The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-22
HoODOos Ar TuE FRONT.
Their MaIign influence Along Our
Fighting Line.
From the New York Sun.

1.-The common people ia Santiago are
very superstitious. They believe in che
molign influences of hoodoos, which they
call uelues, @ sort Of people. they say, who
bring misfortune to everybody near them.
The ueque Is what the Italian calls jetta-
tore. II a man, according to the Santiago
folks, meets a neque on his way some Sc
rious misfortune Is sure to happen to hiGl
before the day is over. HIS only salvation
is to take a couple of seeds of a tree called
cayajabos and rub them in hiss hands. As
one of the most valuable presents that
could be given to any one In this time of
war, a Santiago countryman gave the
writer two seeds of cayaiabos to guard
himself against the baleful influence of the
nt'.uss.
ON the morning of July l. when the bonn
hardmeut OF Santiago by the American
army began, the writer was seated at the
door Of a house in III Pozo, right behind
the battery that was Smelling the fort OF
san Juan. The whole city of Santiago
was there before our eyes, and the Span
iards did not seem To heed the deadly fire
OF our guns. TWeuty-sev en- shells had ale
ready been fired at them without any an
swor Tram the enemy Just then a Cuban
mounted upon a mule appeared from be-
ullu the bushes upon llt Hcctlt Oh dtAAoh-
Some fifty Cubans were around the house,
and as soon as their countryman was seen,
one OF them exclaimed:
There is a neque, gentlemen; we are
Iostw
These words were scarcely uttered before
the cajajabos seeds we're being Industrious
~ rubbed by many Cuban fingers.
The first Spanish shell from the battery
Of San Juan came whistling over our
heads and struck the roof of the house.
Three Cubans fell wounded around us.
Then six more shells fell at the door and
on tho roof and the plateau in front Of
the house INJECTING loss Of thirteen
Cubans and fifteen Americans. While
our battery was answering the Spanish
fire, and " was not silenced for nearly
an hour the house was evacuated by the
non-combatanta who had occupied it
There was a fine run to the woods Of
newspaper reporters and hospital attend
ants. The writer was thrown fiat on the
ground and trampled ON by the fugltives.
while Spanish shells were bursting near
him. IL was scene to laugh at now, but
there could be nothing more serious then.
II was a specially solemn moment for
the writer for he fell behind a mule that
was tied 10 a tree at the right side OF
the house and began 10 kick vigorously
at the terrified crowd that had disturbed
him
When the tremendous fight was over,
the writer made a thorough investigation
of the whole surroundings The mule was
peacefully eating grass around the tree,
absolutely unhurt. over thirty Spanish
shells had fallen around him. This is
wonder indeed" exclaimed some one. A
negro. who understood the cause of our
establishment and seemed to be the own
err Of the mule showed US with a trium-
phantly air two seeds of cayajabos tied
at the tail of his animal
Another incident in which a neque play
ed a role happened tow days ago at
camp fifty yards from the hospital Of the
First division and some hundred yards
from Gen. Skaters headquarters After
a ride OF thirteen miles on horseback,
under a burning sun, the writer stopped
there and was courtcously invited TO din
ner by a friend. While he was seated on
the ground enjoying his meal the negro
servant came trembling forward and said.
General. we are going TO be killed IL
we don't move from here"
"Why?' we all asked at once.
Because Don Miguel. the neque, Is en-
camped near us on the other side Of the
hospital"
We laughed at the news to the discom-
future Of the negro, and after our meal we
began a comfortable sesta in the. ham
mocks. We were sound asleep when two
detonations aWoke us. A Mauser bullet
went through our tents, opening TWO
holes in the direction Of the hospital. We
jumped to our guns, and at the same time
American soldiers poured from Gen.
Skaters camp firing at the trees ana
bushes at the general shout of Spanish
sharpshooters neary The negro rremb-
ling behind the tent was rubbing his
cayajabos seeds In less than a minute
over 100 shots were sent among the CO.
coanut trees, but as no fire was returned
an officer ordered our soldiers to cease
firing. a doctor came then from the hos
pital announcing that two Of his nurses
had been wounded by the two first shots
supposed to be from the Spanish.
Next morning the negro asked permis-
sion TO go 10 the front and join the Cuban
army. Il would rather be fighting the
spaniards," he said than living here
near the neque"
II is a bad thing for man to be con-
sidered a neque In Santiago. Nearly ev-
erybody shuns him and only enlightened
people, who do not heed the popular
superstition, address a word 10 him. In
war. among the troops his position Is I'M
pleasant. II is better to be "a Spaniard
than a neque around Santiago.