The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-12


as good as yours or mine, is the only
white person | ever knew who attend
ed a Dominican vOodoo rite and lived.
If his presence had become known, his
life would have gone out in half min
ute.
y murder had been committed among
the negroes in the locality where he
was visiting a French friend of great
influence The murderer disappeared.
The negroes decided to hold voodoo
Incarnation and make him come back.
The French traveller heard of it. He is
of very dark complexion and little
,blackened up. could easily pass for a
negro. His friend helped him to dis
guise himself i'll a garment similar to
those worn by the voodooists. This
garment was white cotton robe. At
% O'Clock at night the negroes assem-
bled on the bank of a creek. They had
with them fife and drum. and the fife
shrieked and the drum pounded out
horrible noises on the night air. The
weird black faces and white robes
lighted up by torches. the internal
noise of the fife and drum. made a
scene one might imagine transferred
from the lower regions.
The first task was for the whole
party. led by the vo0d0O priests. to
walk backward up the creek bank to
its fountain head, d spring
Into the spring the priests waded and
began untanNr lamentations. The
Frenchman understood their language
and discovered they were calling on
the devil to aid them in bringing the
murderer back. when the demon in
fluenee failed to manifest. they became
angry and demanded il more yOcifer-
ously and Violently
AT last they really were possessed,
obsessed, rather. by some strange in
fluence. Their antics began. and they
were something Incredible Either the
Frenchman saw or else he was hyp-
Noticed into believing he saw the high
priest spring straight up out of that
water twenty feet in the air. The
hypnotic theory seems hardly possible
since he was not a vOodOo devOtee and
ence. At length priests and privates
went off into contortions more extraor-
binary and frightful than anything j
professional could achieve Suddenly
live goat was brought OH the scene At
the moment the high priests unnat-
ural energy was dashed to it's highest
he leaped from the water and whirled
naked sword around and around his
head. When it had got sufficient impe-
tus at one blow he struck off with it
the goats head. The voodOOists gath
cred close and drank its E!arm blood.
At this moment the Frenchman, with
the lively sensibilities of his race. had
the greatest difficulty to keep from.
falling fainting off his horse. The
priest next directed his followers Zach
to fix his mind powerfully Oh the muir
derer, with the demand that he should
appear. They apparently understand
the power of mind better than any
western mental scientist'' does Each
man had dipped a jug of water from
the witch spring and. carrying it upon
his head, with his mind fixed on the
demand that the murderer should
come forth. started the roturn Journey.
The whole party marched backward to
the hut where they first renlczyOused
The water was to drink the health of
the murderer in while they called on
him TO appear They said presently he
appeared, though tie Erenr Imam, not
knowing him. could not swear to that.
As the worshipers mingled white rum
plentifujjy with the witch waiter they
drank. the scene shortly resolved it~c,f
into a wild orgy, from which the
Frenchman wisely stole away. That
he got off alive and undefectcd shows
the devil does not know everything. or
at least if he does be does not always
reveal it to his q disciples -a.- 49,. 1
NJ Liz III M s.IIEie.