Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE SOUL CATCHERS. A SINGULAR CUSTOM OF THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS. The Way the Natives In the Days Before Civilisation Had Fully Marlted Them For Its Own Used to Get Even With Their Enemies. A little while age. while turning over some memeu.cs m.ny years spent in the Paciiic is. i came across a ?mall circle or" line cane about two inches in diameter. From the side toward the center a deHcate network o? the libers of some plant was construct-* ed, leaving a small hole in the center large enough for, say, a bee to crawl through. The article weighed, less fhnn n onnrtor of an ounce: vet. small and harmless as it appeared, it is not | so very many years ago that it and others like it were objects of deadly ; terror to the natives of many of the Pacific islands, particularly those of ' Manahiki (Humphrey island), for the simple looking thing was a soul catcher"?that is, a destroyer of human life. ' * Manahiki is one of a group of low lying atoll islands to the north-northwest of Samoa, and its people today are about the best educated of all the Malayo-Polynesian people. They elect a \ king and parliament, have one of the most beautifully adorned churches in the Pacific islands, and nearly all the s younger members of the community ran now not only speak but read and write English. The" island is? tVr an atoll?unusually fertile and the p ople a fine, stalwart, handsome copper ">1ored race. The main industries are the making of "copra" (dried cocoanut) and diving for pearl shell. "Soul catching" in the heathen days, prior to 1863, could be and was practiced by any one who desired revenge or the life of an enemy. Indeed, although the people were nominally Christians in 1873, it was still in vogue. The modus operandi is very simple. Say that two men, Rika and Teiuro. quarrel. Rika accuses Tetoro < of going out into the lagoon at nighttime, lifting his (Rika's) fish traps and abstracting the contents. He therefore demands compensation. Tetoro denies the theft. The relatives of both men take sides, and the quarrel assumes all the elements of a feud with bloodshed. It may be that Tetoro is a man of moone r?r> nhioflv MnV flTir? inflllPnOO iUVUXiO V*. mmv. - and treats his accuser with scorn. "Very well," the injured Rika cries. "If I cannot get justice from you I shall snare your soul, and you will die - of a wasting sickness." / Tetoro, even if he is innocent; begins to feel uneasy at this threat and, while ^ vigorously denying the theft, offers Rika a present of a pig to end the matter. Rika's relatives at once clamor not only for their original demands, but for the pig as well. Possibly a free fight ensues, and Rika's people get badly used, and threats of "soul snaring" are heard on all sides. Then Rika's wife makes the snare for ^ Tetoro's soul. Taking ber mat out into the village square or upon a well frequented road or path, she suspends the ^ snare from the branches of trees or sticks placed in the ground in such a position that siie can closely'watch the orifice in the center of the square. Rika's friends, male and female, come with her. They bring food and eat it and throw fragments under the snare to attract the flies, with which the island is infested. If but one fly crawls through the hole Tetoro is a dead man, unless he suddenly gives in and allows himself to be bled, for not only do Rika's people watch the snare, but his > jown as well. No one of them would dare to attempt to destroy the snare. The death of the interferer by occult power would certainly follow. And so for hours and hours?sometimes for days?many pairs of eyes watch the little circle of cane, and Tetoro and his friends are now ready to yield, but feel that still more extorv tionate demands may be made. Then ' " - A- A*l ifit iUSI a ny IS seen 10 crawl iuiuu^ui and a shout goes through the village. ! "Ua bopo te lago! Ua hopo te lago!" ("A fly has passed through.") Tetoro hears the cries and immediately imag, . ines he feels ill. His wife and relatives crowd about him and try to cheer him up, but his face assumes a melancholy look, and as the time