Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-03-01
WEST INDIAN WITcHcRAFT.
obeah Doctor Wrought Demonstration
That Convinced English Planter.

obeah Doctor Wrought Demonstration
That Convinced English Planter.
Those who are turning longing eyes
in the direction of the West Indies at
this season of the year hoping to es-
cape the rigors of our winter climate
will not find on the announcements OF
the tourist agencies one Of the most
interesting attributes Of those balmy
islands.
While everybody who has been to
the islands has heard Of the "jumbies'
mentioned, 1t is only those who have
stayed for some length Of time and
become acquainted with the natives
who will have had chance to see
their Obeah doctors with their offen-
sive personalities, which. once seen'
are never to be forgotten.
The owner Of a large sugar cane
plantation-a very sensible, well in
tentioned Englishman-had very lit
tie faith in the superstitions of the
blacks, although he frankly admit
I6Q InaI lie was dl q lO5S itV" w WI
flute them. One morning, an hour az
ter his help had gathered in the fields,
he sought out a traveller whose ac-
quaintance he had made, and to whom
he had spoken of some of the pecu-
liarities Of farming as practiced In
that section.
you are familiar with Obeahism
and its practices already" he began.
"and YOU know that our quashees
call persons who have had the jum-
bies set upon them very dangerous to
have around or to be made associates.
Well, let me tell you the predicament
that I find myself in this morning
through my determination to ignore
our local superstitions and act accor-
ding to the mandates OF a white mans
nature.
Some time ago a woman came to
me with a pitiful story. She said she
had become the victim of some un-
known enemy. and that the Obeah
doctor had set the jumbies upon her
Everywhere she went misfortune ac-
her. All with whom she
came in contact Stunned her, 80 that
she could obtain no work on the Is
land and was In danger Of starving.
Almost against my judgment / hired
her, thinking that perhaps among the
large number of 'quashees' that / en-
ployed in my fields that she might
not be noticed.
This morning 1 discovered my err
ror, for l was waited upon by a del
egation of my laborers, who told me
strange stories Of what was going on
in my fields. According to their re-
citals, which l did not then wholly be-
lieve, snakes were jumping out of the
cane brakes in alarming l. L-mbers, the
sickles were turning in the hands OF
the cane cutters and inturing them;
queer insects, some deadly poisonous,
were hopping about the ground, and
showers of stones were rising from
the earth at intervals and bombarding
them.
THE story seemed preposterous,
but the annoyance had assumed alarm
ing proportions, and they believed
1t to be wholly due to the hoodooed
woman whom they had discovered
to be working beside them.
with a desire to see for myself
what condition my hands were In
mounted my horse and rode around
the fields trying to calm the blacks,
who had stopped work and were loi-
tering in groups on the edge of the
cane talking over the situation. Three
or four times my horse SHE'D as a
snake sprang out of the brakes, and
twice he pricked up his ears as a
creature entirely unknown to me, but
resembling an iguana, ran across his
path.
Then, to my surprise, was hit on
the back by a stone that rose directly
from among the cane, and as 1t fell
to the ground 1 sprang off my horse
and picked 1t up. 1t was a round
rock, not indigenous. to this country,
and as l raised it several drops OF
water exuded from 1t and trickled
down my fingers. l turned 1t over,
and on one side was a rude cross
made by a piece of chalk apparently
but it could not be effaced even by
energetic rubbing.
What did you do after that very
practical demonstration" asked the
planters tourist friend.
Discharged the woman! There
was no help for it. I had to get my
'quashees' back into the field and my
cane cut. Now all Is peace. The
snakes and insects have disappear
ed. My hands heaped the mystic
stones in a pile at one corner of the
field from whence they have not jump
ed. / turned my attention to finding
the Obeah doctor, who was doubtless
hidden somewhere in the brakes, but
that was a hard thing to do in such
a growth of foliage and had no such
good luck.-New York Times.