Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-07-31
Ncyro Hoodoo Notions.

was Illuminating 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 he was conjured, or "copjud," as
they speak it, and right there comes in
the difference between the blacks and
the copper-coored and mulattoes. The
belief in "copjurinn seems to be con-
fine mainly to the black negro. Old
Aunt Ann declares that he was "con-
iud as sho' as you're born, for he is
turnin' right green 1t was these same
black Africans who had all the super
stitions about Breer Fox and Brer Rab-
bit. We had all colors among our
slaves when | was a boy, but it was
only the black, broad-nosed and thick
Tipped ones who told US stories by the
cabin fires at night. They only had
love for the marvellous, and their de-
scendants have it yet.
They believe in hoodoo or voudoo
and conjurin' They have strong
emotional religion, and if the spirit
throws them down in a faint it is
sure sign they've got it good, What it
is they get | don't know, but it suits
them, and there does not seem 10
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 negio oes 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 a trance last night at meet
ing and had to be carried out" And
she did cut up. She was the nurse for
four children and they had to keep
away from her until she got over her
lit. She was accused of being con-
iurer, and black negro named Luke
swore out a warrant for her, and Tom
Perry, the Squire, issued it just TO see
what Luke could prove. He said she
made him sick in the back and kept
him sick, and he handed the Squire a
dime that she gave him for q chicken,
aud pointed to spot on it that was the
sign-the proof that she had conjured
the money before she paid it to him.
That was all.
"What do you wish done with herr"
said /.
s'She have to swaller de dime he
said, land dat break de spell. | tried
rabbit foot, and bury lizard under de
door, and | plat de ole mares name
when de roosters crow for midnight,
but it don't do no good, l is dyin' every
day"
But Luke got well and Becky didn't
swaller the dime, either.
One of my fathers negro women get
Jealous of AIinty, the cook, and determ-
lned 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, lizards leg, Il bats wing, bet
tv bug, and three or four centipedes, or
thousand legs, as we call them, and the
tail of green snake, and had the hor-
rible mess cooking in saucepan when
my mother happened in to see how
Minty was and took the top oil the pan
to look at the soup. Juno confessed
that she had been gathering material
for that soup a good while, and she
wasn't much disturbed at the discovery.
She declared that Minty had ''cunjud'
her husband and reckon she had. SO
my father had to separate the families.
Now, did Shakespeare get his witches
caldron and its vcnomous contents from
the old Africans of England?
Filct of 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 owlct's wing.
-AHonto Constitution.