METHODS OF POISONING AND CHABMS 9 



mongers frequently approach him begging for a htUe 

 post-mortem blood. The foUowing incident came under 

 my personal observation hi 1920. Shortly after the 

 execution of a Malay (Awang Dogol bin D^ris) by 

 hangiDg for murder, a fellow prisoner of the deceased 

 man was caught trying to collect blood (m sufficient 

 quantity to soak a few bits of thread) from the fore- 

 arm of the dead criminal. The culprit was a Kelantan 

 hovior who had been sentenced to two years' rigorous 

 imprisonment for cheating ; he said he had obtained 

 the thread from the native gaoler for the purpose of 

 making a charm* His object was the making of a love 

 charm, but the charm could also have been used in 

 playing the Chinese gambling game of Poh {main po). 

 It was to have been prepared by saturatmg seven 

 pieces of thread in the blood of the dead man and that 

 of a pmk water-buffalo, adding the eyes of a tiger and 

 those of a black cat, and burning the whole to ashes. 

 As with other Malay philtres of a harmless, fanciful, 

 or disgusting kind, this one was supposed to have the 

 power of creating love by smearing it either on the skin 

 of the owner, or on the apparel, aft-er mixing the ashes 

 with coco-nut oil. 



To appreciate its use as a gambling charm it is 

 necessary to describe shortly the game of Hai Weh, or 

 Poh, Tliis game is played with a die placed in a square 

 brass box fitting it accurately, which in turn slides 

 into a brass cover. The lower end of the box is bevelled, 

 and, the die having been inserted, the box is spun on 

 a board or mat marked with a diagonal cross. The 

 faces of the die are coloured red and white, and the 

 stakes having been placed on the mat, those opposite 

 the red portion of the die when it ceases spinning are 

 the winners (Ref. 2). The blood charm is supposed to 

 enable the owner to see what is inside the brass box 



