Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 134, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1912 — VOODOO DOCTOR AT WORK [ARTICLE]

VOODOO DOCTOR AT WORK

Chanting of Magic Words Supposed to Reveal the Cause of - When the doctor arrived the girl was brought out of the hut and laid on the ground in front of him. Then he asked for a white chicken. After considerable search one was found and brought to him. They are hot common herb. He killed it and caught the blood in a gourd. All the mem* bers of the family were seated on the ground in a eircle. The gourd cup was passed from one to another, and each one drank some of the blood. It is very important that no member of the family be missing. If any one becomes a Christian that breaks the circle and "‘greatly interferes with the “fetish.” Next, the doctor rummaged in his medicine basket and selected such things as might have some effect on the “spirits” which were plaguing the girl. Bits of filthy cloth, scraps of the skins of animals, shells, pieces of bone and horn, pebbles and sticks were spread out on the grouhd. Finally, some goat horns were found in the collection. These were laid in a line ready for use. The girl had complained of pains in her arms. The cause of these must be found and removed, then she would get well. So the “divining" began. Magic words were chanted and mumbled over and over again by the doctor, while he swayed back and forth and made mystic motions with his head and hands. All the time he was intently watched by the circle of relatives on the ground and the lookers-on from the village, who stood around them. At last it was revealed to the diviner that the cause of the pains was “caterpillars crawling under the skin of the arms” of the girl. With a knife he then made cuts in her arms, and over each one planed one of the goal homß and drew blood into it. By this “cupping” process considerable blood was drawn, and the girl was made much weaker. She was now taken back into the hut, the doctor packed up his medicine basket with great deliberation and impressiveness, took his pay and departed. But the girt did not Improve.—The Christian Herald. ‘ :