The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-15
THE SLAVE AND THE "cooN.o,
Current Beliefs Among the COIOreO
People in the south.
From the Baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
Interesting contributions to the collec-
ton of Maryland tradition and supersH-
tons were made last night at a meeting OF
the Baltimore Folk Lore Society, held at
the Friends Meeting house. Laurens
street and Park place. The principal adj
ditions to the society's capital were made
by Miss Mary Spears of Earleigh Heights.
Anne Arundel county, and Mrs. Albert
Leakin Sioussat.
The paper by. Miss Spears, who repre-
sents the Lend-a-Hand Club of Earleigh
Heights,was devoted to traditions and folk
lore prevalent among the colored people
of Anne Arundel county, especially the
older ones. IAN that societies like this
can do will only convey to posterity
faint idea of the quaint picturesqueness of
colored folk lSre." said Miss Spears. Then
she related an Anne Arundel tradition as
to how the colored man came upon earth.
According to the story the devil was one
day. during creations dawn, wandering
around upon earth. He met an ape and
never having seen one before, was consid-
erably astonished. All his efforts to open
friendly communication with the ape
failed, however, and finally, in disgust and
anger, the devil threw a spell upon the
ape, who then and there became a colored
man.
Miss Spears also told the Anne Arundel
explanation as to why the colored man is
sometimes called "coon," Many years
ago, when superstition held greater sway
than now and the influences of the occult
and weird were most potent, a cunning
IL. L., Ns..
of possessing a familiar spirit and of being
able to perform many uneanny mysteries.
His fellow slaves held him in great awe,
and even his master grew to a belief in his
powers. This finally led to a wager, in
which the greater part Of the master $
fortune was staked on the negEo's divin-
ing ability A barrel was placed on the
lawn and a live coon placed under the
barrel. Then the negro soothsayer was
sent for and told to inform the crowd what
was under the barrel. He tried in various
ways to escape the exposure, but with
out success. Realizing that he was cor
nered, he leaned on the barrel dejectedy
and remarked: We'll, you've got this old
coon at last" Whereupop a great shout
appiauded what was considered Sambo' s
remarkable astuteness, and his reputation
was forever firmly established, Ever since
then, the tradition goes, the negro has
been called COON" The story bears a
close resemblance to one told of a cele-
brated Irish wag and wise man of a CEN
fury or more ago.
Persons who have spent much time in
rural districts, she said, know that color
ed people-and many whites-are imbued
with a wholesome respect for the super
natural A prevalent delusion is that the
warm puffs of air frequently met in trav-
cling country roads are ghosts, or ''hants,"
of the departed Miss Spears was one day
loa to fafh oT IN oil q
son for connecting these warm currents
with chants" She didn't meet with much
success. But from whence do they come,
Uncle Ned?" she persisted. Deed, L
dunno, Miss Mary" he said, solemnly
shaking his head. But some of EN- is so
mighty warm has my 'spicions."
Some of the current beliefs among the
colored people of Anne Arundel county
Miss Spears related, as follows:
If you catch an eel on the full of the
moon, kill 1t, skin 1t and wrap the skin
about your arm. You will be cured of
chills and fevers.
Wrap the skin of a blacksnake about
your waist and you will have no more
backache.
If a rabbit runs across your path you
will have bad luck. You must walk back
ward until you retrace your steps beyond
the rabbits path. A squirrel crossing your
path brings good luck. JO1l
Plant anything that grows under ground
on the dark of the MOON
A sovereign remedy for chills is to cut I'm
stick of wood notch for every Gill; blow
your breath on it and throw 1t into a run
ming stream.
To cure warts Cut them until they
bleed; catch the blood in a handkerchief
and drop it In the road. When some one
picks up the handkerchief the warts will
leave.
Supersttions concerning dreams have the
most influence on the imagination of aged
negroes. One of the most popular Is that
to dream of person who has died during
the preceding six months will bring rain.
Mrs. Sioussats paper was entitled "Sa-
tanlc Possession In Plantation Life" and
related instances of singular moral per-
version among colored people, sometimes
extending through generations. She told
of some peculiar characters who seemed
possessed of devils, and at any rate were
willingly accorded that distinction by their
supersttious neighbors In this connection
DIR. Henry Wood, president Of the society,
said that many supersttions and ideas sup
posed to have originated In this country
really came from Africa. Mrs. Sioussat
told of belief that a woman regarded as
a witch was supposed to carry her skin i'm
a bag under her arm whenever she went
on one Of her uncanny missions,