The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-14

HIS trtgh ttuA Anhucncc-itA Founder
Said tn Have Been killed by His
own Black Mngic-BeIievc Wick
cdness .Vins salvation.
From the New York Press.
In mean garnet, in London. there was
found, about two years ago. the corpse OF
a negro, lying inside a curious circle
chalkcd upon the floor. The whole was
surrounded by strange hieroglyphical
figures When tine inquest was held. the
physician 10 whom had been assigned the
task of determining from what cause the
death occurred, declared that he could
find no trace of any violence. OF of any
organic disease In other words he could
find nothing which would account for the
death The jury. thereupon, returned a
verdict Of death from the visitation Of
Cod" in accordance with an ancient Eng
lish custom, which orders this formula
for an unexplained death The man was
buried ana the incident forgotten.
Had, however, the coroner and his jury
known certain facts about this man,
which two or three persons in London,
and several I'm New York, could have told
them. IL is possible that this verdict might
have read differently. And yet, at the
same time, the quaint old phrase told the
cause of death as well as It would be pos
sble to tell it. The details of that have
a surprising connection with a society
now existing in New York, and they are
now, for the first time, given publicity.
The dead mans name was Phillip Ran
dolph. He was born in 1852. in the state of
Georgia, slave. From his earliest years
his negro companions looked on him ask
ance, declaring that he was a magician
Of the voodoo character. After the war he
came to New York, and here engaged in
those who knew him formerly. 1t was in
New York that Randolph formed an or
ganization, which is still In existence, and
the knowledge OF which-now given TO the
readers Of the Press-will come as an UNI
pleasant surprise to those who imagine
that the cult OF devil worship, or black
magic, is confined to Paris and one or
two other European cities. There are few
who are aware that the CHASTITY creed of
satansm has its Votares here that In
this city and in Brooklyn there are men
and women who recognize the same awful
Deity and hold the same blasphemous
ceremonies as the devil wOrshiDDers I'M
der Vintrds in France and Italy.
In a room on the East Side Of New York
once week, the ceremonies of the order
are held. The American satanists have
no connection with the European-lndeed,
they began their practices under Randolph
two or three years before Vintras, and
Johannes began to proselytize-but in all
essentials their creed Is the same. There
is the same worship Of LUcifer; there are
The same blasphemous rites and disgust
Ing orgies. If anything, the satanists here
rather exceed those Of Europe in the
/ shamelessness and diabOlical character of
their proceedings Descriptions of them
are "unprlntable." Both sexes take part
i'm the rites, which usually end with self
mutations (of the kind practiced by the
lowest orders of Oriental fakirs) and in
descrbable scenes of depravity They call
I themselves the "Hcrmetic Brotherhood of
Luz or" or in short, the II. b. of L." and
often obtain recruits by declaring their
object to be legitimate occultism.
Oculists of the better class declare that
the objects of the ceremonies of the sa-
tanists-Or black magicians as they term
them-arc the same as those of the sor-
cerers and witches Of the past Whether
there is any truth in what they say or
not, the explanation that theosophists and
students Of oecultism give Of these things
is curious and interesting.
According to them, these people are a
serious danger to the community, and
I should be suppressed with the same Vigor
as the wizards and witches of two CEN
I turtles ago. Whether we believe in the
powers that students Of magic declare
I they possess or not, ii Is at any rate
/ certain that hypnOtism (Which plays a
considerable part in this practice) Is cap
able Of being employed for criminal pur-
poses.
The manner in which this power is used
by the "Hermetic Brotherhood of Lux
/ or" is characteristic of their methods. If
it is desired to influence an outsider in
some particular way, a number of the
members will form what is termed a
chain-usually Of twelve or thirteen. These
persons Will then together exert their
powers to influence the unfortunate vic
tim of this conspiracy, and, as every mem
Der of the body is an accomplished hyD-
notist, an even slightly sensitive subject
is soon reduced to a state of subsection
to their will. There are, 1t is stated
many instances in which this system has
been adopted successfully, and It is evil
dent that if hypnOtism can be used in
this way from a distance and without the
subjects acknowledgement authorities on
( science declare that It cana real danger
threatens society.
! A person who, until few months ago,
was a respected business man, model
victim of the diabolical arts of these mod
ern "magicans Of the left" He was re-
duced, so he declares, in a few weeks, to a
/ physical and mental wreck. He was una
! BILE to attend to his business, which fail
/ ed in consequence, and his tormentors
continually suggested temptations to
which he succumbed in the end and there
by destroyed the happy relation existing
| between his family and himself. This
statement is vouched for by Vance
Thompson, a well known New York tourn-
aiist, and the last person to be deceived
| by an impOster
There is nothing supernatural, or even
improbable in the arts by which these de-
| graded beings endeavor to obtain their
ends. Recent experiments have shown
| the possibility of much that was credited
/ by their contemporaries to the persons
| executed for witchcraft in the past. 1t
has been cOnclusively proved that a SEN
| sitive can be influenced by a hypnotist at
| great distances and during unlimited pc
RODS of time. What stronger power for
| evil could be asked by a person possess
| ed of necessary capacity2
The ceremonies Of the satanists are in