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Wednesday, December 24, 2003
I've Been Thinking, Historical Account of the Montgomery Area
by Narcissa Martin Boulware
"A
Spell-binding Event"
I My lady had fallen in love. She had retreated too far into her recluse shell to ever contact the man, and her black lady friend told her they would solve the problem by using lighted candles. My lady should send her friend ten dollars and promptly the three candles with the proper spell applied would be lighted and as the candles burned the spell would be cast on the desired man. When enough time would go by and no response came from the object of the old lady's affections, she would write again for more help-many ten dollars were mailed. (I hope many candles were lit, my lady friend died childless, widowed, lonely and heartbroken). This is a true story. The house was moved, restored, lived in and much loved. A few of the letters and one piece of furniture, a secret locking wardrobe, still survive. The house was appraised by the leading authorities on historic houses and now is owned by Sam Houston State College, Huntsville, TX.
The unusual belief that eating butter on the first day of May was described in the book "Plantation Life in Texas" by Elizabeth Silverthorne. I will add the custom practiced by some "Voodoo" or "Hant" believers was the bottle tree in the yard. A good strong hardwood tree was cut down, cutting all the limbs short and firmly installed in the ground, just as fence posts were installed. The bottles were placed over the cut off limbs. Long-necked bottles were preferred, and during the long rein of quack medicine production, the bottles they used were of many colors and many of the smaller bottles had long necks, just right to hang on the cut off limbs of the bottle tree.
My sister who lives in a very small, prestigious neighborhood in San Antonio made a bottle tree and installed it in her front yard and searched all the antique shops for miles around to collect old long necked bottles of many different colors. She enjoyed the questions and compliments on her unusual yard ornament.
The "Hant", "Voodoo" and "Conjure" persons seem to have originated or rather introduced in Louisiana, when that state was owned by France and peopled by Africans, French, British and Indians. I remember some of the believers that I knew in my childhood who wore a string with a small bag of asaf around their necks to ward off disease, and some wore what they called " a silver dime" with a hole punched in to put the string through and worn around the ankle. These people believed in small part that there were "Spirits" that had an unknown power, but my belief is that the bag of asaf had such a horrible smell that nobody would get close enough to pass on their disease.
The business of fortune telling still attracts many people and most of the smaller cheaper paper publications carry ads of "mediums" offering advice and remedies for any or all problems. The bottle tree belief was that harmful spirits or "Hants" traveled at night to hunt their victims and would then, gets trapped in the bottles and daylight would wipe them out.
I got a copy of "Grier's Almanac for 2003" from the local Anderson Feed Store right across the highway from the fast growing Cowboy Fellowship Church on Hwy. 105 west, and in the back there are forty ads offering every type of help to those who believe. For instance Jamaican, West Indies, Father Samuel specializes in Jinx removable from the body and restores health, happiness, peace and love. Another, Lady Edna specializes in love and marriage; one call will put your mind at ease. Then there is Doctor Cross, Voodoo Love Specialist, who advises that he will not let someone take your lover, and one day is all he needs to make your lover commit to you for life. There is an ad for Mother Dewberry, spiritualist and healer; Gina love specialist; Louisiana Root doctor returning lost loves and removes enemies while Rev. Nina will remove evil and guarantees three-day results. Some promised that within hours they could cast on or take off a "Hex" or "Spell". Some specialized in readings and psychic ability using purifying. "Crystal's" an article in the Chronicle by Stephen Kinzer of the New York Times tells of a renewed interest in the belief in Voodoo, mostly centered in New Orleans, LA, where the celebrated Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau lived and died. This writer says her believers and followers used many different forms of their rituals such as oils, herbs, and candles. Writer Kinzer says the belief is of African origin. There were seven tenant farmhouses on my father's land and I saw many instances of the pierced dime and anklet string and the cloth bag and string around the neck. The asaf bag was mostly put around the necks of children, while the older believers had their special personal "charms" in their bags.
When I think about the wonderful old house I had, but couldn't have and of the nice old lady who lived there I'm glad she had something to believe in and something she believed she could have even if her hopes were based on burning the right candles. |
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