The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-04-30
THE CONJURE WOMAN-TRUTH l
STRANGER THAN FICTION.

'Inc NOnJufe WOMAN w Nh'i IL
w. Chestnut, published by HoughtoI
Mifflin & Co., Boston, price $1.25)
the best book of short stories of TIL
wear. 1t has peculiar interest fo
North Carolina readers because tn
author shows thorough acquaint
anceship with the superstitions an
shrewdness of the negro character
The writer begins his first conjur
story by stating that some years ag
his wife was in poor health and hi
doctor advised a change from the ten
perature in the vicinity of the Grea
Lakes. and he came to North Carolin
to visit a cousin who was in the tul
pentine business. The destination
he writes, was "a quaint old tow
which / shall call Patesville, becaus,
for one reason, that is not it's name
There was a red brick market-hous
in the public square with tall towei
which held four-faced clock tina
struck the hours and from whic
there pealed out a curfew at
O'Clock" The further description
the place and surrounding countr.
shows that Fayetteville was the tow
near which he bought a vineyard an
settled. The seven conjure storie
were told the new settler by an oil
issue negro, s'Uncle Julius" who wa
employed as coachman, and the.
bear every evidence of genuinenes.
They are admirably well told an
each has conclusion that give
Uncle julius credit for smartnes
as well as Il vivid Imagination. l
the multitude of ialects, Chas. Chest
NUTS conjure stories deserve to ran.
with those of Joel Chandler Harri
and Thomas Nelson Page.
We had scarcely finished readin.
this book, which charmingly tells
harmless conjure faith of the old tim
darkey, when the Newton Enterpris
gave an account of a trial in LinccI
court, showing how faith in ''con.ura
ton caused loss to white man j.
North Carolina in the blazing light G
this era's civilization. Here is Il:
story of the trial:
.'Chris Deter was on arial on IL
tlictment for embezzlemen5 and Man
tin Smith was the principal witness
Smith swore that Deter cl.,imed to b
a witch doctor and represented 10 iliI
that his sister, an inmate of his house
was bewitched. After treating he
some time, he said that the Who'll
house and every crack in the hons
was full of witches and that the onl
way to get rid of them ana cure III
patient was to burn the house
Smith and his family had sucb i'm
pIicit confidence in the witch docto :
that the house was set on fire ant
burned down. During the burnin:
the doctor stood by with big sticl
to kill the witches as they came out
But after the fire he claimed that the.
had escaped up the chimney. Smitl
had large hog and the doctor claim
ed that the witches had taken refug
in the hog. but that they could b
driven ont by hitting the hog bt
tween the eyes. Acting on the doc
tors instructions Smith took BIZ
stick of wood and hit the hog on tn
head. while the doctor held the hog
mouth open with a large butche
knife to enable the witches to es
cape. The first lick was not hare
enough and the doctor called for
harder lick. The next blow killed tn
hog. Then the doctor said that Ger
tain portion of the hog, if eaten b,
any member of the family, woul,
cause instant death, but would hav
no deleterious effect on anybody else
He drew mark close behind tn
shoulder blades and convinced Smiti
that il any of his family ate of til
meat back of this line it would brin;
sure and immediate death. Snitl
therefore took the head and should
ers. and the doctor the hams ans
sides"
The Charlotte Observer adds som
additional facts:
smith was living in Burke count.
all this time. The witches provin.
to be unusually tenacious in ibis ease
and refusing either to Danish or l.
banished. DIR. Deter went into consul
tation with Smith again and inform
ed him that he (Smithl would reall,