Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-03-24

The negroes are direct and un.
questioning in all their beliefs, how.
ever fantastical Their explanation of
how it is in the eternal adjustment OF
things that the good has, as they eX.
press it, the upper holt" is final and
to them satisfactory: DE Good Man
has all days for his work De Bad
Man has only des Friday"
The whole plan of saving grace OF
eternal goodness just resolves itself
to them in a question of seven to one.
Especially is Good Friday day and
night when witches, faithful ennis.
saries of the devil, have great power.
The plantation dread of witches is
widespread and not uplifted from
their minds by the meager civilization
and education that has come to them.
There are various preVentives for
witches. The most efficacious is to
hang up horseshoe at the door A
dressed-up horse shoe is a surer,
better charm; the cloth used to dress
it in should be spotted or embroidered
j in dots, for the witches will stay out
side the door, counting these spots or
dots till daylight, when they become
powerless.
| have dressed horseshoe which a
colored woman gave me, thinking
from my anxiety to know about
witches thae | must be nightly
pestered wild EN-" Her mother, being
ridden by witches, had hung up
dressed horseshoe and had found it al
morning covered with jelly-lilpe sub
stance which she firmly believed was
the very elemental stuff of the de.
feated witch
To find out who is the witch that is
riding one at night, take cup of
mustard-seed and after dark pour it
out on the threshold of the cabin door,
The witch cannot pass over the door
until every mustard-seed has been
counted.
plantation aunty who had been
much worried by a persistent witch
tried this counter-charm; at daylight
she walked to find her next-door neigh.
Dor OF the quarter sitting crouched on
81.
he was an old, gray man, who pro
fessed to be her good friend in day-
time, and who was now proved to be
her nighttime enemy-a witch Such
story told to the plantation folks
conVlnCeS them that certain of their
number practice witchcraft.
The accredited witches of the
plantation need never. however, fear
personal injury. The negroes, left TO
themselves, are simple. child-like,
harmless race. and the preventives
they use to defend themselves are as
harmless as themselves. A line of
cotton seed spread above a door will
keep off witches. The same counting
process must be gone through with
ere the witch can enter. A sitter,
wire sieve. hung at door serves a
like purpose. The witch is supposed
to hang by his claw-like fingers to the
wires OF the sieve,--counting holes
Some believers in this charm lay the
SITTER on the breast at night. and thus
sleep safely and soundly.
Or If person is much ridden of
witches let him or her pull the hair
of the head over the face,-the same
counting process must be gone over.
In betoreIhe-war days long hair. the
klnky hair of the true negro, was as
great a glory in the man as in the
woman. The men ''wropped" the hair
as well ps the women The "wrop-
ping as il is known among the race
is tight cording and wrapping with
white cotton strings. A head weh
wrapped shows multitudnous little
strings OF this parti.colored wool and
string On festival occasions these
are loosened. the hair combed out
and behold, hair arrangement as
large as halfbushel measure. The
pride in this sort of couture has en-,
urely departed from the men. The
closer they shear the wool the nearer
they fancy they approach the fashion
and likeness of civilization. The
women draw the hair into why bunch,
ing knots or cover it as best they may
with STRAIGHTFORWARD chignons. Many
Supersti' ms concerning witches have
to do with hair A plated horse-hair
brldle hung al cabin door is thought
to be a preventive of witches. Els.
peclally so if horseshoe is hung on
the bride
The harm that witches are usually
accredited with is riding people. They
get astrde on the breast of the person
to whom they bear a grudge, and plat.
ing the hair of the victims head into
bride and stirrups, they ride all night
The ridden person makes a peculiar
whining complaint ouch. Ouch,
Ouch"
pair of cotton cards crossed over
the bed-head is good to keep off
witches. A prayer-book in one side of
sleeping person and Bible on the
other Is said TO be efficacious.
Riding horses in their stalls al night
is a favorite amusement of these
plantation pests. The owner of the
horses can tell If witch has ridden