A CREEPY TALE FROM VICTORIA

By Neil Primus
Mr. Joe Barlow a village elder and amateur historian of Victoria shared this strange story with me. It is a true story.

During the nineteen fifties the village of Victoria was well managed by a nine member council. They were all elected by the villagers and ensured that the area was always kept spic and span. The Lady Sendall Park which was located in the village, had been somewhat neglected and had gradually been overrun by weed and bushes. To rectify this obvious blemish in the pleasant community, the elders consulted with the Head teacher of the village’s school Mr. S.A. Truman and requested that the students be allowed to help in the clearing of the facility. This exercise would help to instill in them the value of preserving historic sites.

The idea was accepted and a day was earmarked for the special activity. On the appointed day the students arrived with cutlasses, rakes, hoes and scythes. Soon the project was on the way with the able supervision of the teachers. It was work only; no liming. Grass and weed were slashed, small plants cut and tossed onto a pile to be burnt later. After hours of hard work the park was cleared of all the bushes and weed. The students were dismissed and sent home.
After a wonderful day of work and co-operation the village of Victoria expected to relax and savor the completion of the restoration of the park. This was not to be. Victoria was destined for a chilling incident that same night.

Weeks prior to the Sendall Park project, a stranger moved into the village and took up residence. Word got around that the man was an Old Higue. Rumour had it that he had sucked a baby in the nearby village of Nabaclis. After the family discovered that their child had been sucked they journeyed to Dutch Guiana and obtained a ‘Portion’ which would aid them in trapping the Blood Sucker.

The ‘Portion’ was buried in their front yard. This would serve two purposes; protect the home and catch the culprit. Unfortunately and unknown to them their dogs dug up the ‘Portion’ and destroyed it. With nothing to deter it, the Old Higue struck again. When the family realized what had taken place they hurried back to Dutch Guiana for help or a refund.
“De Old Higue come again!” they complained.
“Sorry I can’t do anything. It’s the dog’s fault.” They were told.
They pleaded and begged until their consultant relented.

“Okay. I will let the Old Higue talk out his secret. Everyone will know that he is a Blood Sucker. Added to this, he will also reveal the names of any or all other Old Higues in the village.”
Now, the ‘talk out’ night happened to be the same night of the Sendall Park Clean-up. What a fiasco that turned out to be.
Residents of the lower East Coast flocked to Victoria by any and all means. Donkey and horse carts, cycles, motor cycles, cars and pedestrians streamed into the small community. One look at the huge crowd left you in no doubt that even the dead must have been mingling undetected among them. The blind, dumb, deaf, lame, old, young and dotish thronged the village to get the sweet vibes.

Suddenly as if possessed, the man began to talk and shout at the top of his voice. His first revelation was that there were at least seventy more Old Higues between Spencer Board and Kingston Street. This would roughly work out to one in every five homes. Shock and horror permeated the night.
People were terrified, angry and out for blood. Before he could start calling names the assault began. His house was hit by a barrage of stones, bottles, bricks and other handy objects. The sound of the sudden attack as the objects smashed against the roof walls, doors and windows was nothing but spectacular. Many were doing it out of self preservation because they did not want their names or the names of relatives disclosed.

Their crude attempt to shut him up and force him out of his refuge worked but not as they expected. In the ensuing melee the besieged man slipped through the back fence and fled. The bloodthirsty crowd surged forward and gave chase.
They pursued him onto the public road closing fast. The man headed west, so did his tormentors. Throughout that period in British Guiana, British troops were stationed in our country. One such group was stationed at Belfield and Public Road at a club owned by Escape Joyce. Thinking that the loud, angry crowd meant riot, they went swiftly into action and headed straight for the oncoming trouble.

By now the man was exhausted from the chase and constant assault of missiles. In desperation he sought refuge in Mrs. Persaud’s yard, which is located next to what is now Guy Oil Station. That was a big mistake, one he would forever regret.
Living in the same yard was Gwana Seed a big, strong Victorian. He had recently become the dad of a nine days old baby. He and his girl Julia Gouveia were both pleased and proud parents. Well, when the fugitive rushed into the yard, Gwana Seed recognized him immediately. The protective dad flew into violent action in order to protect his baby.
Before the angry crowd could get their hands on the man, Gwana snatched up a piece of flat iron and proceeded to beat the man ruthlessly. It was only the timely and firm intervention of the British soldiers that saved the life of the accused Blood Sucker.

The man -battered and bloody- and Gwana were both handed over to the police. The accused was set free and Gwana was charged with assault and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Only the timely evidence of the British Army Captain prevented him from going to jail. Apparently the ‘good soldier’ saw the fugitive assaulting Gwana with successive punches “One! Two! One! Two! One! Two!” which triggered the attack by Gwana.
As for the fugitive (Old Higue), he was exiled from Victoria and his home at Lot 12 abandoned. Even his canoe was left to rot in the trench. The man moved to the safer environs of the city and became the State Executioner.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.