The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-17
voUDooIsM OF TO-DAY.
A Kentucky Negro Who Exercises a
Mysterious Power over Many of HIS
Race.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

| Russelville, KY, Aug. 24-AbOut the
close of the war apowerfully built negro
calling himself Elisha Broadeaux, made
his appearance in this vicinity. At that
time he appeared to be about 20 years
old, though vigorous as a mule He es-
tablished himself in the small log hut
which he mas occupied con inuously
| since. The new arrival Immediately be-
came man of prominence in a peculiar
way among the negroes of this entire
section of the country. They were unable
10 pronounce the old negro name, and it
was corrupted into "Lige Broad AK. ="
Before the old man had resided in
| the vicinity a year miraculous powers
| were attributed to him by the ignorant
negroes A few of the colored people
were too intelligent to be deceived,
but his influence with the majority was
so great that those better informed
| were not anxious to assert their skeptic-
! ism. To some 'Lige Broad An was a YOU
doc doctor and controlled life and death /;
| to others he was the high priesJ of black
magic and in league with the devil, conf
muning at will with demons and departed
! spirits. To all his race, with few excep-
| lions, he was the embodiment of good and
| evil as he preferred to exercise his in-
| huence and terror generally. Even to
| the white population "Uncle 'Lige," as
| he was commonly known, was always an
enigma. In their presence he was univer-
sally polite and humble, though among
| his colOred acquainJanceS arrogant and
commanding. TO the white children the
aged negro was never known 10 be other
wise than kind, though the fear he in
| spired among the negroes by
| his reputation as voudoo doc
| tor was shared in an exagger-
ated form by them. He was known to do
heavy traffic in charms, amulets, etc.
among the negroes. The purchase was
| supposed to carry cook luck or impart
misfortune, as the old voudoO priest die
| tated They did not doubt his power to
trick" any who had incurred his dis
| pleasure, though when questioned by 4
| white person as to the miraculous powers
attributed to him by the negroes, the old
| negro always hastily denied such claims,
and vehemently protested that they were
| merely the inventions of his enemies. To
the negroes, however, old 'Lige would
| deny mat he had ever told white folks''
that he was not high priest of voudoo-
ism, possessed of divine attributes and
familiar with the mystery of human ex-
istence.
For the past quarter of a century the
locality has been disturbed periodically
by accusations against the old wizard by
members of his race who believed that
OliCJ hdO uCGu pldCtu ulucF Il spell Tor
some fancy slight or because he was paid
to do so by their enemy. These com
plants were of various forms In one
case the victim of the old negro's preten-
sions alleged that he had forced him to
swallow piece of a corn knife in his
sleep. He could feel the point cutting its
way through his flesh He was examined
by physicians and appeared to be suffer
ing all the tOrments incident to the intro
nRf of ,Atg
man stomach. After lingering several
days in an awful delirium, in which he
repeatedly claimed that he had been
| 'tricked by old 'Lige Broad AK. the vio-
tim died. post-mortem investigation
| was made. The stomach was frightfulIy
swollen and intIamed, but if, as was be-
| lieved, the negro had been poisoned, the
! drug used was so subtle as to defy surgi-
! cal skill to detect its presnce This only
| served to convince the negoes more thor
Oughly of the voudoo doctors knowledge
| of the black art.
Probably the most remarkable instance
of this kind in the historyof the old freak
in this locality was that which gave him
| such nOtoriety recently. A Colored man
living near the cabin of 'Lige whom the
| negroes in the vicinity allege had been
threatened by the old voudoo frequently.
was suddenly taken ill. His enormous
frame began to wither until his skin hung
on his body like a great bag. Physicians
agreed that the old negro was dying of
quick consumption, but the sick man
sOlemnly assured them that he was the
victim oflthe voudOO doctors supernatural
power; that he had been "tricked -
Old 'Lige was very much excited when
he heard the accusations, but would
not deny that he was the author of
his neighbours distress. The patient re-
membered that few nights before he
began to suffer he had been awakened in
his cabin by peculiar pricking sensa-
ton at his throat When he opened his
eyes big bat few out the door into the
moonlight. He thought nothing of it at
the time because bats frequently flew
into his cabin but since he was stricken
he was satisfied that his VoudoO enemy
in the person of the bird, had visited him
that night and the consequences would
be fatal In two weeks his once vigorous
form was so emaciated that he was con-
stantly confined to his bed. Several ne
groes declared that nightly they de-
tected weird sounds issuing from the ca b.
in of the voudoo, accompanied by the
most offensive odor and flashes of light.
To them this was construed as evidence
that old 'Lige was invoking the aid of de-
mons to encompass the death OF the old
man.
One night, however, thy claimed, these
sounds ceased. From that moment the
alleged victim of the evil arts of Won
dooism began to improve. The sick man
asserted that he had discovered a charm
that counteracted the influence of 'Lige
Broad AK. To his most confidential
friends he exhibited a sack of ashes
which he claimed was a charm that
would preserve his life. 1t had been Sc
cured from a voudoo doctor further
south. Contrary TO the predictions of
the local medical fraternity, the patient
rapidly regained his strength, and in a
month was as well as ever.
The old voudOo doctors influence among
the negroes of Southern Kentucky has
increased of late years. This is partially
attributed to the fact that though he has
resided here more than quarter of a
century, he has not perceptibly aged since
that time. He is almost as vigorous now
as when he made his appearance in this
locality. The best authorities agree that
the old negro is more than 100 years old.
de is not positive as to his age Famil-
larlty with events early in the present
century indicates that he was probably
born in the last decade of the eighteenth
century. He was brought to New Orleans
in $500 by French planter who left Cuba
at the outbreak of the war between
France and Spain. The old voudoo priest
prefers TO be silent on this subject. as he
desires to impress his race with the fact
of his great age. He declares that he is
lao years Of age, and that he will never
die, having discovered the elixir of i'm