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    Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen: And Folk Tales Along The Mississippi
    Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen: And Folk Tales Along The Mississippi
    Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen: And Folk Tales Along The Mississippi
    Ebook133 pages1 hour

    Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen: And Folk Tales Along The Mississippi

    By Raymond J. Martinez

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    About this ebook

    Raymond J. Martinez’ book on legends, lore, and unvarnished truths surrounding New Orleans’ most famous Voodoo mistress also features other tales from surrounding parishes of days long gone by, an illustrated guide to palm-reading, humorous asides, and over 30 fascinating drawings and images.

    In addition to facts and folklore about Laveau, including revealing research into some debunked myths and unanswered questions, the book offers entertaining stories of her life and the people around the New Orleans area.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBorodino Books
    Release dateDec 12, 2018
    ISBN9781789128581
    Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen: And Folk Tales Along The Mississippi
    Author

    Raymond J. Martinez

    Long-time chronicler of New Orleans' unique history, legends, and people, Raymond J. Martinez authored more than ten books that are still read today — to capture the lingering flavor of the city that care, and really time too, forgot. Such classic New Orleans books include 'Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen,' 'Louisiana's Fabulous Foods,' and (with Jack Holmes) 'New Orleans: Facts and Legends.'

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      Book preview

      Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen - Raymond J. Martinez

      This edition is published by BORODINO BOOKS – www.pp-publishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – borodinobooks@gmail.com

      Or on Facebook

      Text originally published in 1956 under the same title.

      © Borodino Books 2018, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      MYSTERIOUS MARIE LAVEAU—VOODOO QUEEN

      AND FOLK TALES ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI

      BY

      RAYMOND J. MARTINEZ

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

      PREFACE 5

      SHE TELLS THE PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE 6

      MARIE LAVEAU EMBRACES THE CULT, VOODOOISM 14

      TALES OF MARIE ARE AS STRANGE AS THE STORIES OF NOAH’S ARK 19

      ST. JOHN’S EVE 22

      THE QUEEN’S FAMOUS VASE AND OTHER FANTASTIC CLAIMS 26

      DID THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE VISIT MARIE LAVEAU? 29

      MARIE HAD A GREAT INTEREST IN THE CONDEMNED PRISONERS 31

      THE MAMMY OF THE OLD SOUTH WAS NOT A VOODOO CHARACTER 34

      THE BELIEF IN ANIMISM 38

      GUS ADAM, AUNT-ANN, JACK TINPAN AND OLD EVE SAW SPIRIT FREQUENTLY 39

      THE DEATH OF MARIE LAVEAU 42

      THERE WERE OTHER STRANGE CHARACTERS 48

      OUTWITTING THE YANKEE 51

      THE BURLEY LANDING ELECTION 59

      CHARLES THE GRINDER 67

      GRIS GRIS ON HIS DOOR-STEP DROVE HIM MAD 72

      PALMISTRY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST OF PREDICTIVE SYSTEMS 78

      JACK TINPAN AND THE GHOST AT HOLLINS’ GATE 84

      BIBLIOGRAPHY 88

      REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 89

      PREFACE

      This book is written chiefly for the reader’s entertainment and amusement; it is historically correct so far as possible, but the stories of the miraculous achievements attributed to the persons involved in Voodooism are from tales handed down, and while there is much truth in them there are also some fabrications and additions which seemed necessary in order to create the atmosphere of the times; that is, to show the manner of life in the community when the greater number of inhabitants considered Voodooism and animism with much seriousness.

      Folk tales, until they appear in print, are told many times, and each time in a slightly different way. Aesop’s Fables all have some basis of truth, no doubt, but may have been told in a thousand different ways before they were written as they appear today. As a matter of fact, Aesop, a slave who had been freed by his master, never wrote his stories down, but they were remembered and passed on from generation to generation for more than three hundred years, when a Roman known as Babicus collected them and wrote them as they are now. Most likely some of them were lost, but it is also likely that others have been added.

      The story of Marie Laveau is of interest chiefly because she succeeded in the practice of Voodooism in a community where culture was high and the Christian religion eminent. In Haiti she would have been considered a mediocre priestess, but here she was a remarkable person, who gave the people what they wanted; she mixed up Voodooism with Christianity, which was in itself a great accomplishment, for it was what no sincere Voodoo priest or priestess of Haiti could have done—or would have done, for that matter. But it was the work of a very clever person. Marie Laveau was, indeed, versatile. To some she was a saint, to others the devil incarnate.

      SHE TELLS THE PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE

      GLEN. I can call spirits from the vasty deep.

      HOT. Why, so can I, or so can any man;

      But will they come when you do call for them?

      Shakespeare—Act III, King Henry IV

      Had Marie Laveau been Glendower she could have answered Hotspur. Yes, they come when I do call for them, and Hotspur would have believed her, just as thousands of prominent men and women of New Orleans believed whatever she said; they wanted to believe; they dared not disbelieve, for she had the power to scare the wits out of them. How she required this power is a subject that has never been explored. Seeing is believing, and when people were confronted with evidence that she could make their wishes come true, and tell them what to do to bring themselves good lock, such as wearing good luck charms, usually the end of a black cat’s tail or a rabbit’s foot or a twig or pebble from a graveyard, or any other item, which she sold, thousands flocked to her. Why not? She was actually wonderful. She had been instrumental in causing the election of politicians to high offices; she had relieved the misery of many who had loved and lost and were pining away—suddenly there came a change and they found themselves loved in return—she had destroyed enemies or brought them bad luck; she had performed other miracles which astonished the people. How did she do this? Was it through power she gained from the help of evil and good spirits alike or was she a common sorcerer who hurt one for the benefit of another? These are questions yet unanswered.

      Marie Laveau was, from all accounts, an ignorant woman. If she could read and write that was the extent of her education. It is certain that she never; read a book in her lifetime, and doubtful that she ever read a newspaper. Yet men and women who had been educated at the leading colleges and universities of the United States and Europe went to seek her advice, not only in personal matters, but in matters of political activities concerning the local government and the nations of the world. There were among her clients, of course, also the lowly, who had none but personal interests, and they were in the majority.

      The records of vital statistics show that Marie Laveau, a free mulatto, was born at New Orleans in 1794, and married Jacques Paris, a carpenter, on August 4, 1819. The marriage was performed by Pere Antoine, who recorded the couple as free persons of color. She claimed, according to her daughter, Mme. Alexandre, that the Laveaus were descended from the noblest blood of France. This may or may not have been true; but it was possible, of course, for it would not have been strange for a person with Marie Laveau’s keen intelligence to have ancestors of more than average ability. And it was not very uncommon for French nobility to mate with women of color.

      For instance there is a strange story which the Duke of Saint Simon tells in his Memoirs of Louis XIV and the Regency. He says: "People were astonished this year, that while the Princess of Savoy was at Fontainebleau, just before her marriage, she was taken several times by Madame de Maintenon to a little unknown convent at Moret, where there was nothing to amuse her, and no nuns who were known. Madame de Maintenon often went there, and Monseigneur with his children sometimes; the late Queen used to go also. This awakened much curiosity and gave rise to many reports. It seems that in this convent there was a woman of color, a Moorish woman, who had been placed there very young by Bontems, valet to the King. She received the utmost care and attention, but never was shown to anybody. When the late Queen or Madame de Maintenon went, they did not always see her, but watched over her welfare. She was treated with more consideration than people the most distinguished and herself made much of the care that was taken of her, and the mystery by which she was surrounded. Although she lived regularly, it was easy to see that she was not too contented

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