The island of Jamaica is famous not only for its golden beaches, reggae and beautiful nature, but also for black sorcerers who know the secrets of the voodoo religion.
But in the 19th century, the owner of the island was Annie Palmer - a white-skinned Irish woman who was called the White Witch by the locals …
The small island of Jamaica, like the entire Caribbean region, has been a kingdom of planters and slave traders for several centuries. Europeans came here, obsessed with a thirst for profit and an indomitable spirit of adventurism. The Paterson couple, who are from Ireland, came to the Caribbean island of Haiti with the expectation of improving their financial affairs. They brought with them a little daughter named Annie, who loved the island life. But things went wrong with the parents: the local climate was not suitable for them. They often got sick, and after a while yellow fever drove them to the grave. The 10-year-old girl was left alone. She probably would have had to return to her homeland, if not for the former maid, who at the time of the death of Annie's parents had received her freedom.
A middle-aged black woman took the girl up and taught her all the wisdom of life, and most importantly - the magical secrets of the voodoo religion. In fact - witchcraft.
An inquisitive and lively girl turned out to be an excellent student. Secret knowledge came to her taste.
To get married is not to attack
Annie Paterson was a fragile, slim and short girl - her height barely exceeded one and a half meters. At the same time, she was very mobile, energetic, which the men liked very much.
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Although, as detractors said, her shares in the bride market were quoted so high because she had well mastered all the secrets of witchcraft. And at any moment she could perform a ceremony, which immediately led to a massive influx of applicants for her hand and heart. Therefore, by the age of 18, when her teacher died, Annie did not know the end of the suitors. But the girl was in no hurry to jump headlong into marriage. She chose carefully and meticulously, paying particular attention to the consistency and status of the future husband.
And soon a wealthy planter, her former compatriot, began to drive wedges to her. Annie agreed, and soon the young couple healed in perfect harmony. But the happiness did not last long: either the spouse did not live up to the expectations of the capricious wife, or there was a tragic accident, but the husband soon gave his soul to God. And he bequeathed money, real estate and other benefits to his beloved Annie.
The widow did not grieve for long. Another eager to get a "small" and eye-pleasing treasure has reappeared on the horizon. Annie again became the respected wife of a respectable planter. It seemed that all the sorrows were in the past. But that was not the case: another husband soon fell ill and died too. And all his fortune went to the inconsolable widow. It was then that the local public was first puzzled by the question: do the husbands of this little cheat die too often? Is there a catch here?
By the way, stories of local residents turned up about the secret craft of her teacher, who was known in the area as an expert in the cult of voodoo - one of the most magical and effective cults brought by Africans to the islands of the Caribbean.
After the death of her second husband, the local society declared a stonewall twice to the widow. No one came to see her, Annie was not invited to visit, and she had no one to even communicate with.
And then a young widow with a reputation as an all-powerful sorceress decided to move. Of course, the question arises: Couldn't she have used the spell and won over the audience to her side? There is nothing to say, except for one thing - even strong sorceresses are sometimes powerless against the inertia of society!
Annie sold her slave plantations and moved to Jamaica. Perhaps in a new place life will be more prosperous.
Caribbean Saltychikha
Indeed, almost immediately, new Jamaican Annie Paterson found herself a match. It was a wealthy planter, the widower John Palmer. He arrived in Jamaica in the 1830s with his wife. Palmer was the owner of one of the finest homes on the island, built in the city of Montego Bay and named after his wife, Rose Hall. However, Palmer's beloved wife in this luxurious estate did not have time to experience happiness - she died of an unknown illness almost immediately after Palmer completed the grandiose construction.
John, of course, yearned for his prematurely departed wife. But not for very long, because he was already about 70, and he dreamed of enjoying the crumbs of earthly happiness before finally moving to heaven.
And then, like a heavenly vision, a 25-year-old widow named Annie drew on the horizon - light, cheerful, beautiful. Palmer wooed her. And she, evaluating his capital and status, accepted the offer.
It is unlikely that a young woman dreamed of such an alliance. Most likely, Annie, giving consent, knew that her husband's days were numbered. And so it happened: pretty soon the elderly senor went to where his wife Rosa had gone not so long ago.
From now on, Annie Palmer became the mistress of a rich estate and plantations with 2 thousand slaves. According to one version, this legendary woman never married again. And why - she had everything that is necessary for happiness, money, freedom and a whole crowd of slaves, completely dependent on her will.
And Annie Palmer seemed to be loose. She turned Rose Hall into a brothel. The slaves obeyed her unquestioningly, and Annie, like Cleopatra, invited a new lover into her bedroom every night. And if one of the chosen ones did not suit her in bed, a terrible punishment awaited him.
Over time, Annie turned into a real sadist, somewhat reminiscent of our Saltychikha. The executions were carried out with devilish invention and fantasy, while she herself watched all the stages of the execution from the balcony of her house.
In addition, Mrs. Palmer publicly practiced the cult of voodoo - for example, she lined up her slaves in a circle, approached one of the unfortunate ones and named the date of his death and the illness he would die of. And these predictions almost always came true. In addition, her assistants broke into slave houses and took away their children. They say the voodoo priestess used their organs in black magic, and sometimes sacrificed babies to Loa, one of the bots in the voodoo pantheon.
Witchcraft didn't help
In 1831, Annie Palmer had an affair with a young black manager, whom she really liked. However, he did not share her passion. On the contrary, Annie found out that the manager had an affair with the young housekeeper Millicent, whom he was going to marry.
The White Witch became terribly angry, conducted several sessions of magic, and the unfortunate girl was eaten alive by worms. And after her death, Annie hunted down her former lover with specially trained dogs.
And only then did retribution overtake her. The housekeeper's father, also a practicing voodoo practitioner, weakened her power with several rituals and entered Rose Hall at night with three friends. They gagged the mistress, tied her, and then literally trampled her to death.
For several days, her corpse lay in the courtyard of the villa - none of the slaves wanted to approach the body. And only after a strict demand from the authorities, she was buried in the family crypt. At the same time, the Negroes performed an ancient witchcraft ritual so that her spirit could not get out of the stone sarcophagus.
But the ritual did not help - the ghost of Annie Palmer still walks along the corridors of the old mansion, which now houses the Museum of Jamaican Ethnography and Culture. And most of the locals firmly believe that all this is true, and bypass the house in Montego Bay. According to another version, the story of Annie Palmer is just a terrible legend, which took root after the release of Herbert de Lisser's novel The White Witch of Rose Hall, published in 1929. But the truth is probably somewhere in between.
Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 50. Author: Egor Schwartz