Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-18
voUDooIsM IN HAITI.
sesnss Of . Midaisht Meeting viewed b. .
Spectator.

Il ar<tlnH we &0 ~ -
Spectator.
From the New Ycrk sun
Hs interesting TO note, In connection vith
'ne recent arrest OF negro doctor in Newark
charged with the use Of voudoo methods in
treating his patients, that the practices Of thi,
savage superstition are by no means extinct
even In the western hemisphere. On the Island
OF hasn roudooism Is praetioed almost openly
oy the semi -baroaric negroes, and the .,ronse,,
enorts OF The local government seom powerle~,
TO stamp Il out Mr.. Maurice Feidm.n. .
mechanical engineer. for somo time a resident
OF Port-su- Prince. claims 20 have Witnessed .
fuli voudoo sacrifice and ceremony. He had
been working on the Panama railroad in 1855
but when the canal company failed he left for
Hayt, where he engaged to establish . sugar
refinery at German, eight miles from Por,-au-
Prince. The refinery Was being built BY Gen.
Brenor Prophete. ex-minister Of war. and IN.
natives Of the district we're bitterly opposed 10
the innovation.
whea Feldman arrived at his new nos, n.
was warned against accepting ANYTHING TO ca,
or drink from = native, lest he De poisoned BY
these vindictive and half-savace negroes He
was warned in this WAY because several French
mechanics who had come % HAyu in 1872 20
establish refneries for Minister Brfce bad been
murdered They had been induced TO drirk
OF the juice OF some noNicus herb which made
them crazy and caused their teeth, nails and
hair 20 fall out One Of their number partooA
OF = poisonous liquid which threw him into
eatslepiic fiL lie buried FOR dead by his
friends andafterwarddug up by the negroes. who
carried him TO the altar Of the voudoo god.
| where they crushed his skull and deyoured hi-
! brain. There is superstition among these
| pecDie that in this way thew may acquire the
/ lnteihgenee. skill and knowledge of their VIC
nm. They also mix blood with rum and drink
/ II az these ceremonies
| Mr.. Feldman al irst refused. 90 believe that
there vas any truth in these stories, and Il was
ioF tins reason that Gen Prophete arranged 70
| nave MIN witness a voudoo orgie The sx-
MINISTER'S nephew: Mr.. Raoul prophete, a
young mulstto, offered 90 act a. his guide, ard
on sla night OF December IL, 1883. he con-
Quoted Feldman 10 a place in the woods vhers
semble
As II would have meant sure death 10 any
! White man seen during such a ceremony the
TWO explorers sought the woods several hours
before the time at which IL was thought 10
would begin. They climbed 10 the top Of n
| tah Tree overlooking clearing in the dense
forest, having previously blackeued their faces
ana hands so that no white spot would be yii-
bic If the leaves should part
| The negroes of Africa from which the HAY
tans are direct descendants, have blind adore
non Tor the serpent, an African name Of which
is "Hoodoo." The native Haytian viper is con
seeuently the idol to which the Haytian negroes
make their sacrifices. as their fathers before
| them did 70 the African snake.
In the voudou religion law il the synonvm OF
divinity. The priests of the divinity. there
fore. bear the name OF "Papa-Lsw" (French
papeloil; that is, fathers in the service Of the
law, or fathers in the service OF the gods. Their
assistants are called "Hoogsns" Both the
"Papa-Laws" and the "Hooeans" wear their
wcolly hair hanging in long thick braids, and bv
this token they are known az sight TO be men Of
a sacred character
In the clearing near which the two men had
concealed themselves stood q rough altar, the
''honfour." on the top of which vas placed the
fsobagni, or tabernacle, in which Was con-
nned the sacred viper or god ''Hoodoo."
Around the sobagni and on top Of the altar
| were piled a number OF bracelets and amulets
OF metal which the "Papa-Lsws" were TO bless
during the ceremony and thus endow them
| with mystic virtues. These amulets are sold
! 10 the negroes for large sums and are called
'hoongas. which, literally translated, means
mascot The priests who sell the hoongas obtain
great influence over the minds OF the believers
In the larger OF the voudoo ceremonies the
'Papa-Lsw" takes the rois OF chief priest Of
the sacrifice. He IL assisted by some favorfts
woman, who takes the title Of Mamma Law &"
1t Is her duty 20 supe-intend the cooking Of
the victims Ii Is thus evident that with their
naturally cruel temperaments these Papa
Laws" and Mammalian" have the power to
commit most awful crimes 70 satisfy their
passions and their caprices. and especially TO
preserve over the minds of the believers in
voudooism an occult power against which no
organized law can have any effect Not only
do they poison people and inoculate the germs
Of cataleptic fits in order to dispose Of their
enemies, but they even go so fa- as 20 bury
| people alive and take them up At night in
order to practice upon them their horrible
cult.
On this night OF December IL, 1889. the
sacred drums were beaten at dusk, and e was
not long before 500 or 400 negroes-men and
women-had gathered in the clearing near the
tree at the top Of which sat the two men. The
divinities were loudly invoked with the cid OF
the thrse drums and by an iron triangle beaten
by-~steel bar. These. noises constituted the
first part OF the ceremony. They were followed
BY the drinking of ta6a, a kind of CHEAP rum
| The victim, a child about six wears Of age put
to sleep by some Supplying drug and called the
| cali without horns, was placed upon the
altar. Then began dancing about the altar. or
| rather the wild contortion of limbs and bodies
70 which has been given the names Of BAN
bouls. 'Chics," 'Calinda," &c. The dancers
howied their songs to the god OF voudooism,
| the words OF which are somewhat TO this effect:
'Oh, powerful diyinities. question the grave
yardl Ii will tell you truly which gives Won
the most victims. death or our cult -
The negroesrapidly became intoxicated from
| the effects OF the tafa. The men ana the
|
srid danced wildly about, their black naked
bodies shining by the light 81 torches Of tar,
which had been placed in the ground about the
altar. When the dance was ended the Papa
Law seized the victim by the back OF the neck
and held il on high with his left hand while the
negroes sang a chant somewhat like this;
| Eh, En- Bambs-shi
| CANA Moune. no De le'
| Canga. CAnga. do hi 10!
Csnga kA H. Oanga La
At the end Of the song the 'Papa-IAw"
plunged the sacred knife into the throat of the
| innocent victim, and the child's blood fell into
q sacred vessel held by the Hogan Rum was
| mixed with the blood and the Mamma Law"
passed it around 10 be tasted by every one
present. The fanatical fury OF some Of the
| negroes became great after having tasted Of
this that they threw themselves upon the victim
and tore the body 20 pieces with their nsils and
teeth and devoured the flesh like cannibal.
Then the priest cut IN pieces what remained
and passed il TO the 'Mamma-Law." who
placed it over q fire in pot with rice and red
beans When cooked the hideous meal was dis
tributed among those present, and more tana
was drunk.
The disgusting scene became indescribabIe.
The alcohol and the excitement Of the dancing
a. .lraA inf,