Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-05-08
GOAT COUGHS AS
GODLINS ARE NIGH
SOUTHERN NEGROES sTlLL re.
LiEyE IN suPERsTITiONS
lESa-
SKssp Dat Rabbits Foot, Chile. G.
3 He'll GIT Te." Says Black
F Nanny.

q Montgomery, Ala-~Nha' d1t mQg-
s. down ala by yoA gra -ytu. Dis
srhlle doan 90 dat way I'll ! he til
fSalk 10 alies ter git home. }pi ans
Aeah me-
This from stalwart young daikr,
uttered in The early dusk az recent
evening, IN the outskirts o. This c..s.
lent convincing proof that the ghosut
sapersttions trsditiona, among the ne-
sroes OF the South have not been
wiped cut By the many changes hat
have taken place in DiNielaud since
the Civil War period.
& or course, he blacks ale not the
sOnE3people today Vino cherish .htit
i.SndI superst.iionS. Who mas nos en-
fcountered lie gambler who viii not
tpermit one TO put a foot on his Ciull9
ypfomlnen, business man here-a
twhite man -confe>ses shat ne Away
fwears i garter Of one color upon his
Enght leg and one Of different color
upon the other. Nearly every one mas
some peculiar beliefs about Friday,
the number 10, ladders and many 9th
er warnings handed down by The
New England forefathers.
The young darkys discontinue at
seeing something moving down by the
graveyard cannot be thought strange
or unusual when one considers that
from time immem0rlal The southern
pickaninnies have been disciplined in
10 believing that all household trash
must be swept out Of the front door
after dark, that they must never
walk a chair while sitting in il, il
they would escape "hants.' TO avoid
the evil spirits they should get up and
move the chair 10 where they want
ii.
Watch out, chile, il YOU heah a goat .
cough" they were told, 1t is sign /
that Old Rawhead and Bloody Bones
is around. 'Doan stop fob 10 inwesti-
gate emmy strange lights in a grave
yard or in front of a church atiah
dark" the old black mammies often
say.
The most reliable safeguard against
ghosts, Gobblins and "hants,' as we'll
as a charm against the evil ,sitations
OF witches. according to the super
stiiious negroes, is the left hind
foot of rabbit killed i'll graveyard
after midnight in the light OF full
moon. Such a talisman could not be
bought from some owners with its
weight in gold.
Ii is a common belief among the ne
sroes that house cannot burn ii sas.
satrass twigs are sprinkled on the
when the fire is made. One
of The most common representatives. OF
misery in the leg is a dime with
hole in il worn on the left leg just
above the ankle. This also cures rhet1.
say the darkies.
Another superstition, mostly among
young people, Is, IL one is lying down {
and another steps over him he must. ,
by all means, retrace his steps. The !
belief is that ii checks ones growth t
Here are some remedies TO destroy +
spirits or ghosts" 0ldtimers used
70 fire silver bullet al the trouble
some specter or distnrber. Old Aunt
toilet kept spooks away for many
years by burying a chicken eye, frog
eg and some dirt from a new grave
Inder The front steps Of her abode, re. 4
>eatng the operation as often as there e
were any signs of the spook's re-
urn. t
When one meets liant" and it 81
'omes NJ TO you face to face the ghost s
always blows its breath in your face, Y
irst hot, then cold. In ease like /
his to avoid trouble all one has to do
$ to tell the "hant' your business and
t viii let YOU alone. Rough language =,
" threats are disastrous
Opossum hunters had better be
areluI that the dog did not once be =
ong to It dead man who died a sinner u
or this dog viii tree Spirits" =
Loading The pillow" is another dan o
elous operation. II consists in steal. i
ne The pillow On which one sleeps and
Inserting d "eouJare bag.3 The yic. .
i'm suffers from head ailments and a
ften becomes insane.