The Washington times., 1937-01-05


Edwin c. Hill Costa Rlca, too,
has had a scare, with several kid
napings. The ring there was
broken up by the arrest Of a
dozen Jamaican Negroes and
their deportation.
The police of Cuba and the
West Indies have not broken up
altogether the most terrible forms
of voodooism, which entail human
sacrifice. They blame mostly the
illiterate Negroes from Jamaica
and Haiti, who are brought in to
work on the plantations.
African magic is prohibited by
law. and secret police are assigned
to put down the practices. Yet,
now and then, a ghastly case comes
to light to prove that the suppress
sion is not complete.
Such a case was the sacrifice
of an eight-year-old white boy to
the spirit of Cantong, the goddess
of voodooiSm. This occurred six
wears ago in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
It was believed first that the child
had been the victim Of alligatorS,
found in a lagoon near his parents
farm.
Persistent police work brought
the arrest of five men, who con-
fessed to the kidnapping and killing.
A voodoo "high priest" had or
dered them to do it, saying that
the blood of the child was needed
to cure the ailments of two women.
VOODOOISM
Voodooism had its origin in the
jungles of the Congo. 1t was
brought to the West Indies and to
the United States by slaves. The
pirate Jean Lafitte brought car
. goes of slaves not only to the West
Indies but also to New Orleans,
and this seems to explain the like
ness of West Indian voodooiSm to
= that practiced in the Mississippi
: delta regions. The violent form
of voodooism is known as Mango
while the mild form is called
Obeah.
In a jungle raid, the police Of
Trinidad burst into cabin and
upon a weird scene. A notorious
Obeah doctor, Brother Daniel" a
tall, middle-aged Negro, was per
forming his black magic. Beside
him crouched a cloaked woman
who held in her hand a bottle of
vampire blood. The witch doctor
played guitar. An altar in the
room was made of bones. Resting
on it were the sixth and seventh
books of Moses, and these, in turn,
were Surmounted with lighted
candles.
The ritual of Obeah usually is
satisfied with a sacrifice of ami
mails, particularly black cats and
roosterS. A certain bone in the
body of a black cat is supposed
to contain the power of making its
possessor invisible.
In our Harlem and our own ST.
Louis it costs superstitious Negro
the round sum of $40 to get an
authentic black cat bone from a
voodoo specialist. Down in Haiti
the ceremony of getting the bone
is quite elaborate. Three witnesses
are required, along with some thun-
der and lightning, during which
the cat is thrust into hot water.
DEVIL WORSHIP
The Mango cult is a vicious
one, combining, as it does, devil
worship with thuggee. Commits
sion of a capital crime is a
qualification for membership in
this cult.
Witchcraft is not peculiar to
the ignorant Negroes of the West
Indies and some of our Southern
States. It flourisheS in parts of
Europe and among the foreign
colonies of our large cities. The
doingS of the hex doctors" in
York county, Pennsylvania. are
notorious.
Millions of dollars are paid
each. year to the vicious charla-
tans who have a cure for any
thing under the sun for a price
which, amazing as it seems, runs
sometimes into thousands of dol
lars.
A recent police court case in
New YOrR DrougnC 10 ugnC Cne
payment of 1925 by woman to
. witch. She wanted to regain
the affections of her sweetheart.
For her 1925 she received a bag
Of hair, powdered blood and the
bones of a murderer. She was
directed to bury the bag in a
secluded spot at night.
The last witch executed in
America was Grace Sherwood, in
Virginia, in 1706. But it prob
ably will be doomsday before
there is left no one so superti-
tious or gullible as to pay good,
hard money for packet Of love
powder or the ankle dust Of a
black cat.
Copyright. 1897. by King Features
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