A Voudoo Dance

The famous "voudoo' dance of th old-time Southern ncgroes took plac ahout four miles south of Lane'8 Ferry in Wayne county, Tenn. Por two day preceding the dance they began to ar rive, and the colored people of fiv States were represented, there bein worshipers from Tennessee, Alabama Mississippi, (eorgia, and the priest, o leader, was a native-born Louisianian Very few knew of the ceremony, anc no white persons were present as spec tators except the "Globe-Democrat" re porter and a lawyer of Waynesboro The meeting place was in Ocoltee Swamp. down in the wiregrass, where the pine and the hemlock, and the cy press and the juniper grow side by side Very few human creatures have eve travèrsed its hidden recesses, or gone beyondthe open close to the margin o the sluggish black pools, which abounc in all kinds of creèping s'-rpents anc fish. It is a dense swamp as nearly im penetrable as the Dismal Swamp of Virginia. Briars of lusty growth. and the creeping roots of the trees und shrubs make it dangerous ior one to walk even in the edge of the thiekets, for fear of being tripped. The swamp is a ter rible place to enter after nightfall, as the wild seream of the panther, the prowl of the wild boar and the hooting of owls make one's blood run cold. Step by step, slowly and as noiselessly as possible, the scribe and the lawyer, with pistols ready for any kind of fourfooted denizens of the swamp, made their way from hummock to hummock, miring into slush and mud, and wading through the sluggish pools. The weird loneliness of the swamp, with no lighl except the rays of the bull's eye, terrifled them, but it was "see the 'voudoo' dance or die," and disturbing a snake here, a lizard ther. or hearing the frig-htened chirp of a little bird that had left its nest, they made their way for three-quarters of a mile. In the center of the swamp is the Devil's Lake, a small, bracki.sh body of water, and into this a península runs out for several hundred yards, and instead of to a point widens at the end. On the end of the little península is a thick growth of trees; in the center is an open. In this open the voudoo worshipers were to mako their sacrifices. Before the war this s"ot used to be a favorite meeting place nf theirs, but of late years the dances Imve been confined to Louisiann. GteorHaand Mississippi. The two spectator found shelter in the hollow of a gigan ie oak, and for two long hours sat crain;ed up in their narrow quarters awaiting the appearance of the negroes. As the hands of the watch pointed to the hour of midnight a shriil scream woke the echoes of the swamp, and was answered by yells on all sides of the swamp. In a moment a light loomed up through the thick underbrush about a quarter of a mile to the east, followed by others until in a moment the jungle seemed to be alive with torches. The priests, followed by the negroes, approached the península, and singing a monotonous chant entered the clearing and circled around the priest three times, when at a wave of hls hand or stick the men threw their torches to the ground ín a pile and rushed off to the woods af ter fagots and firewood. Pour out of the thirty-f our women grasped a heavy kettle, and going to the edge of the península filled it with the black water of the lake. They brought it back full to the brim and placed it on the roaring bonfire which the men had made. The fire lighted the scène for 100 yards or more, and the two spectators crept farther back for fear of being seen. The crowdof about eighty-flve then joined hands and began circling around, singing and yclling, while the old priest in the center - a gaunt, hollow-f aced, toothless and aged negro - lay flat down on his belly to invoke the spirits. Over the backs of each one of the worshipers was strapped a long sack. They stopped when the priest arose, and each one lay flat on the ground while the doctor walked around the circle Uraehing each oue's head with his wand, which was no sooner done than the one touched would rise and stand motionless in his place. When they had risen they began to march around the big kettle, which was roaring now. Their sacks were transferred to the front, and each one dived his or her hand into the sack and drew out a wriggling snake, a lizard, scorpion, frog, turtle or other reptile, which was flung into the kettle This was kept up until they had each put into the loathsome mass three reptiles or animáis. When this was done the doctor began a harangue, while the worshipers stood with bowed heads and folded hands. Then began the dance around the kettle. No human pen could describe the gyrations, contortions and twistings of the writhing mass of humanity. Yells, screams, screeches and cries filled the atmosphere with hideous vibrations. It looked as if each one was doing his best to throw himself out of joint and outshriek his neighbor. The awful dance was kept up until one by one they feil to the ground exhausted. Presently all was still. The priest cried out something in a sharp voice, and, as if by magie, all arose. From their sacks each one drew a sharp stick, and the circle began moving about again. Each one thrust his stick into the seething caldron and drew it forth with some reptile impaled upon it. In a moment each one of the whole fiendish crew had a sickening mass on his rod. Then followed the same writhing dances with stick and reptile held high in the air, until again they feil to the ground in an exhausted state. It was now that daylight begati to dawn. and the fire went out, leaving the exhansted dancers stretched out on the ground. - St. Louis Globe-Democrat. - Each of the justices of the Federal Hupreme court is allotted a body servant who is paid out of the contingent fxind of the court. These servants report promptly every morning at nine at the residences of the justices. whoin they attend constantly iluring the day. Tlu-y s'.mve th'; ju.-ti ■-. do their errands and ■ ■ ■(■":"'::: '. il as oaclunen f or. th "ra. jnstic" ■ :'.si) furnished with a prívalo :et;r Wi'V. Talk back- Telephone girls.