passes on he refuses his food. Perhaps he may confess that he did steal Rika's fish and tremblingly offer to make full restitution if Rika will catch a fly and make it go through the circle from the reverse side through which the first one entered voluntarily. Usually this is done, and what might have become a lasting family feud bad Tetoro died of funk," through being bewitched, ends up by the payment of so much property to Rika, and a feast for which both iparties provide the viands.?Pall Mall Gazette. No Good to the Landlord. ; The minister and the landlord were fslkhur matters over about a person who wished to become one of the latter^ tenants. "Morally he Is sound, but financially he is weak," said the minister. "Ah, weei," replied the factor, "in that case he's a guid enough sitter for yon, but no for me." And the negotiations were declared "off."?London Telegraph. That Harried Him. ! Markley?Yes, I did lend him $10. Newitt?Well. I suppose he'll pay you back some day, but yon can't make :him hurry. Markley?I don't know about that. The mere sight of me walking along the street has had that effect upon him several times lately. ? Philadelphia Press. Are you satisfied to do nothing today ^except tell of the wonderful things you 'intend to do tomorrow??Atchison Globe. _/f Good Reason For the Advance After she had carried her piece of silk home and begun to cut a waist from it she discovered that she hadn't enougH The next day she returned to the store for more and was surprised to learn that she must pay 50 ce.its more a yard than she had the day before. She a^ked the clerk why this was so, and he rep.lied glibly: "Cli, we have just had word from China that the silkworms are all dying; so we have raised the price on ail our silks, as the supply is apt to run out at any time." An Irishman who kept a small shop on a nearby street happened to be standing near the counter and overheard the conversation. The next day a customer of his called for a paper of needles, two papers of pins and a roll of tape. When she paid the bill she found that she had been charged G cents instead of 3 for the tape. She protested mildly, but Pat exclaimed: "Well, you see, ma'am, I've just learned that the supply of tape is apt to give out at any time, for all the tapeworms are dying."?New York Times. Marital Confidences. "Harold, what first made you think of marrying me?" "Well, it will do no harm to tell you now. I saw you sharpen a lead pencil once. Y'ou did it neatly and without soiling your fingers, and I said to myself that a girl who could do that would make a good wife. Tell me now when you first thought of me as a possible husband?" "Well, it can't do any harm to tell you now. I saw you were watching me when I sharpened that pencil. I said to " " r V - >-1- ~ l.i. ~> "myseu, .v ayue mai 5 ms icai ui a. am. So I took unusual pains with the job." ?Chicago Tribune; Fearful Odds Against Sin. Bedridden, alone and destitute. Such, in brief, was the condition of an old soldier by name of J. J. Havens, Versailles, 0 For years he was troubled with Kidney disease and neither doctors nor medicines gave him relief. At length he tried Electric Bitters. It put him on his feet in short order and now be testifies, UI am on the road to complete recovery.'' Best on earth for Liver and Kidney troubles and all forms of Stomach and Bowel Complaints Only 50c. Guaranteed by The Kaufmann Drug Co., Druggists. The Whispering Man. Munroe (in a whisper)?Can you tell me where I'll find Mr. Westgate? Jorkyns (also in a whisper)?You'll find him in the back office, three flights up. Munroe?What do you mean by whis pering? Don't you know it's vulgar? Jorkyns?I whispered because you did. You began it. Munroe?But I can't speak save in a whisper. Jorkyns?Then if you had any manners you wouldn't speak at all.?Boston Transcript Where the Xnmberi Are Needed. "No, I am not in favor of this movement to have all the automobiles numbered," asserts the first citizen. "But it seems to me a wise provision," argues the second. "Not at all. What should be required is that all pedestrians wear a number. Look how much trouble there is every day identifying some of them who have obstructed the path of the automobilists."