The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-28
HAMP sCoTTs METHODS.

'I witnessed a very remarkable exhi-
 bition of hypnotism, animal magnetism
 or some other uncanny power about a
 week ago. said a gentleman from
 South Georgia who is guest of one of | the hotels. 'The negroes of our neigh
 borhood are holding a series of pro
 tracted meetings out in the woods, and
 a sort of inner circle, who call them
 selves the spirit seekers get together
 every few nights and have services at a
 country church. Their leader is an old
 preacher named Hamp Scott, who has
 been famous for years as an exhorter,
 and it wouldn't surprise me in the least 1 if the craze he had started spread all
 over the state. i had heard some curi- ous stories of the proceedings at the l 'seekwers' meetings and, last Sunday
 night, I drove over to the church to see l for myself what was going on. The little house where they assemble holds only about two hundred, and I found it packed to the doors. l managed to
 get a good seat in front, however and for an hour or so I thought I had been badly buncoed. The services, which consisted of short talks and prayers,
 seemed to be about the same as those of any negro congregation, and I was pre-
 pairing to make my escape, when an old cotton headed darkey started a camp
 meeting hymn. He sang in a wailing
 minor key that went straight to the
 nerves, and, before he got through with
 the first stanza. I could feel the tension
 in the atmosphere. When he finally ceased, Scott himself jumped up and be- gan to intone another hymn--a typical
 negro composition. with the refrain:
 "tAn' de sinner is a-burnin' in de pitt"
 'He droned each verse in a thrilling
 undertone that was almost whisper, everybody joining, but when he came to the climax he suddenly strengthened up rolled out the refrain like a clap of thunder The effect was electrical, and in five minutes half the congregation was on the verge of mysteries. Then followed the most remarkable part of the whole performance. As the hymn died down, Scott set up a sort of chant. As nearly as I could make out, he sim ply repeated the words Oh! Lawd! Oh-h-h at the same time swaying his body back and forth; but all the negroes took it up and the monotonous reitera- llOH lldl ci Sll dlISC, illOAi hLui tctuCiSC that reminded me somehow of the breaking of waves at sea. Whether it. was some peculiar quality in the voice of the leaders or the weird surround ings or mere cumulative excitement I can't say; but the chant soon had eve- rybody under it's spell. Some of the darkies fell back, staring and rigid, like cataleptics, and others writhed on the floor, foaming at the mouth and tearing at their clothes Still others wept and shouted, and all the while the chant continued, rising and falling like the wind in the chimney. It was really an appalling spectacle. I have witnessed some wild scenes at negro camp meet ings, but this transcended anything in my experience I left while it was at its height, and it was some time before I could shake off, it's eerie influence. Scott started the seeker movement only a few weeks ago, and there is no telling how far it may go before it runs it's course. It bids fair already to de- moralize negro labor in our section for the entire winter. ."-NeW Orleans Times Democrat.