The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-14
DOWNFALL OF SIMON SAM
HAVE REvoLUTIoNIsTs AND
AFTERWARDs-A VOODOO NATION
-PECU

pecLeQ ana the tremOr OF Ine snip IrOm
the strain, there was report as might
that rif1ed shot. weighing 100 pounds.
rolled lazily out of the muzzle and fell
plumb into the water of the bay.
'Salnaye looked on in silence for mo-
ment and actually almost turned white.
What is the matter?' he asked sharply.
I don't know, 1 answered, "but it
looks to me as If the powder wasn't any
good
Examine It, he said shortly.
Il broke open one of the cartridges and
sure enough it wasn't any good. 1t was
composition consisting principally of flour
and sand, with just enough powder in it to
set it off.
commissioners who had accompanied him
aboard and their trembling and terror
stricken appearance at once supplied him
the necessary clew. Arrest those two
men and take them ashore he said to his
attendants, and the two unfortunate men
were at once hustled over the side. SAL
nave followed Immediately after A couple
Of hours later / heard a yolley of shots
ring out in front of the palace. salnave
had had the two commissioners shot He
never asked for any tedious legal pro.
cesses in cases like that.
Powers of the Obi Men.
OuL 10 S6L DdCh " tu6 SuDJSCI OIL FOO-
doc! OF course don't believe in any such
superstition, yet I must say that saw
some exhibitions Of the powers attributed
to the Obi men while 1 was down there
that I have never been able to explain
to myself by any process of reasoning.
I'll just tell you one of them.
e"It was part of our contract with the
Haitien government that we were to be
paid in gold. That was wise provision,
Cal haH hal ~
turning out money on printing press
whenever he wanted few millions.
Besides a cord or so of this money I
had a few hundred dollars in gold in my
stateroom, but when I went to look for
it one day 1t was missing. I at once
went to the \captain and told him of the
loss. and he issued orders for all hands
to report on deck. When we had got the
crew up and counted them to see In all
were there a thorough search of their
quarters was made by couple of white
officers
I'VE couldn't find trace of the gold.
After this report had been made to the
captain he told the assembled men of my
loss and warned them that il any man
knew who had committed the theft and
shielded the thief, he would be severely
punished when the culprit was found out.
Not man opened his mouth.
''I had colored boy of the island as a
personal attendant, and that night he
came to me in my cabin and with every
| appearance of mystery and terror said:
Captain, why don't you call in the
Obi man. =
"'Do you think the Obi man could find
my money and tell me who stole it?' I
asked.
I'm sure Of it, he answered earnest
ly. You white men don't know anything
about 'Voodoo. but we black men all do
~ Receivers Stolen Gold.
"He was so confident the Obi man
would do the business that l told him
to go ahead and sent him ashore. He
promised to be back the next morning,
explaining that he had to go back in
early the next morning boat was
hailed from the ship and 1 saw signs Of
l great excitement among our Hait1men
! crew. In the boat was my attendant
with the Obi man, darky who must have
been between 80 or 80. and whose hair
and beard we're snowy. white. He came
/ aboard and the negroes shrank back as
before Deity. ET-g's
My boy had told him the whole story,
and had only to follow the old mans
instructions. He asked for pail of water
and that every soul on the ship be sum-
Ecned. When they had responded to
the call, he grouped them about him In
tiny, three uetp, anu tucu pooi Gu d
little Of a powder into the pail of water.
All this while he kept up droning in
canration in some tongue unknown to
me- Pretty soon this ceased. and he said
that he had found my gold. 1t was on
tue ship.
Then he described the place so accu-
rately that we couldn't fail to recognize
1t was the cooks galley. Then the Obi
man began to run around the ring OF
people. and after he had done this t-o
or three times he made sudden dart
through the ranks and laid his hand on
the cook. Here is the thief he said
"WelI, we went to the cooks galley.
The range was set on bricks and the Obi
man pointed out where one of these had
been lnosened. We raised it up, and there
was the missing gold. When Salnave
heard of this affair. he wanted to have
the cook taken out and shot. and 1t re-
| quired great deal Of protesting on my
part to save his life. He did get good
term of Imprisonment.
"How to account for that Obi man g
power don't know. 1t was even more re-
markable when you reflect that he had
never seen the ship before and yet could
give /us such an accurate description Of
the cooks galley that every soul on board
knew who was meant ..s