Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-08-01
wesr INDIAN supeRsrIr,osa
Belief In the vampirs and In tn
aRolIing Calf.n

Belief In the vampirs and In the
"RolIing Calf"
The French islands have two super
stitions which are not found in some
Others of the West Indies. These are
a belief In sort of werewolf or vam-
pire, which lives ON the blood of way
farers. upon whom 1t leaps when they
are abroad in the nighttime, or OF
sleepers whom it finds in lonely huts;
and a second believe in what Is known
as the British Islands as the rolling
calf" monster with blazing eyes.
which prowIs at night, clanking a
chain which hangs about Its neck, and
at whose touch men die. The follow
ing description Is given OF the typlcai
obeah-man:j
There is something so indescribably
sinister about an obeah-man's appear
ance that he can always be picked our
by ANYBODY who has had much to do
with negroes. Dirty. ragged, unkempt.
diseased. deformed, there Is yet about
him an air of cunning authority. His
small, cruel. piercing eyes peer vicious
| Iy at the witnesses arrayed against
him in court, for all the world ike
those of a cornered rat. Black men
may be seen to turn as gray as asnes
under the terror Of that baleful gaze,
and often 1t is only with the greatest
difficulty that discriminating evidence
can be dragged out of them. Inc WIZ
ards awesome presence, however, does
not aDpaI an unsentimental British
Judge. He orders him twelve months
hard" and sound fiogging. Frequent
ly the obeah-man appeals against MS
sentence to the higher court, and IN
Jamaica it Is not at all unusual for
him to get off on some technical point,
owing to the defective drafting of the
law. Of course, he tells the Ignorant
negroes that he procured freedom Dy
his magical powers, and thus their su-
perstition is strengthened"
British law Furnishes obeah with
fogging and Imprisonment. Neverthe-
less, obeah is practiced by the White
planters almost as a matter of neces-
sity in order to frighten the negroes
and prevent them from stealing the
produce of the plantations.
You may walk through your friends
"coco-piece" or banana plantation and
notice skull stuck on the top of
stick, a small bottle full Of dead cock
reaches tied to a branch, or minia
ture black coffin placed on a little
mound "Hullo, old mani! you say
working obeah-eh? I'll come anc
see you fogged at the JAIL" He tries
to laugh it off shamefacedly, saying
there is really no other way to make
"those wretched niggers" keep theil
thieving hands off the crops. That Ii
true. 1t is needless, however, to go tt
the trouble of placing these things
about the plantation. If some nigh
prowler has stolen your best yams o.
bananas, all you need do is to say mex
morning in the hearing of the negroes
Its all right; l don't care. I've go
the footprint" You will see then
whisper among themselves in an awe
stricken way, and presently one will
come up to you, nearly weeping will
terror, and confess himself the thief
The superstition is that If you dig ou
the earth upon which the robber ha
impressed his foot and throw 1t int
the fire he will waste away and di
unless he gives himself up and take
his punishEaent.-New York CONNER
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