The Rising Son; or, the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored RaceBrown, William Wells
History
The Rising Son; or, the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race
Brown, William Wells
African Americans -- Biography; African Americans -- History; Black race; Slavery -- United States
“After waving my hands in the air, I said,--‘Gentlemen, I want your
aid; give it to me, and I’ll perform a cure that you’ll never forget.
All of you look upon that man till I say, “Hold!” Look him right in
the eye.’ All eyes were immediately turned upon the invalid. Having
already taken my stand at the foot of the bed, I took hold of the right
leg near the calf, pinched up the skin, inserted the needle, withdrew
it after discharging the contents, slipped the syringe into my pocket,
and cried at the top of my voice, ‘Hold!’ The men now turned to me,
alternately viewing me and the sick man. From the moment that the
injection took place, the ravings began to cease, and in less than ten
minutes he was in perfect ease. I continued to wave my hands, and to
tell the devils ‘to depart and leave this man in peace.’ ‘Cap’ was the
first to break the silence, and he did it in an emphatic manner, for he
gazed steadily at me, then at the sick man, and exclaimed,--‘Big thing!
big thing, boys, d--d if it ain’t!’
“Another said,--‘A conjurer, by h--ll! you heard him say he deals with
the devil.’ I now thought it time to try ‘Cap,’ for, from his limping,
groaning, and swearing about his hip, it seemed to me a clear case of
sciatica, and I thus informed him, giving him a description of its
manner of attack and progress, detailing to him the different stages of
suffering.
“I had early learned from the deference paid to the man by his
associates, that he was their leader, and I was anxious to get my
hands on him, for I had resolved that if ever I got him under the
influence of the drug, he should never have an opportunity of putting
a rope around my neck. ‘Cap’ was so pleased with my diagnosis of
his complaint, that he said,--‘Well, I’ll give you a trial, d--d if
I don’t!’ I informed him that I must be with him alone. The woman
remarked that we could go in the adjoining room. As we left the
company, one of them said: ‘You aint agoin’ to kill “Cap,” is you?’
‘Oh, no!’ I replied. I said, ‘Now, “Cap,” I’ll cure you, but I need
your aid.’ ‘Sir,’ returned he, ‘I’ll do anything you tell me.’ I told
him to lay on the bed, shut his eyes, and count one hundred. He obeyed
at once, and while he was counting, I was filling the syringe with the
morphia.
“When he had finished counting, I informed him that I would have to
pinch him on the lame leg, so as to get the devil out of it. ‘Oh!’
replied he, ‘you may pinch as much as you d--d please, for I’ve seen
and felt h--ll with this old hip!’ I injected the morphia as I had done
in the previous case, and began to sing a noted Methodist hymn as soon
as I had finished. As the medicine took effect, the man went rapidly
off into a slumber, from which he did not awake while I was there, for
I had given him a double dose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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