The Florida star., 1901-04-05
WITCHES Oh IFRIGIH GOLD GOIST.


Special Correspondence OF The Florida Star.
! GUINEA GoLD CcAsr. West Africa.
Ffeb. 25.-Dark superstitions and fetch
rites are well nigh as rife among the
Guinea. negroes as they were before
England took to herself the Gold Coast
as pFotectorete. Infant murder and
the. marriage OF little girls are CON-
mon, and witchcraft as rabld as II was
for time In New England blights this
whole region today.
The British government does nothing
TO stop these crimes. either not know
Ing or not caring. One man alone, he a
native, with skin as black as ebony,
a prince OF the royal house OF Ga and a
Christian. Rev. s. r. s. Ahuma, is CIV
ing himself to the hard task OF abolish
Ing among his people practices revolt
Ing to civilization. For this purpose he
invokes both the sword OF the spirit
and OF the flesh.
He seeks TO enforce British law
against the infant slayer as against
any other murderer. making IL a crime
punishable with the death penalty. for
all who are accessory TO the killing OF a
babe at its birth-that for one thing.
He sends his agents among the villages
TO report cases OF child murder and to
bring the criminals to justice. The
fetch priests SET themselves against
his work with the desperation OF those
who see their age long powers and pre-
negatives slipping from their hands. At
one OF the villages fetch priest spat
In the face OF Ahuma's agent. a native.
This was the signal for a general at
tack on him by the negroes.
Ahuma himself would be even worse
dealt with than his agent only that
priests aud people are afraid OF him
1t Is here that the sword OF the spirit
b intervenes. The witch men say their
spells have no power over him. Al one
village he visited was a whole band OF
witch men with a leader. Ahuma could
never induce this head witch man to
face him. If he saw the clergyman ap-
preaching. the leader would dodge and
side down another path. His explana-
tion was that Ahuma's spirit was too
strong for him. that he could not look
him In the face. No evil spell or fate
may prevail against a powerful will
and a pure heart.
AS another plan for diminishing child
murder the missionaries and native
Christians have established creches for
the reception OF tenth babies and their
mothers. Ii a mothers tenth child were
not strangled at it's birth. II on the con-
trary she endeavored TO keep and rear
Il, she would never again be permitted
to live In her home village. The mis-
sionaries have therefore given notice
among the villages that they will re-
ceive into their creches all these decimal
babies. as one might call them Moth
ers expecting the coming OF tenth In
fant go to the mission before It's birth,
remaining there afterward until the
child Is months old. Then they !eturn
TO their homes without IL, and all is
well. as though nothing had happened.
They might be killed If they endeavor-
ed TO take the little one back with
them. They therefore abandon II. which
is perhaps not so hard when the poor
woman has already nine other black
babies. The creche superintendent
keeps the child till she can get IL adopt
ed out somewhere.
One or the weirdest. most mysterious
OF the Guinea Gold Coast practices is
that OF witchcraft. 1t is as old among
the natives as the history OF the tribes
themselves and fiourishes today among
them In all its evil blossoming and
fruit In face OF the blazing sun OF
civilization. Ahuma Is as little super
stitlous as the most enlightened Amerl.
can or Englishman, yet he confesses
that these Guinea negro witch people
possess a power which as yet be Is
unable to understand He himself has
been educated at white mems schools
which has withdrawn him from the
knowledge OF his own race supersti'
tIons. But from well established facts
partly drawn from his own observa'
ton, Prince Ahuma concludes that the
witch people. ignorant as horses IN
most things, have an actual command
over certain forces OF nature that Is
unknown among white people. He be
lieyes there is a scientific explana
ton OF the matter but he has so faI
been unable TO find IT, At any rate