Frog with padlocked mouth causes stir at court

A frog, with its mouth padlocked, was spotted at the entrance to the Spanish Town courthouse in St Catherine yesterday, leading onlookers to suggest that the evil act was aimed at silencing witnesses in matters before the court.

"Lawd Jeezas, dis yah one seal," one onlooker, Julani Brandford, said following the discovery of the frog. "Smaddy mouth lock up again. A so dem wuk pon witness fi mek dem buss di case," he added.

The Michaelmas session at the St Catherine Circuit Court as well as the parish court are hearing scores of cases which are at various stages of conclusion.

It is not uncommon for persons to employ 'spiritualists' to help them in cases before the court. Some persons also lather themselves with various 'courthouse oils', as they believe these practices will guarantee them favourable outcomes.

An employee in a popular drug store in downtown Kingston yesterday told THE STAR that it is not uncommon for people to use spiritual help to get matters resolved in court.

"A wul heap a ways fi buss off a case, but it depends on what kind of case. For instance, fi a murder case, most people use cow tongue fi quiet dem (witnesses). Believe me, a buckups when somebody do it and it nuh work," the insider said.

Reuben Williams, an obeah man, said locking a frog's mouth with the instrument goes further than meets the eye.

"At first you have to conjure the spirit that is going to be invoked. The person that is going to do the invocation, to get the spirit, would have to become powerful enough, or have the knowledge enough, to call on that spirit to place whoever mouth yuh wah fi close, and place dem as the bullfrog," Williams said.

The obeah man said that a cow's tongue is often used in black magic for courthouse business "because the bull represents a mighty force".

"Some people use chicken, some people use goat, some people use cow and pig ... . The cow is for universal purpose, and the chicken is for minor operations," Williams said.

"For some high science, yuh can use a piece of the cow tongue and put inside of the frog belly, but yuh affi force it dung him stomach and padlock it," Williams said.