The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-22

guaranteed to change their gums to the
Blue hue within certain space OF time
III has never been satisfactorily ex-
planned to me why certain negroes possess
blue instead Of red gums. but nave seen
take II that their gums are blue because OF
defective circulation or because OF some
disease peculiar to certain individuaIs m
the African race. ! know that IN many any
sections Of the South no black would take
raise the ire Of blue gummed negro.
| sThe superstitious black girls house
"a well as field niggers- are easy prey
for the purveyors Of love philters, VINO nave
become as thick az blackberries all over
the South In the last decade. They readily
give up a months wages for a little vial
OF colored water which IL solemnly guar
anteed TO bring the man Of their choice to
their feet In little less than no time.
But the black girls are not alone In yield,
con men who sell Philters. There are philteIs
devised for the Aim flaming Of the male
blacks. smooth black CRATER rot away
Nth q lot OF money throughout Louisiana
"a year or 40 ago by selling to black youths
little walls which he guaranteed would
other game Of chance once he had involun-
tarily absorbed the stun into his system.
For q while q large section OF the black
populace OF interior Louisiana was trying
10 sneak these drops OF colored water into
each others drinks.
sAnother very successful philter was
one that an Alabama darkey. with an in
genious turn Of mind. sold to g large num-
Der Of victims Of his color. It was guar
anteed to make the employers Of the blacks
them d ssscs s an tssr
character Of this scheme. In the tempts-
ton it offered to the purchasers OF suoh
philters TO do away with employers to
whom had been secretly given the HARM
lcss contents Of the little vials vas APP
and the black CRATER who engaged in this
trade was roughly handled when the story
OF his scheme came out
THE moro ignorant blacks OF the cotton
belt are IN such a constant state OF fear
OF the evil eye that the oolored bunco men
who sell contraptions guaranteed to render
the evil eye Intellectual have as much BUSH
ness AZ they can handle. One Of them
made a good thing Of it by selling Ct "
apiece small quarter-pint bottles Of Tom.
bigbee water which he vowed he had got
from the River Jordan.
Another Of the grafters cold seidlitz
powders to his brethren for dollar throw.
He described them as po wdered iugator .
teeth, and that a mess OF powdered alliga-
tors teeth taken internally would knock
the tar out Of any evil eye spell that was
ever devised. The enervesoenoe Of the
seidlitz powders gave him his stronghold
in the manipulation OF this game, for not
one far Southern black in thousand knows
anything about ehervescing powders.
Hundreds Of freckled yellow darkies
were done out Of sums ranging from SO
to so 4 few years ago by black buncoist
who claimed that he could infallibly re-
move their freckles. He sold his victims
some sort OF mixture that had phosphorus
In II, and told them to rub the stun all over
their bodies for six nights running and then
60 swimming In the nearest stream after
nightfall. The glow they emitted In the
water rnado q hit with the freckled ones,
who were convinced that they were burn
ing their freckles on
THE authorities In most Of the Southern
States rarely bother to apprehend the
black con men who make a business Of
preying upon the superstitious beliefs OF
their fellow negroes, mainly because they
appreciate the virtual hopelessness Of such
efforts. The swindles are by and between
the blacks, and the victims rarely or never
complain to their authorities.
But several OF the States are now en-
deavoring TO stamp out the insurance
swindlers, most OF them educated black
grafters. who have been preying upon the
ignorant negroes for q number OF years.
These fellows represent no companies, OF
course. and every cent they take from their
credulous victims goes Into their own
pockets. But they Issue elaborate policies
with ornate seals and stamps. and the blacks
who fall to the game exhibit these fake
policies to each other with delight.
erafters, and the feld IL all their own. for
their fellow blacks who fall TO the lodges
would never bite N the schemes were put
hefore them nv white cOn men,