Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1894 — The Negro’s Jack. [ARTICLE]

The Negro’s Jack.

Few white people know what a ■jack* is, as understood by the negroes, and perhaps the custom of carrying a “jack* is not popular with the negroes of this section of the country; bnt in the South Atlantic ! States, It is said, you can hardly find a negro without one. A negro was found dead, hanging in the woods near Charlotte, N. C., the other day, and the first question that the coroner asked was “Where is his jack’" At this question the negroes, who had congregated around, fell back as though a bomb were about to explode, and the white men present asked what it meant. “1 will show you," said the physician, and feeling in the dead man’s pocket he brought out a tin box.' When this was opened it was found to contain a’ snake’s head, a scorpion, a bit of iron, a rusty key, a hunch of “witch’s yarn,” and a package of salt The doctor said that thita was the, jack, and that it was nsed by the negroes to “conjure” their with and throw a spell over them, and that the majority of tbeimgroes held the jack in mortal terrftr3’ To show its power, the doctor offered t 9 give any of the negroes present a dollar to put the jack into his pocket, but none of them would tonch it. He took it home and tried the negroes in the city with it/ ,pe put it in his back yard and says tbit it will be a better guard for his chickens and woodpile than any dog that- he could get.— New Orleans Picayune.