The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-07-15
VOODO0ISM IN JAMAICA.
Or. Jekyn and Mr.. Hyde in Real
Life.
The Strange Story of John Nugent, Alias
Rock Salt, the High Priest of Obea-
hism-The Mountain Den of
the Vile Impostor.
Especial Panama &C. Az letter.

Attention has been recently forcibly
directed to the question of Obeahism in
the West Indies, by the tragic, and in
some particulars mysterious, death in
the island of Jamaica of one John
Nugent, alias Rock Salt" The cir.
eumstances of this death, although
doubtless natural enough, were so sin
gular as to have powerfully excited the
highly imaginative and rankly super
stitious natures of the negro population
Rock Salt, whose portrait is here given,
was well known to a limited circle of
the lowest strata of the people as high
priest of Obi. He was singular char
acter. Seldom seen in public, he was
almost as unknown to the world of
Jamaica as though he had no existence.
He was supposed to reside in hut sit
uated in deep and dark defile of the
Port Royal mountains, some distance
from Kingston. Thither the devout
seeker after deviltry would resort at
night, and place a written statement of
his or her desires in cleft sticks under
preserved meat pans-prepared for the
purpose-in the front yard. Communi-
cation thus established, if the dreaded
Rock Salt pleased to undertake the case
the applicant would sooner or later be
communicated with, an invitation to
meet the 'obeah man" at his lonely
cabin being mysteriously conveyed to
the applicant. Salt would surely be on
time, decked out in the magic trappings
and staff of his priesthood, as
finely brought forth in the picture-and
woe be to the craven or jester who failed
TO keep that uncanny tryst! | may
mention that it was by well planned
trick that succeeded in getting a snap
shot at Mr.. Salt, and so possessed my
self of the negative from which the
fancy picture was made out of which
the accompanying portrait has been
cut. Woe has not yet found me out,
however. and Salt has lifted the veil
and gone to give an account of career
an comparison with which that of Deem
ing. whereat the world is to-day aghast,
might be regarded as mildly immoral.
So much for the Mr.. Hyde of this re-
markable drama of real life amongst
the negroes. Now for DIR. Jel<yll.
John Nugent was to certain extent a
respectable citizen. If he was a sport,
and known to local fame as a plunger
at race meetings. AS such he was also
known to kindred spirits at the Barba-
does, Trinidad and Demerara race meet
ings. Nugent always had means, al
though not worker; but if anyone did
at times speculate as to the source of
his funds the inquiry never went further
than that stage, for beyond his sporting
proclivities the man had never attract
ed the attention of the lynx-eyed
myrmidons of the law. Certainly no
living mortal suspected the existence of
any connection between the festive
plunger aud the almost unknown high
priest of Obi, least of all that they We're
identical That such was the case,
however, the terrible tragedy of last
Good Friday leaves no room to doubt.
The whole affair has been so careful
iy suppressed by the highly sensitive
newspapers of the country that it is ex-
ceedingly difficult to get an accurate
description of what really happened.
have, however, been to the pains of in
terviewing all new arrivals from the
Isle of Springs, and little by little have
drawn forth the story until it is now
sufficiently well pieced together to be
given to the world, and more remark
able one never did novelist dream into
black and white. Of a verify is truth
stranger than fiction.
On Good friday day that in the
British West Indies is univer-
sally observed with deepest devotional