Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/574

 226 Journal of American Folk-Lore.

" Stars of the Celestial Bear legend.

" Chart showing their approximate position in lat. 45 N.

"To find the position of the stars at midnight in the middle of any sea- son, turn the chart until the name of that season is at the foot of the page."

Editor Journal of American Folk- Lore.

Why the Poplar Stirs — Superstition of Miners in Michigan. — Near Marquette, Mich., a mining superintendent, having occasion to lay out a road near a mine, suggested to the foreman, who, like his gang, was Irish, that the men should cut down some neighboring poplar-trees for corduroy. The foreman said that not a man of them could be hired to chop down one of those trees, that the men would as soon think of cutting off their own hands. " Don't you know," said he, " that the Saviour's cross was made of that tree ? " and added that you will never see a poplar-tree perfectly still. The idea apparently is that the tree is perpetually agitated or trem- bling because of the terrible use made of it at Golgotha.

H. R. Kidder.

Braziel Robinson possessed of two Spirits. — Braziel Robinson, re- cently deceased, is a negro of about seventy-five years of age, and came to our plantation immediately after the war to test the question whether he was really free or not, and had the right to move from his former master's place. He soon established a reputation as a foreseer of events, as a root- doctor, would advise negroes when to plant their garden, when to expect rain, administered in a medical way to the many wants of the community in which he lived. Braziel had a peculiar habit, when any one asked him a question, of asking you please to give him a chew of tobacco, so that he could collect his thoughts before answering you.

The following statement is given in his own words : —

" I am not a preacher, but a member of the church, but I can make a few remarks in church, I have a seat in conference, I can see spirits, I have two spirits, one that prowls around, and one that stays in my body. The reason I have two spirits is because I was born with a double caul. People can see spirits if they are born with one caul, but nobody can have two spirits unless they are born with a double caul, very few people have two spirits. I was walking along and met a strange spirit, and then I heard a stick crack behind me and turned round and heard my prowling spirit tell the strange spirit it was me, not to bother me, and then the strange spirit went away and left me alone. My two spirits are good spirits, and have power over evil spirits, and unless my mind is evil, can keep me from harm. If my mind is evil my two spirits try to win me, if I won't listen to them, then they leave me and make room for evil spirits and then I 'm lost forever, mine have never left me, and they won't if I can help it, as I shall try to keep in the path."

Here he took the quid of tobacco out of his mouth, and rolling it in his hand for a few minutes, resumed : —

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