The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-12-28
WORSnlPERS
Or vOUDOO.
Awful Rites Are Enough 10 IuTa
Any Dscsnl St0laGa.
A TRAVELLERS EXPERIENCE.
-
ntvuItlng Ceremonies Were Performed ID
tGs YAK -eptas Of hanh vsIunna
swamp fOIesl.
A TRAVELLERS EXPERIENCE.

The black belt OF North Carolina bor-
dering on tho Atlantic coast, through
winch the writer trayelsd from fasQ4s-
AND, Oh the Dismal SWAMP. cue south 10
me South Carolina line. Is q low Hat. ma
.aTlal country. tulIy two-tnirus oi which
- covered with swamps. pocosons and
~aneDraAes, with frlngrs OF OAK and pine
lats.
his fiat country. from six 10 dozen
eet above Aoewater. Is almost entirely
Opulated Win negroes, who stlll retain
neir African heritage OF superstition
-..ia phJ siCai exemption TO all malaflal Ia
iIences.
mere were three white men IN our com
amy, MAI. Alec Coison. a south Caro.iaa
pianter, sam Carrick. a specuiator aii1
iumoer buyer ana myself. he lOurth IN
uiyiuual Was our negro guide. "a short,
~ONicgged negro o. Guinea ahcc3uy.
wnom We had dubbed 'Fompon."
One evening fompon conducted our par
~ TO The olo plantation OF mis- ante-be.r
am master ana ownor-Colonel Joe All
rews, whore we met with an old time
,OUthern reception. During convsrsation.
ater In tho evening, col. Andrews said
"rhe negroes meet and practice the
ties OF Vooaoo today with even more fire.
,dency than they did in the days OF slav-
ry. Your guide there must know where
ONE of them meet lsome where In the
lg swamp. and perhaps we can inducs
am TO inform U.S.
Pompon at frst denied all knowledge Of
fuch practices, but after some persuasion
tnd a couple OF bright silver ooisars POM
on's fears were overcome and he agreed
y act as our guide.
PREPARING FOR RITES.
rhe time having arrived. we saddled
ar horses and started ostensbly, for
relican Creek on torch fishing expeei-
I, on, but after we had ridden out OF sight
tnd hearing we changed our course and
ode directly for the appointed renesz-
| Finally we. after going through several
l wamps, reached an Island. and after tell
ng US to hide and put out our lights.
Dat little islun s de spot whar dat YOU
100 wo'ship am eay'd on. Dey'se used 10
|! long time. Putty soon you folks II see
| lgga > beginnin' ter cum from dat 'reck-
| num- pointing TO the side furthest awayi
nd we had barely hidden and put out
| lr lights before we saw giimmer which
ppeared and disappeared In the distance.
fel-e~ea- -by-an thaf.-e -etssd H. L
Il. before many minutes, long line
| starlike lights were seen appros. N Il. ~,
| goking weird and phantom like, IN gne
1rnber depths, as though a hundred dis
| nbedied Druids were returning to mo-
4 her earth.
| The lights came nearer and nearer. un-
| i the forms of nearly hundred negroes
\ white hempen shirts or blouses--could ha
| lainly seen. Each one OF the negroes
| cid high over. his head a torch oi piloh
| Inc. knots, which cast dark and ghouiisb
hadows into the depths of the black ana
-emingy impenetrable swamps
| AS they got nearer we could see that
\ very man and woman In the crowd OF de-
| otees carried, In addition to torch
ack or bag swung over their shoulders
few minutes later all Of them had
lrrived at the big island. where at least
half the crowd threw their torches In o
lie near the centre of the island.
The others dropped their sacks to the
| ground and returned to the forest. again
hortly reappearing. each with bundle
| of broken fagots, which they threw upon
| the pile of blazing torches. and In q
| hort time the blazing mass Of wood sent
| rays of flashing light glimmering many
'eet beyon. the island-even to and
4 across the little oasis upon which we four
| were hidden. but the screens of brush
| and grass hid us from view.
The bonfire was no sooner started than
one of the crowd of voudoo worshipers
| separated from the others. '.Da's de veui
doc doctah." whispered Pompon-
| DISGUSTING SACKS EMPTIED.
| The hign priest or doctor. dug up from
| a spot nearby large kettle, which was
| quic. y filled with water and placed on
t0e fire. AS soon as the steam began to
| arise the negroes picked up their sacks,
which they had thrown aside. and began
a march around the kettle to the accom-
paniment of a monotonous song Of glib
| berish, which Pompon said was the Afri-
| can appeal TO voodoo.
After the worshipers had marched sew
| eral times around the big kettle. In which
the water was now bubbling and boiling
| over, the voudoo priest, who led the
\ chant, approached the kettle and Deposit
| ed the contents of a sack, which appeared
| TO be long snake of some kind. into Its
I seething depths- .
4 Then the others followed. and each In
| turn emptied the contents OF his sack. a
| writhing twisting body. either that Of q
snake. lizard, frog or some other creep
| ing thing. into the pass. until every enc
| of the worshipers Had contributed some
| loathsome Offering TO the mass
| When the participants had all deposited
| their offerings and thrown aside the
| sacks I'm which they had brought them,
| the voudoo doctor--a tall. gaunt, hideeuss
| looking negro with a great bunch OF gray
| crinkled hair on his head and short gray
| beard-began a chant In some outiandish.
| savage sounding gibberish, which none Of
/ us could understand then they began to
dance I'm single file around the big kettle.
| / will not undertake to destribe the
| writings, twistings and contortions which
| followed for several minutes, let II suffice
that every participant simply appeared 10
| be doing his utmost to throw every bene
In his anatomy out of joint. while the an
| tire crowd sung or rather shrieked> n
some mystic jargon.
Before the dance stopped the prscs1 ap-
| preached the kettle. followed I'm turn By
| the others I'm a serpentine dance unu1
/ they passed close to the kettle when the
| priest plunged what took to be forkea
| stick into the seething cauidren. su1ekly
| Withdrawing II with nearly q feet of
snake or some other loathsoms object I'm
| paled upon its points ..
EAT HORRIBLE COOKERY.
In a few minutes every member of the
crowd ,held something impaled upon his
wooden fork.
The dance still progressed. and as ono
after another succeeded in irnpal,ng q
part OF the sickening mass he rejoined
the dance and with addsdi energy OF So
| perstitious fanaticism contributed TO.
ward making the fantastic group appear
more like demons than human beings.
lacy whirled, writhsd. twisted ana
lesped about. holding high above their
heads their impaled reptile. then iowerinv
| IL TO their moeths ana 6nawing II IKE
/ - ~