The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-04-10
4 VERY QUEER CASE
HUMAN SACRIFICES OFFERED By
FANATICAL SECT.
MANY VICTIMS KILLED

MANY VICTIMS KILLED
l In an Amazing Confession Negro
Woman Clears Up the Mysterious
Axe Assassination OF Families OF
Negroes in Louisiana and Texas
Recently.
Modern criminal history hardly
has a parallel to the confession Of
Clementine Barnabet, Of Lafayette,
La, frail "half blood" negress OF
twenty-five years, who admitted that
she had with her own hands killed
!. seventeen persons.
The police believe that this confess
sion, given with the nonchalance OF q
person telling an ordinary tale, opens
the way for a final reckoning On the
curse Of Toodoisn' which for some
time has cast blur UPON Louisiana.
Thirty-fve 1ives-on most occa-
sions an entire family-haVe fallen
victims to fendish night 'assassins be-
lieved to be fanatical deVorees OF the
Human Sacrifice" or the ''cult Of
the sacred serpent
From Clementine's story 1t Is ap-
parent that here was the controlling
hand in the region Of horror whicG
was based on barbarous belief In
some sort of blood atonement. The
police declare that she has given
clues that will fix the guilt for the
eighteen mysterious crimes In that
vicinity.
In January her father was convict
ed for the murder OF five members Of
the family OF Norbert Randell at Lat-
ayette on Nov. 26, 1911. He obtain
ed a new trial on the ground that he
was drunk one day during the trial
and consequently was unable to COM
prehend what wos going on.
King Harrison and William Rob
erts, preachers CT the Sacrifice
Church." and Eliza Richards have
also been arrested in connection with
the long list Of crimes.
With the characteristic supersti-
ton Of her race, and particularly OF
her sect, Clementine armed herself
with "hoodoo" before starting out
on any of her alleged errands Of muir
der. She says she got the "hoodoo"
from a preacher and thought that 1t
would protect her from the law.
The police declare that~Clemen-
tine and her companions are degener-
ates of the lowest order, and that
therefore they were readily suscep-
tible to the wild exhortations they
had heard in the Church OF Sacri-
| fee"
Invariably the victims were put to
death after the midnight hour, the
assassin making his escape without
leaving any clue except this wierd
notice, generally scrawled on a wal
of the room where the slain were
left:
"When He maketh the inquisition
for blood He forgetteth not the cry
OF the humble Human Five"
{ Clementine has been generally
looked on as white folks negro,
and in the past apparently has had
little to do with her rec. She has
always taken deep interest in the
work of the Sacrifice Church" how
ever.
The blacks in the various parishes
hereabouts have been in veritable
state of terror during the past
twelvemonth. So frightened have
they been that every night at least
one member of each family has been
detailed to remain on guard against
possible invasicns Of the Human
Five" Many negroes have fed from
that part Of the State.
Among the victims were: Lyman
Smith, his wife and three children, at
Rayne, Feb. 20, 1911; Jacob Andrus,
his wife and three children, at Lafay-
cite, Feb. 8, 1911; Raymond We1-
ford, his wife and three children, at
Crowley, Sept. %, 1911; Norbert
Randell, his wife and three children,
at Lafayette, Nov, 26, 1911; Harry
Warren, his wife and three children,
a. Crowley, Jan. 1s, 1912, and Felix
Broussard, his wife and three cnl.-
dren, at Lake Charles on Jan. Il,
1912.
It is believed that the cult Is an
outgrowth of an organization known
as the "sons Of Cod a maaiacal
body of negroes, which several years
ago was broken up by the New
Orleans police, but not before six per-
sons had been killed and two detec-
tives wounded.
The teachings OF the "Church OF
Sacrifice" are said to be based on the
crazy belief that all negro families
Of five or more members must be sac
rifced for the good Of the African
race.
The sermons, it IS said, in many
instances have been nothing short OF
appeals to passion. Frenzied shout
ing was usually INDUCED in, and 1t
was not unusual for half dozen per-
sons to be overcome with wild zeal
during a service The meetings, es-
pecially those held at night, lasted
r.any hours and often until dawn.
The murders were frightfuliy SIN
liar in form, the weapon used lnVarl-
ably being an axe. 1t is oehe'eo
that a narcotic was used to BRING Oh
strnefaction of the victims preiim-
mary to the crimes.