The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1923-11-23
VOODOO MAGIC
AMONG NEGROES
Black Magic Of African Jungles
Still Practiced.
BLACKS PREDICT OWN DEATHS

Yoodooism is dead. The black magic
OF African jungles long since was laid
away by science and education and
religion. II could not thrive In these
days Of the alrplane and the radio. Its
last stand was in the canebrakes and
the cotton patches Of Louisiana and
Mississippi but the first pickering
electric lights in New Orleans decades
ago drove It away forever.
But nevertheless, they'll tell you at
the place where science holds the most
undisputed sway, the hospital, there
are cases.
In the negro ward are brought the
ground-up needles, the pebbles picked
up in the light OF the new moon at the
crossroads, and the tongues Of big
frogs bleached In red marked canvas
bags which are worn about the necks
Of the patients. The doctors laugh and
the nurses scoft as they throw them
away.
Died on Schedule.
Bed No. u In the colored mems
ward Of the Charity hospital died on
schedule time.
Late in the afternoon Bed IL was
examined by the doctors. He appeared
TO be getting better. Certainly, he
showed no dangerous symptoms.
But when the nurse passed a glass
of water over him to Bed 10, the man
in that bed refused 1t.
"It's got them things in 1t, nurse"
declared Bed IS.
The nurse held 1t up to the light.
Bed IL and Bed IS looked at each
other and grinned
There's nothing in this water, boy"
"Yes, ma'am, you can't see nothing"
said Bed 10. but there's always
things in water passed over a man
that's going to be leaving soon."
Set Time Of Death.
"Boy's right" Bed IL murmured.
'Everything's going to be over to-
night"
The day nurse told the night nurse
about this matter at seven o'clock be-
fore she hurried Off to change clothes
for a movie.
In the early part of the night Bed
IL slept, but he awoke little before
one o'clock.
"Everything's going to be over In
FIVE minutes" said Bed II.
The nurse went back to her table In
the hall where the record Of the mis-
cries of her patients Is kept In words
such as n mechanical god might use.
She sat n few minutes wondering If
she should call the ward doctor out Of
bed. She half decided to call him, but
she went back to the ward before go
Ing to the telephone. Bed II was
dead.
Nurses Take Away Charms.
Psychology, explains the doctors,
and the nurses agree with an eager
"of course" But the patients with
the rabbits feet and the pebbles don't
care to argue the question.
Not long ago there was a negro
woman with pellagra, who called the
nurse to her bed and said she saw. the
angels coming for her. That woman
was getting better. There was every
reason to believe she was going to get
well.
They'll be here about three o'clock"
said the woman.
And at 3 :05 she died.
Most likely the bags with their
charms are the work of the devil, as
one of the sisters who are nurses put
It. And so they take them away from
the patients and burn them. There
are pleadlngs sometimes, but usually
just mumblings.
Silver Coin In Onion.
It's not always at the hospital,
either. The other day colored WONT
mn, who was remarkable for her white
skin, was murdered by her Chinese
lover, and since all her possessions
have been collected and searched in
settling the estate, which amounted to
more than $4,000. Her estate was
turned over TO the public admlnistra'
tor, Thomas Nichols. Among the eff
fects were found certain packages
that indicated pretty strongly that the
woman had practiced voodoo rltes-N
coconut emptied of It's natural con-
tents and flled with an evil-smelling
liQuid--a silver dollar found within
the cut halves of an onion, and all
wrapped in pink silk rags that had
once been part Of luxurious and costly
garments.
Materla medica takes no stock IN
frogs tongues, but here is the case Of
an old negro man brought to the Char
ity hospital by his employer:
"Thls fellow says he is going to die
next Tuesday" said the employer.
'See what you can do for him"
The old negro was, so far as the
doctors could find out, not bit sick.
But he died when Tuesday came.