?J udge. Dead Easy. arr \ "Yes, siree; them summer boarders Is easy marks! Why, I made ernuff out of 'em this year ter pay fer the last two gold bricks I bought in town!"?Chicago American. Easier to Bear. "I'll get some of the stuff if you can assure me from your own experience that it will cure my baldness." "Well, it won't absolutely cure it, but it will mitigate it greatly." "How mitigate it?" "It makes you sort o' hope it will cure you, and you always feel better, you know, when you can hope."?Chicago Tribune. For Over Sisty Years. Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup has been in use for over sixty years by millions of mothers for their children while teething, with perfect success. It soothes the child, softens the gums, allays all pain, cures wind colic, and is the best remedy for Diarrhoea. It will relieve the poor little sufferer immediately. Sold by Druggist in every part of the world. Twenty-five cents a bottle. Be Bure to ask for Mrs. "Winslow's SoothiDg Syrup," and take no other kind, tf Perhaps the summer girl eteels her heart to prevent it from being stolen. Sleeplessness Is akin to insanity. Many a woman realizes this as she lies awake hour by hour, peopling the aarkuess with phantoms, startP&js in*> at creakin? ?f fhe bed or tlU'e rustle of the Such symptoms ggK & \ <|in Jtoncral point M> *" ' i f? disease of the gjpH\> ^ I ^e^ca*e wo?ianly constant drain of t*1'* vifa 1 and nervous forces. This condition ilffl8RSwti"vA\ come by sleeping VSg^Sf ^ "* f powders. The J v*fr \\ w * diseased condijK^hix * ! tion must be \% cure^ before the SvmSS^IlS fll 1 V7//, consequences of HfflM2IlLJLl?E?arc re" Dr. Pierce's F'avorite Prescription cures the womanly diseases which cause nervousness and sleeplessness. It is the best of tonics and invigorants. nourishing- the nerves, encouraging the appetite and inducing refreshing sleep. $5QO Reward far Wamen Wfo? Gasssi&t be Oureefm Proprietors and makers of Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription now feel fully warranted in offering to pay $500 in legal money of the United States for any case of Leucorrhea, Female "Weakness, Prolapsus, or Falling of Womb, which they cannot cure. All they ask is a fair and reasonable ' trial of their means of cure. " My wife was sick for orer eight years," writes Albert H. Fulte, Esq.. of Altamout, Grundy Co., Teun. "She had uterine disease and was treated by two pbysidaas and got 110 relief. At last I read about Dr. Pierce's medicines and we decided to try his ' Favorite Prescription.' I sent to the drug store and got one bottle and the first dose gave eas? and Bleep. She had not .slept any for three nights. Being sure that it would cure her I seut for fire more bottle* and when she had taken the sixth bottle she was sound and well." Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets should be used with "Favorite Prescription * whenever a laxative is required. A l'onns Anatomist. C<s,.v,/% ?<?A ftvn 1 ;+ +!/:, fnllrtTTC f\t I ouiiltr uaj d i >? vy IUUV ivuv ?T d vr^. seven and eight years heard older people speaking of skeletons. The sevenyear-old boy listened intently to the conversation when the elder boy with an air of superior knowledge said abruptly: "You don't know what a skeleton is, and I do." "So do I," replied the younger. "I do know; I know for certain, I do."' "Well, now, what is it?" "It's bones with the people off."?Lippincott's Magazine. And He Wa? Assisted. Gentleman With the Revolver?Won Id you, sir, be so kind as to assist a poor man? Besides this revolver I have nothing in this wide world. The Genuine vs. Conterfeits. The genuine i* always better than a counterfeit, but the truth of -this statement is never more forcibly realized or more thoroughly appreciated than when you compare the genuine DeWitt's Witch Hszel Salve with the many counterfeits aDd worthless substitutes that are on the market. W. S. Ledbetter, of Shreveport, La., says: "After using numerous other remedies without benefit, one box of DeWitt's Witch Hazel Salve cured me." For blind, bleeding, itchiDg and protruding piles no remedy is equal to DeWitt's Witch Hazel Salve. Sold by all "B6'? *? Equipped. "Have you everything for the automobile?" asked the stranger, entering the store. "Yes, sir," replied the clerk. "Well, give me four yards of court plaste^f six gallons of arnica, a bundle of cotton batting and half a dozen copies of 'First Aid to the Injured.' Yonkers Statesman. She Had Thought it Out. "Papa," asked five-year-old Helen, "couldn't you make me over into a boy?" "I don't see how I could," said papa. "Well," suggested Helen, "you could take me down to the barber's and get my hair sharpened, couldn't you?"