The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-04
ATLANTA Constitution.

Twas ruminating about this peculiar
superstition of the negro race. One Of
their color has been very sick in this
town and it got spread among them
that be was conjured. or 'cunJud," as
they speak it, and right there comes IN
the difference between the blacks and
the copper-coloreG and muiattos. Ihe
belief in ''cupjurin" seems to be con-
fined mainly to the black negro. Old
Aunt Ann declares that she was "cun-
jud as sho' as you're born, for be is
turnin' right green" It was these same
black Africans who had all the super
stitions about Brer Fox and Brer Rab-
bit. We had all colors amongst our
slaves when I was boy, but it was
only the black, broadnosed and thick
Tipped ones who told US stories by the
cabin fires at night. They only had a
love for the marvellous and their des-
cendents have it yet. They believe in
hoodoo or voodoo and coDjurin.' They
have strong emotional religion and II
the spirit throws them down in faint
tits sure sign they've got good. What
it is they get don't know, butt suits
them, and there does not seem TO be any
change in their mode of worship. Edu-
ucation has not made any improvement
that we can perceive. Some white peo-
pie are affected the same way, but it is
the exception aud not the rule. With
the negroes it seems 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 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 was accused of
being q cunjurer and black negro
named Luke swore out warrant for
her and Tom Perry, the squire, issued
it, lust to see what Luke could prove.
He said that she made him sick in the
back and kept him sick, and he handed
the Squire dime that she gave him
for chicken and pointed out a dark
spot on it that was the sigp-the proof
that she had copjured the money before
she paid it to hiln. That was all. "What
do YOU wish done with herr? said l.
''She have to swaller de dime" be said,
land dat break de spell. | tried rabbit
foot and I bury lizard under de door
and plat de old mars name when de
rooster crow for midnight, but it don't
do no good. Lis dyin' every day" But
Luke got we'll and Becky didn't swo!-
low the dime, either. One ofmy fathers
negro women got jealous of Minty, the
cook, and determined to poison or cum
jur her to death. Minty got sick and
my mother told Juno to make ber some
chicken soup. She got from an old rag
red scorpin's head, a lizards leg,
bats wing, a betty bug and three or
tour centipedes or thousand legs, as we
call them, and the tail of a green snake
and had the horrible mess cooking in
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 bad been
gathering material ior that soup good
while, and she wasn't much disturbed
at the discovery. She declared that
Minty had cunjud Der husband and
reckon she had. So my father had to
separate the families. Now, did Shake
speare get his witches, caldron and its
venomous contents from the old Afri-
cans of England?
'Fillet of fenny snake
In the caldron boil and bake;