The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-22
HOODOO AND VOODOO
UNCANNY SUPERSTITION THAT STILL
PREVAILS IN THE SOUTH.
Negroes "Cunjud" and HObgobIin
Tales Fearful Enough To Make Each
Several Hair stand on End.
Bill Arp. in Atlanta Constitution.

IL got spread among them tnat ne was con-
jured, or ''cunjud they speak it, and
right there comes in the difference between
the blacks and the copper-colored and mu-
lattos. The belief in "conjurin" seems 20
be confined mainly to the black negro. Old
Aunt Ann declares that he was ''conjud
as sho' as you're born. for he is turnin'
right green 1t was these same black
Africans who had all the superstitons
about Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit. We had
all colors amongst our slaves when 1 was
a boy, but il was only the black broad
messed and thick-lipped ones who told us
stories by the cabin fires at night. They
only had a love for the marvellous, and
their descendants have il yet. They believe
in hoodoo or voodoo and cOnjurin. They
have a strong emotional religion, and If
the spirit throws them down in a faint II
is sure sign they've got it good. What ii
is they get | don't know, but ii suits them,
and there does not seem to be any change
in their mode of worship. Education has
not made any that we can perceive. Some
white people are affected the same way,
but it is the exception and not the rule.
With the negroes il seems TO be spasmodic.
Its effects have no good influence after the
spasm is over. We used TO say or one OF
our servants, Becky is going to cut up
to-day. She fell down in trance last night
at meeting and had to be carried out.
And she did cut up. She was the nurse
for our children and they had to keep away
from her until she got over her fit. She
accused of being a conJurer and
black negro named Luke swOre out
warrant for her and Tom aae w pfrry' Luke ike
could prove. He said that she mace MN
sick in the back and kept him SICK, and
ne handed the Squire dime that she gave
him for chicken and pointed out dark
spot on it that the sgn-the PROOF
that she had conJured the money D9Ipae
she paid it to him. That was all. What
do you wish done with herr? said l. she
have to swaller de dime, he said, ana
dat break de spell. tried rabbit loot anu
/ bury lizard under de door and l plat de
old mares name when de ROSTERS crow Tor
midnight. but it. don't do no good; L II, Is
Becky didn't swallow the dime either
MAKING WITCHES SOUP.
One of my fathers negro women got
Jealous Of Minty, the cook, and determined
TO poison or conjur her to death. Minty
got sick and my father told Juno TO make
her some chicken soup. She got from an
old rag a red scorpin's head. a lizard leg,
a hats wing betty bug land three or
four centipedes or thousand legs, as we
call them, and the tail of green snake
and had the horrible mess cooking i'm
sauce pan when my mother happened in TO
see how Minty was and took the top off
the pan TO look at the soup. Juno con-
fessed that she had been gathering ma
teriaI for that soup a good while, and she
wasn't much disturbed at the discovery.
She declared that Minty had cunJud her
husband and 1 reckon she had SO my
father had to separate the famllleS. NOW,
did Shakespeare get his witches caldron
and it's venomous contents from the old
Africans of England?
"Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog.
Wool of bat and tongue of dog:
Adder's fork and blind worm sting,
Lizards leg and owlets wing"
The superstitions of the races is an in
teresting study. All have them, and all
are connected some way with spirits
wandering spirits-that haunt our path
way-unseen but not unmindful of our
destiny. The Indian tribes do not seem TO
know anything about conjurin'. but they
have many signs and symbols and a rev.
erence for the great spirit. L read the
other day from one who was familiar with
their customs, that every male child of
chief or a great warrior must be named
for the first thing or object that was seen
shortly after it's birth. The old medicine
man walked to the door with great SOL
en1nity and ceremony and looked out. and
whatever he saw was the name of the
child. whether it was flying cloud or
of his horse" or Sitting Bull There was
a Cherokee chief whose name was Laugh
ing Gall Some hilarious maiden was in
sight when he was born. The ancient
Jews had a custom similar in some re-
spects. The name was connected with
some incident of birth. The great law
giver was named Moses because he was
drawn out of the water.
SUPERSTITIOUS WHITES.
But our superstitions are not confined to
names. Very many sensible and educated
people will make a cross mark with the
shoe before they turn back to get some
thing they have forgotten. some will spit
in the cross. Some put the shovel or the
poker in the fireplace when screech owl
means near the house. Some will not begin
new work or a journey on Friday, and al
most everybody had rather see the new
moon in clear sky and over the right
shoulder For forty-five years / have known
a sensitive. self-defiant woman who will
walk to the back door to get lucky view
of the moon. Her husband makes fun of
her, but will do the same thing on the gv
When we moved into our present house old
Aunt Ann comforted my wife by saving
mighty fine Dlace-mighty fine trees and
all dat: but folks say de house is haunted"
a haunted house. and they will make YOUR
hair stand on end If you have got any:
"O'er all there hung shadow and fear
A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,
And said as plain AS whisper in the ear
The place is haunted"
The old poets and novelists were full of
superstitions. THE Ancient Mariner" the
witches in Macbeth and MD. the the; Phantom
1t is well for us that we spend the night
in sleep. for darkness adds to our childish
fears. Napoleon said that all men were
towards by night and / suppose there are
but few men even among the saints and the
philosophers who would feel perfectly
calm and serene while sitting on a tomb
stone on a dark and cloudy night. My old
army friend. Captain Hockenhull. an En-
glishman by birth. told us one night by the
camp fires that wnen he was about eight
cen some of the town boys bet MIN crown
that he wouldn't go to the charnel house
after dark and bring out a skull. The char
mel house was in the corner of the church.
yard. 1t had no door but had a window
about ten feet from the ground. and as the
bones were taken from old graves 10 make
room for new ones the sexton hauled them
TO the charnel house and threw them
in, for it was the law that dead man had
no right to sleep in the ground longer than
thirty years. Hockenhull was poor and had
good pluck and wanted the crown very bad
So he got a little ladder and placed Ii I'M
der the window. The rascaly boys had al
ready been there and boosted one of their
number up TO the hole and from there he
let himself down easy and hid in the cor
ner among the bones. Hook as we
called him in the army, felt around in the
darkness. and finding a skull was climbing
TO the window. when a deep CHASTITY voice
muttered: That's my SKULL Hook said
ii scared him nearly 10 death at first and
he put il down quick. Then he thought
about the crown and the shame of coward
ice. and began TO feel around for another.
and finding one nearer the window was
about 10 step up, when the same unearthy
voice from the same corner said. that's
my skull" "Oh. you're liar" said Hook.
NO man has two skulls, and he tossed il
out and followed il in a jffy. and carried
II I'm triumph To the alehodse. where the
bows were waiting. He got his crown and
a good reputation, but said he did not