? Somerville Journal. Hard to Tell. "I suppose, my boy," said the stranger in town, "I can jump on any one of these cars and go to the park." "I dunno," replied the newsboy. "Anuder guy dat looked as clumsy as you tried to jump on one de udder day. an' he went ter de morgue."?Philadelphia Press. BraTery. "You spoke very admiringly of that man's courage." "Yes." "But he was never a soldier or a fireman or a policeman." "No, but he eats mushrooms that he has gathered himself." ? Washington Star. To Cure a Cold in One Day Take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. All druggists refund the money if it fails to cure. E. W. Grove's signature is on each box 25c. BIT OF FRENCH HISTORY. An Empire Lost For Want of the Ri^ht Sort of Riding; Habit. An old legend which makes no pretense to truth tolls how a kingdom was lost for want of a horseshoe nail. But a volume of sober historical and biographical purpose, written by Count dTIorrison. makes it appear that the Empress Eugenie, after the battle of Sedan, lost the chance to preserve the empire of her husband by not possessing exactly tiie right sort of riding labit. It was the evening of Sept 3, 1870. The news of the surrender of the French army and of the Emperor A'anoleon at Sedan had spread about 1'ar iG. The city was excited, and there was talk of a revolution and the banishment of the imperial family. At this juncture Emile do Girardin. a man who was trusted by the empress and who had had no little experience during the previous changes of government, arrived at the palace of the Tuileries. "If your majesty were to appear on horseback in the midst of the people," Girardin said, "and announce the abdication of the emperor in favor of the prince imperial, your own assumption of the title of empress regent and the appointment of Thiers as prime minister, the empire might be saved. Something must be done to turn the tide." The empress accepted the advice. Jiiit when this leader of the world's fashion sought for a proper costume for her performance it could not be found. The only riding habit in the Tuileries was a fantastic one of green, embroidered with gold and silver, made for a festal hunting occasion, and the hat was a not less fantastic three cornered affair of the epoch of Louis Quinze. The empress felt that it would not do to appear in this garb on such an occasion. Iler appearance in it might have the opposite effect upon the people from that which she intended. The plan had to be given up, the empress and the prince Imperial were banished and the Napoleonic empire was at an end. A NOSE FOR NEWS. Tlie Genuine Newspaper Reporter Is j Eorn, Not 3Ic.de. "Poets are born, not made," said the i retired newspaper man to the New Orleans Times-Democrat, "and I might add that reporters come into this world in much the same way. For instance, the 'born' reporter wih get a story if there is one in sight, while he who only has what I would call a mechanical sort of training will skim over the same ground without ever discovering that anything out of the ordinary has happened. Not many years ago I was holding an important position on one of the principal journals of Chicago. I was one day put on the city editor's desk, and, wanting to test the ability of two new men on the staff, I assigned both of them to the same story. Of course neither knew the other was in the neighborhood, and you ought to have seen their respective reports. One of them had a two column story that created a sensation from one end of the city to the other, while the other turned in about