The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-12
WEST INDIAN
@ FOLKLORE
Miss Halls Reading Before the
Brooklyn Woman's Club.
Ghostiy saperstifiops, Obeahs md
the "Duppy"--ReIfcs of Queer BE-
liefs Born Of Spanish Cruelty.

Miss Margaret Seymour Hall read pa
per before the Brooklyn woman's Clul
yesterday afternoon on 1.-THE Folklor
of the West Indies" Miss Hall has trav
eled extensively in the islands, and afte
telling a number of the prevalent sto
ries in the native dialect. she interested
her hearers with a statement of past anC
present conditions in the Indies. Sh.
spoke la part as follows:
This islands of the West Indies wer,
discovered by Columbus in May, 1892. w,
ourselves discovered them on a beautiful
morning in November, when they ros,
from the blue Caribbean Sea. green and
lovely, and looking like fairy islands, aft.
er the fog and cold. which we had left
behind. On our right rose the mountains
of Cuba. and further on lay Jamaica
where line of cocoanut palms marked
the edge of Morant Bay, the scene of
the hanging of the rebels after the fierce
4 servile instruction under Gov. Eyre. The
history Of the islands is punctuated by
horrors of every sort. murders. rebellion.
! buccaneers. pirates and pestilence. II
1 the tales be true. il will take all the
waves of the Atlantic TO wash clean the
] vanished lOhn. lti Aitlt AuN bhNNdhNNis
had their headquarters and came after
their raids to hold their revels, and there
they wrought such deeds of violence as
never were and cannot he told.
Henry Morgan. who was elected gov
ernor again and again, and finally
knighted. was the most famous and pop
ular He presented the island with
church. for with their rascality these
gentry combined an extreme piety. Daily
prayers were held at sea. and il is
corded of one commander that he shot
sailor in church for irreverent behavior
during mass. Muscular Christianity has
not. We trust, often found so Jealous an
exponent.
The first town, Sevilla Neuva, or Sc
villa d. Orc as it was called afterward.
was built in 1909 by Don Juan d Esquirei,
the first Spanish governor sent over by
Diego Columbus IL boosted a monastery
and cathedral, with a pavement miles
long. likewise a theater and many pal
aces. The old Spanish chroniclers GER
tainly lacked not Imagination in their fer
Yid descriptions One would like TO have
seen the palaces. with their roofs of
matched palm. However, in spite of ali
this splendor. SeVilla d'Oro was soon
abandoned for San 1ago de Ia Vega
The history of the Spaniards in the
West Indies reads like the record of
angels and demons. On the one hand we
n6Ae lives DtANHu praise III liltll StiA-db-
negation and heavenly devotion; on the
other hand cruelties that the bottomless
pit alone seems deep enough to hide.
When the Spaniards first landed on these
islands, says Los Casas. in speaking of
the Bahamas there were about 900
souls They cut the Threats OF large
part of these, and carried away the rest
by force 10 make them work in the mines
OF Hispaniola. When some pious persons
embarked to visit these isles after the
ravages the Spaniards had made in them
they found but eleven people left there.
About thirty isles near that of st. Johns
were entirely depopulated."
Turning TO speak on present-day condi- |
tons. Miss Hall continued:
When a sutton purposes to WOO his |
lass strict etiquette has to be observ /
ed The first step is epistolary: but he 4
must on no account pour forth the ardOr 4
of his soul until he has written and cray I
ed permission. II this is accorded the 4
genuine love letter follows. ] am told .
this is a gem Of composition, but | have 4
never been able TO secure an original 4
although | once received one by mis-
take 1t was brought to me at the no
tel and contained two three-cornered .
notes stuck through and through with 4
flowers like PolOniUs winding-sheet. l
read the first line and | shall always re-
gard it as a triumph of honor that
thereupon returned il to its envelope. and
went i'm search of my namesake in the
laundry The natives have a curious
way of measuring their affec ion by dis
lance. They say; L love you from King
ston to Spanish Town; or from Ocho
Rios to ST. AIMS A wedding cake is
truly a splendid creation. IL is frosted
and sprinkled with pink sugar; then a
tall. stiff erection OF -four and water,
like tail-feathers. is built upon it. and
81 -, -b,1 i xx-;,n srflt {
and round pink-and-white candy wa
fers. with sentimental sentences. such as
Il love thee true A small separate cake
is baked for the parson.
mo description of the West Indies
would be complete without some account
Of the obeah. or witch work. Obeah is {
a form of the old African
snake worship; the same thing which |
existed in Europe. A thorough under ,
of the matter would carry US
back to the very Edentree and the birth |
Of the human race. We have traces of
il in the voodoo charms and incanta-
lions of our own Southern States. What
makes il dangerous in the West Indies
5 the fact that poisoning forms an ele-
nent. There seems no doubt that I'M
awful taking of life by this means oc- 8
,urs in many cases that are never heard z
r. In the published record only So per ! 7
'ent of the burials had been furnished [
With medical certificate of any sort but Z
low strong efforts are being made by the (
authorities to put down obeahism and {
hose engaged in it are subject not only :
o be imprisoned. but whipped :
There is still another kind of magician :
the Myal man. This is a good sort of ,
White magic. a counter-obeah. I believe /,
hey are generally herb doctors. Indeed. :
he knowledge of plants is wonderful !
mong all classes. l could stop any child !
long the road and learn the name of any :
'ildflower / have seen the poorest girls !
top to pick wildfiowers and admire them. g
nd they have lovely gardens about many
the toughest mud houses. The dread ,
I obeah is not the only fear that besets
ne West Indian negro. His soul is filled
18th superstitious terrors and danger $
lrks for him in the most trivial acts If 4
e sits on grave some dire disaster will I
efall. or If he throws a stick at a cotton {
'ood tree he Will die before the wear |
loses. But the chief horror is the ghost h
-the dreadful 'duppy'-'which walketh in c
arkness and destroyeth at the MONDAY I
'eiore corpse is buried il is sprinkled
lth imewater. and all the pockets are a
ut from the clothes. that it may not n
II them with stones to throw at passers o
y. Then rum is poured into the grave I
, lay the spirit. During the night after a
cath the friends and relatives meet and =
ng in the house until dawn. After the
Ody has been removed the room is shut
p until the third night, when a light is
ut in it, and bread and salt. Nothing is
,uched for nine days, when the room is
pened. and in the country places every
hing belonging to the dead is DESTROYED. r.
fter this a wake is held, with much
ymn-singfng, and each fettered ghost e
fps TO its several grave C
ss'rhp &c emo ,,,ol:c....