Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-23
"WhiIe the Witch
doctor RattIed
Shuc.Shucs and

doctor Ratified
Shoc.Shdcs and
MumbIed Obeah lamentations, the
Stricken Girls Eyes GreU Smaller and
More ReptiIian, Her Body Writhed
and Undulated in the Coils of the EUiI
Snake Spirit That Had Wrapped
Itself About Her."
After time the drums began to beat
softly again Ajaja, King Power Of Water.
took possession of young woman. Her body.
doubling back and forth at the waist, moved
jeri1ly to the music as she danced about
the parley. Disappearing for a few moments.
she returned with Jug Of water sacred to
Ajaja, from which all drank, including myself.
Slowly the drums stepped up their beat
Suddenly, with an ear-spHtting screech, an
old woman sprang to her feet She must have
been at least 20 and looked as though her
decrepit old body would fall apart at the
slightest exertion. But she danced lightly
across the parley and bowed before the Ogun.
Look" Lion exclaimed.
I looked but saw nothing unusual, except
that she had a lighted candle in each hand.
"She Is Osang. fire coufe." he whispered.
This is something to seeg"
AS the drums beat louder, the old woman
into whom Osang had entered stamped her
feet and jerked her body in time to their
rhythm. Slowly she passed one Of the lighted
candles under her arm, back and forth then
held the flame against the palm of her hand
while her head bobbed to the beat, beat,
beat, and her eyes rolled back in their sockets
For full minute the flame burned at the
palm of her hand.
Then she danced again, waving the lighted
candle wildly in the air, and as she danced
she seemed to shed years. Moving with the
agility of woman half her age she knelt
before the drummers and passed her face
through the candles protruding from the
ground in front of them without injury.
Suddenly she half rose and fell backwards
her arms continuing to flay the air to the
beat of the drums. the candles in her hands
causing shadows to dance about the parley
Still on her back she attacked the candle
in her left hand, each bite to the beat of
the drums Soon there was little left but the
flame, then that too disappeared down her
throat. AS she devoured the other candle the
Shangoists took up weird chant.
Soon after the power of Osang deserted
her. leaving her once more nothing but an
aged Trinidad Negress, the witchdoctor
sprang to the center of the parley and
danced, cutlass in hand
l could feel the tension increase as he
dropped to one knee, waved his clenched fists
as though he were shooting dice and flung
two black shells rolling out across the earthen
floor One landed upright, the other down
the sign Of DBL The powers" had spoken.
had received the sacrifices and sent their
thanks, had assured the worshipers that
their petition had been equally well received
cry Of Joy filled the parley as / stretched
my cramped limbs and walked out into the
first gray light of dawn.
the snake spirit had been
exercised do not know. But do know that
following his autopsy a somewhat less cynical
young doctor admitted the girls death had
not been due to heart failure but poison-the
poison Of a venomous rep
tile. He further admitted.
with glance over his
! ! ! !: ! !: ! !
III shoulder, that the teeth
OE 81 marks on her arm must
81 have been made by her
X~H own teeth.
VIZ You mean-she poi
soned herself?" asked.
(HklkSRm He did not meet my
AH8E eyes-just stood there
Is\WXl staring into the distance
Half woman. half
snake he rntftfaroH