two 'sticks' of the driest stuff I ever remember to have read. I am satisfied that both the men covered the story to the best of their respective abilities. One of them simply had a 'nose for news' and the other didn't As I said, reporters are born, not made by studying 'journalism' in the abstract. The natural born reporter is at home in a newspaper office, he can live on ink and can sleep soundly on the imposing stone. He sees little news in a dog biting a man, but he is | quick to grasp the importance of an item telling about a man biting a dog." Cured Hemorrhages of the Lungs "Several years since my lungs j were so badly effected that I had j maoy heraorrhRges," writes A. M. Ake, of Wood, Ind. "I took treatment with several physicians without any benefit. I then started to j take Foley's Honey and Tar and my j lungs are now as sound as a bullet. ! I recommend it in advanced stages of lung trouble." The Kaufmann Drug Co. A Puzzling Problem. The man seemed to be very much excited. "We've made a bet," he said, "on a question of law, and we've agreed to leave it to you." "I'll do the best I can to settle it." returned the great lawyer, gratified by this evidence of the opinion in which he was held. "What is the question of law?" "Why, a two dollar cat belonging to Brown ate a ten dollar bird belonging to Jones, and we want to know who has legal title to the combination of bird and cat."?Chicago Post. A Word In Season. The playwright turned pale with excitement and a sudden rush of pride as he heard from his position in the wings the sound of stamping feet and roaring voices. "They are calling for the author!" he cried feverishly. "What shall I do? Must I make a speech?" The manager, who had not only j heard but seen the audience, took him j hv flip ollvra* "The best thing you can do," he whispered. 'Is to slip out of the stage door and escape while there's time." Yotl Snow ^That Yon Ara Taking When you take Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic because the formula is plainly printed on every bottle showing that it is simply Iron and Quinine in a tasteless form, No Cure, No Pay. 50c. Dry Goods,ClotSiin, 1704 AND 1706 To Our Friends in Lexington: When in n> lor your sake for yon to give us a call lor Sf advanced itigprice, bat lortnnatelv we had b able to sell at old prices. Tins is not idle U thing like that. I? you want to get treated is no house in Coluuib:a better able to take < nice goods at our command. EXTRA SPECIAL. 3000 yards 36-inch .Percale *t 5o. worth 84. 3000 yards Lt. Prints 4c. sold at 5c. 10,000 yds, 4-4 Sea Island at 5c., sold at 6J. 300 pieces of Fig. Lawns at 5c., would be cheap at 8j. 3 cases of Ladies Ribbed Vest at 5c. each. 300 separate Skirts for rainy day or general use at $1.00 to $3.00. 100 dozen Shirt Waist at 25c. to $2.00 each .f Annarv 1 !v ONE CAR LOA] ONE CAR LOA] ONE CAR LOA] just arrived. ^ attractive prices, wanted in stock. Come in and see ci1 t. b. \m columb 88 88 ss i watch ti m S3 FOR TOUR E 1 Fall and Win jjl NOTIONS, C S3 SHOES .A.3 Our Buyer is no^ 99 Ma,rl ?2 YOURS FOE BAEG gg SUEPIS I THE W. F. I |]j| 1G3S-1640 MA fflQ ?a jjjj COLUMI 88 FlTZMAURICE g and Furnishings. MAIN STSSST, , s. c. sed of anything in our lino would be glad >ring Goods. These goods are very much ought before the rise in urice and wo will be ilk, and to be plain we haven't time for anyright call and see us for yonr wants. There * care of yon than we are. With all kinds of BOY'S CLOTHING, 10U Boy Suits, all wool, at $1.50, sold at $2. I 100 Boy Suits, all wool, S2.00, sold at $3.50, 500 separate Pants at 25c. to 50c. CLOTHING FOR MEN. From $5.00 to $12 50 you can make the best selection to be had anywhere. With our new Clothing Room, we have the Room to show you, we can justly save you from $2.00 to $4,00 on a suit. Call to see us. 0 MITCHELL, 0 VIRGINIA, rx mrr/MifTTTT T , i j lnumniuu re can make you Any size wagon i us when in the by. [TRY & CO., ia, S. C. aeocdcocdGdca -, S3 S3 I S3 IIS SPACE ? m ARGAINS IN CO S3 ter Dry Eroods | -i JLOTHIJN (i-, XX 5TID HATS, 83 t in the Northern jS ALSTS THAT WILL ?2 ' , E YOU. SB IN STREET, fMfr | s. C. f|| acdsoSSSSSSSd , J i