The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-07-23
AWFUL RITES.
Atrocious Practices Of the Gam
nibals of Hayti.
In Their voodoo worship They Sacrifice
Human Life and Feast rpon 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 New York
report. Maurice Feldmann, a Iiun-
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. 1t 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 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 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 q
large iron pot with some red peas, rice
and other native vegetables. During
the cooking the negroes danced round
the fire. This bamboula dance Is
native negro dance of the most revolt
ing sort, consisting mostly of contor-
tions 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
voured every particle of the child.
Having finished, they gathered the
bones in q 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 1s,
1890, 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 q 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 childs 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
| hhC" PCioVlldiiy "ohldh hdlhSe
Ulysse, living at La Crois des Bouquets
ten miles from Port au Prince, whose
seven children were eaten at voodoc
dances during her absence by their OWL
grandmother and tho neighbors.
That such cannibalism is Well known
to the authorities is shown by this quo
tation from the official organ Of the
Haytian republic:
| On1cial notice No. 2,2os.-Fro m the commits
sary Of the government at the civil courts Il
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 gross and absurd religion. I alst
| added that counted on you to suppress thes,
things, which you know ore condemned By
moral sense and punishable by law. Having
learned to-day that the voodoo dances, which
had for q time been stopped. have recon-
menced. I order you to strictly enforce the
law against all who abandon themselves t.
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 cannibalism is one
which says that it is well-known fact
in Port au Prince that it is unsafe for a
person not desirous of becoming an.
thropophagous to buy lamb chops" in
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