The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-24

/
cultural mutterings-al things of ter
ror to the African soul; the mere men
! tioning of which is calculated TO
straighten the kinks out of any mig
gers wool and stand it on. end, though
| the termini are firmly grown into the
scalp.
| To this CONFER doctor the fertile
Drained lawyers thoughts turned for
! aid in pursuing the fifty dollar fee. He
| held a kind of brotherly consultation
with the writer. then a young, briefless
barrister himself, hungry for fees at
all seasons of the year, and it was
agreed that the ethics of the most noble
profession of the law would not be
raped by calling in this doctors" as
sistance in SO WORTHY a cause. and in
securing the fee which was to be ap-
piled to the very laudable purpose of
supporting a wife and a bevy of love-
ly girls and several stout boys. The
"conjere doctor was sent for and a
bargain was soon struck by promis-
ing him a five dollar donation if he
should, within the week, rid the
premises of the Objectionable tenant.
The cunning black eyes of the con-
jerer rolled upward till the whites
only We're visible, and a grin of pleas
ure that spread wide the thick lips,
showed the cleaning white teeth
of the African. in anticipation of SIS
bill so easily won. AT his suggestion
a carriage was called and the three,
the Judge, that now is, the young law
yer and the doctor" with his box of
tricks, drove out TO the Jones farm,
and there was witnessed probably the
most effective summary proceedings
to recover the possession of land
ever tried in North Carolina.
1t was about seven o'clock p. m.
when we rode UP in front of the
house. The old negro and his whole
family were seated under the great
oak i'm front of the double log house,
enjoying life, as only the negro can
barring his superStitiouS dread of
COMPUTATION and witch-craft, he has
no cares. 1t seemed to be just about
the usual supper time of the family,
as we judged from the fire burning in
the wide fire place in one room.
The doctor" called to the old man
to come to the gate. What you wants
wild me?" was the cautious answer.
Il wants to talk wild you a mint" was
the doctors" reply We'll, if you
nowher." Doctor" Moore went into
the yard and held conversation with
him, in a low tone, which the judge
and / could not hear, but the effect
was not such as We wished for; for the
old niger responded in full voice: Il
amt goin to NOV from desc premises
till / gifts ready, and OATS goin to be
somewhere tween de Chris masses; an
YOU an dem other white gentlemens
out dared, jest s we'll 'gwan way
from here; dis is my premises, dey is!
The effect of the next move of tn"
doctor" was electrical. He reached
under his coat-at the same time
saying: They is, ha! Yo amt goin
to move till you gifts ready ?"--anc
brought out a box covered WITH
caballistic figures. Opening it he dis
covered to the now fright bullying eyes
of the old negro the contents (before
described -such things as no niggel
can look upon without the blood freeZ
ing in his heart.
The wife and children. in their turn,
stricken with fear at the conjerers
movements, and the look of helpless
terror in the old mans face, retreateo
into the house and viewed what FOL
lowed from chinks between the logs
whence the clay had fallen, ano
through cracks in the door. The
doctor rolled his eyes back till the
whites only We're visible, and mutter-
ing the uncanny incantations of his
craft, advanced backward to the
doorsteps of the cabin; turn
ed, and making sign with
the white cocks head towards the
above the tree-tops, then kneeling, by
the steps, took out of the box a fros
and buried it with great care just un-
der the lowest step. He then arose,
and with the white cocks head and
lizard one in each hand, elevated
as towards the sun, walked twice
around the house muttering all the
while, returning to the steps.
There he faced about and
marking a cross mark, just in
front of the steps with spotted or
striped stick thirteen inches long, Il
divining with which he kept twlri-
ing over his fingershe stopped and
spat in the center of the cross marx
and then carefully avoiding stepping
over it. he again turned his back TO-
wards the gate and advancing back
wards, making signs towards the sun
set with the cocks head and lizard,
he said to the now terror-Stricken
old negro, trembling in every limb,
hah! Den you'se a dead niger lore
dat sun rises agin, an your family is
tricked and dey's goin' to hav'
mighty hard time gittin' rid Of hit
too"
Before he had reached the gate the
old negr, trembling in every limb,
went down upon his knees praying,
with all the fervor of his African
heart, that the doctor" should take
that 'tricking' off him and his folks;
that if he would. he'd at once vacate
the premises, IAN never. no more
put foot on dat white mans Ian.
The doctor with show of re-
luctance, and muttering that At was
easier to trick a negro" than
it was to cure him ones
he had been "conjured," con-
scented, and reversing the order OF
procedure, used in the trucking. by
walking twice around the cabin from
left to right, and by holding UP the
cocks head and lizard towards the
east, or sunrise point, instead of to-
wards the west. He wiped out the
cross mark, in front Of the steps, with
his left foot, disinterred the buried
frog, and returning all his "conjuring
tricks to the box and retiring back
ward to the gate to the negro fami-
lys great delight, declared that the
"tricking' was off. We afterwards
heard that the "old oman" of our
old 'coon" consulted several physi-
clans of this city alleging
that she had a spring liz
gard in her "in'ards." The usual
prescriptions for histeria were given,
but to no effect. She, at last, had re-