Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-07
NEGRO HOODOO NOTIONS.
Did Shakespeare Get His Idea of the
Witches Broth From Africa.

Did Shakespeare Get His Idea of the
Witches Broth From Africa.
From the Atlanta Constitution.
I was Eliminating about this peculiar su-
perstltior Of the negro race. One Of their
color has been very sick in this town and
1t got spread among them that he was con-
jured, or ''conjud," as they speak 1t, and
right here comes in the difference between
the blacks and the copper-colorel and
mulattoes. The belief in ''conjurin' " seems
to be confined mainly to the black negro.
Old Aunt Ann declares that he was Gun
jud as sho' as you're born, for he is turnin'
right green" 1t was these same black Afri-
cans who had all the superstitions about
Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit We had all
colors among our slaves when 1 was a boy
but 1t was only the black, broad-npsed and
thick-hpped ones who told stories by
the cabin fires at night. They only had a
love Tor the marvellous, and their descen-
dants have 1t yet.
They believe IN hoodoo or youdoo and con-
1urin. They have strong emotional re-
ligion, and if the spirit throws them down
IN faint 1t is sure sign they've got it
good. What 1t is they get 1 don't know
put 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
TO be spasmodic. Its effects have no good
influence after the spasm is over. We used
TO say OF one of our servants: Becky is
going to cut up today. She fell down in n
trance last night at a meeting and had to
be carried out" And she did cut up She
was the nurse for four children and they
mad to keep away from her until she got
over her fit, She-was accused of being a
conjurer. and black negro named Luke
swore out a warrant for her. and Tom Per-
~, the squire, issued 1t. just to see what
Luke could prove. He said that she made
him sick in the back and kent him sick
and he handed the squire a dime that she
gave him for chicken and Tointed out a
spot on 1t that was the sign-the proof that
she mad conIured the money before she paid
II to him. That was all.
Had Done Everything.
What do you wish done with her?r said l.
'She have to swaller de dime he said,
land DAT break de spell. tried rabbit foot.
and bury lizard under de door. and 1 pla,
de old mares name when de ROSTERS crow
for midnight, but it don't do no good i is
dyin' every day" s-.. ...-
But Luke got well and Becky didn't swat
low the dime, either.
One Of my fathers negro women got
Jealous Of Minty. the cook. and determined
to poison or conjure her to death Minty
got sick and my father told Juno to make
her some chicken soup. She got from an
old rag red scorpions head, a lizards leg
bats wing, betty bug, and three or four
centipedes, or thousand legs as we call
them, and the tail of a green snake and
had the horrible mess cooking in a 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 confessed
that she had been gathering material for
that soup good while, and she wasn't
much disturbed at the discovery She de-
ciared that Minty had "conjud" her hus-
band and I reckon she had SO my father
had to separate the families. Now did
Shakespeare get his witches caldron and
Its venomous contents from the old Afrl-
cans 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 owIet's wing.