to
occult intluences-predomina supersti-
ton runs riot.
Perhaps the most peculiar of the many
methods adopted to work upon the super
stitious negroes was the insertion by APP
parently supernatural means of balls of
feathers into pillows and beds / have
myself examined these creations, and mar
veled at the skill displayed in their manu-
facture. The closest scrutiny failed to dis
cover rip or newly sewed seam in bed or
pillow tick, end yet the balls were found
buried in the mattresses and among the
soft feathers of pillows. They were made
Of soft, highly colored feathers, brilliant
and gaudy, scarlet and gold, bright blue
and vivid green, and were about the size
and shape of an orange.
A peculiar Odor was exhaled, and when
lightly struck an almost impalpable pow
der arose. An inquisitive Jack of the fam
lily cut one of the queer objects in halves
and we found therein such an assortment
as Shakespeare puts into his witches cal
dron, as they brewed in darkness and tenn
pest;
Fiet of a fnny snake,
Eye of newt aud toe of frog.
Wool of bat and tongue of dog
Lizards leg, and owlet's wing.
ALL SAINTS DAY.
Certainly there were all sorts of horrible,
unnamable objects. The soft, whitish pow
der that arose in high clouds when the
balls were touched was undoubtedly some
subtle, insidious poison, the secret of its
composition perhaps handed down from
the alchemy of the ancient Egyptians, and
its constant inhalation during sleep was to
cause slow, lingering and eventually
fatal illness, without apparent cause, to be
set the unfortunate victim selected
The creole negroes of New Orleans have
a grewsome fashion of invoking a consum-
nation of their wishes that believe is EN-
tirely indigenous to the soil of that quaint
cosmopolitan semi-fOreign old city Among
the numerous fete days, high days and
among the too sober pathway of the twelve
months OF the year none is more beauti-
fully observed by the New Orleanaise than
the first Of November. This is by legal
| statute state holiday, and in the Catholic
| aud Episcopal church calendars All Saints
day, but in Louisiana, and particularly in
| the Crescent City, it is a day for the re-
| membrance of the dead
hot = I -
occupant forgotten that does not bear me
| mentO. From the simple conch shell, or per
| haps only little mass Of white, glistening
| sand, with II paperrose stuck in its midst,
| to the elaborate, expensive floral tribute
| that crowns the lofty marble of the rich
| mans resting place, not one is left without
| decoration. A general pilgrimage to the
many cemeteries in aud around the city
| takes place, and it's observance is universal
| to surprising degree.
1t is on that day the old cradle supersti-
| ton tells you to pursue the following
| method if you want to have your wish, the
| dearest desire of your heart, fulfilled.
PERHAPS THIS IS EASY.
You must purchase beforehand a hand
kerchef, and it must not be used, but kept
clean and white for this occasion.
| On the eventful morning you must leave
home as early as possible and also as quiet
| ly, and not word or a sound must escape
your lips from the time you close the door
behind you until you return. You must
60 TO cemetery, enter the main gate. walk
| from there TO the opposite wall. on the
main avenue, and somewhere on its length
you must pick up piece of dirt; tie this in
one corner of the new handkerchief natu.
rally expressing your most heartfelt wish.
Leave she cemetery by the same gate
you entered, and make your way TO a sec
ond; enter this and pursue the same course.
/ tuit,r. n Lit nf ni..E frnln do III, OH. 49, ~