Before the Civil War, a butcher named Mr. Ceese lived on Old Coombs Farm. A lot of local residents would travel by foot to Mr. Ceese's butcher shop.
One autumn day, a girl, age 10 or 12, was sent along the road by her family to buy meat from the butcher. As she passed the plantation on the long path to the butcher's, the girl eyed the ripe apples hanging low on the branches of trees in the plantation orchard.
She was a small thing, and she slipped through the fence and grabbed a fruit, which had already dropped from a low hanging limb. The plantation owner was tired of people filtching his apples and had instructed the overseer to set the dogs on anyone who entered the orchard to steal. These particular dogs were kept by the overseer and were dangerous and large brutes. Many of the plantation slaves were in mortal terror of both the dogs and the somewhat sadistic overseer.
As the girl crunched into the apple, she heard angry barking from several dogs. The girl panicked and ran, screaming, but she was not fast enough to make it back through the fence. The dogs caught her and one large, vicious brute got her by the neck before one of the slaves could pull him off. It is said that the overseer had laughed as the girl ran.
The girl's family was both grief struck and angry at her death. The plantation owner, however, was unrepentent. He stated he could do as he pleased on his own property with his own dogs. The girl had caused her own demise by trespassing and stealing. And "God Damn" anyone who said otherwise.
However, this little girl's mother was someone who "had the power," as some folks said. She was what was sometimes called a "high woman" in Maryland. Other names were used in other parts of the mountains, "root woman," "granny doctor," "yarb woman," etc. Nearer to Pennsylvania, she might have been called a "pow-wower." Farther South, she might have been called a "conjure woman" or a "hoodoo woman."
No legal action was taken.
Maybe the mother did come from farther down South. For as the story goes, it sounds like she was able to "work with both hands" as they said in the Deep South.
Receiving no satisfaction from the law, nor recompense, nor sympathy from any secular authority, she cursed the overseer, who had watched her daughter savagely mauled without interfering. It wasn't long until the overseer died in a farm accident.
Her greatest anger was directed at the plantation owner and his kin. Some said she spoke when her daughter was laid out at home: "As the Bible says the Lord our God is one Lord. Though Jesus forgives transgression and sin, that will by no means clear the guilty. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. The guilty shall be judged. Let him be condemned, and let his days be few. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. This iniquity of the father will be upon him and upon his children, and upon his children's children, unto the third and fourth generation."
Neighbors said she later placed a powerful hex on the plantation owner and his descendents for one hundred years. The heartless owner of the plantation would learn firsthand the pain of losing one of his children. Thereafter, the owner would experience his own violent death. Finally, as this curse passed to each generation during the hundred years, the family head would die violently.
The plantation owner lost a son in the Civil War. Two other immediate family members died suddenly of natural causes. Allegedly five of his kin did die violently during the span of the hundred years.
And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him [Moses] there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him [Moses], and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. Exodus 34:5-8 (KJV)
copyright June 2012 retold by Myth Woodling
Comments
This folktale illustrates the concept of justice brought magically when no justice would be available through secular avenues. I thought it made for a more dramatic retelling to actually put some words into the mouth of the grieving mother. I took them from the bible verses below, with which any Christian from that time period would be familiar.
Practitioners of hoodoo would doubtless explain that it would take a bit more than quoting the woman's speech above. Whatever other steps she may or may not have taken were not recorded in the original folktale.
This story shows the concept of generational curses, which can be laid on descendents of an enemy. I don't think this practice is at all common in hoodoo, but references to generational curses are definitely found in the bible. Some Christian denominations in the 21st century still offer to remove generational curses as part of their "deliverance ministries."
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:7)Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
(Deuteronomy 6:4)When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. (Psalm 109:7-9)
Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. (Psalm 109:13)
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. (Psalm 109:14)
As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. (Psalm 109:18)