The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-07 00:00:00

man S- himself had told Mrs. P-'s husband the
day before, and the whole thing has only lately hap-
pened.
" Mr. -.--What is it

"Mrs. F.—Well, Sir, this man A--- S—'s wife
was be witched by a woman that lived next door to her,
and so was his pigs, and pony, and other things. He
could never get his pony out of the stable unless she
chose to move the spell. (I suppose they have such
power to stop things in that way, and to set them free.)
His wife, when she went to get into bed, was set fast, so
that she could move neither one way nor another. She
wou'd half dress herself, and then could not get the things
either more on or off. Her husband was advised to go
to the cunning woman at M—. He went. As soon
as she saw him come in she said, know who you are
and what you're come about. You are bewitched at
home.' She then went into another room and brought
out some large draughts (drawings.) She showed him
one, and said, Do you know that cottage ?" Yes,
that's mine.' Yes, and here lives the woman that has
bewitched you, with her daughter ; and here's her face
(likeness). Go you home, and as soon as you get home
they will come in ; but don't you speak to them, nor
don't let your wife speak ; and if neither of you speak
she will go home and die.' The man S— went home.
The witch came as usual and began to talk to them.
Neither spoke. She got up in an agony, went into her
cottage, and dropped dead.* Her daughter then came
in to them. Unluckily, they spoke to her, and there.
fore she did not die, as she certainly would have done.
That's the mistake that the other man B—, of —,
made ; he spoke to the witch.

" a wonderful story ! He certainly
kilt his witch,' as your neighbour says.
" Mrs. F--.—Yes, sir ; be did. I could tell you
why she first set about bewitching him, for they was at
one time friends. Mr. S. has not been married very
long. When he was married he gave a party, and in-
vited this woman and her daughter. He was silly
enough to give all the company jalap in their drink, and
then lock them in. These two were dreadfully offended,
and nothing went right with him afterwards. Since her
death the man's wife has been all right, and so ha,
everything else.
"Mr.--.—But Mrs do you seriously believe
such things, or do you not think that God rules the
world ?
" do believe that there are these bad-
splrited people, sir. Ladies and gentlemen don't often
hear much about such things. I believe that the Al-
mighty gives them up ; and that, as we pray for grace
and wisdom and strength to serve Him, so these people
pray to the enemy to give them power to do these evil
things. God has promised his help to the smallest
believer who hangs on him ; and they pray to the devil
to give them their badness, and he gives it to them; and
he (the devil) has as much power over these people as
the Almighty have over His own.
"Mr.--.—But, Mrs. F---, this represents the
devil stronger than the Almighty, if he can give people
badness,' with which they can go about persecuting
God's own people, even in all their temporal concerns
and in their bodily health.

" Mrs. believe, sir, it is done ; but, of
course, God can set bounds to it. The Lord he only
knoW all about these things ; but I know this, sir, that
when I was a girl there was a witch lived next door to
us, and afraid enough we was of her.
" Mr.--.—What did she do

"Mrs. F—.--Her name was Betsy Norris. She
bewitched my father's cows and pigs and geese, and
other people's too, when they offended her. All the
' farmers was afraid of her, and gave her anything she
askei for; if not, she could make all their things run
wild over the yard, and could fill them with lice,
which
went and came according as she were pleased or not.
The first of my father finding her out was one day when
she cut up his onions. He went after her and said he
, would 'spurn her.' He gave her a kick, but he never
felt nothing for his toe ; his foot sunk in as if she wa'nt
made of nothing human ; and yet, when he kicked her,
that there old woman flew yards and yards. And then,
when he went home, my father found his pigs betwitehed.
They was barking and jumping all over the stye. My
father put a piece off their ears and tails, and raked
them up in the fire, and told my mother to go up stairs,
and to be sure not to speak to the witch it' she should
come. The witch came hallooing to the door, asking
my mother for some rags. She had her fingers cut all
across, and bleeding dreadful.
" Mr. --. Who had cut her fingers ?
"Mrs. Why, sir, the enemy caused her to
do that herself when my father stirred the pigs' tails and
ears in the fire, and told my mother to go upstairs.
Then that wrought upon her, and she cut her fingers in
that there dreadful way. My mother was a muir-
hearted woman, and as the witch stood screaming and
begging for rags my mother looked out of the window
and gave her some rags, and spoke to her. By so doing
my mother gave the power out of her own hands, and
the witch gor. the power again ; whereas, if my mother
had not spoken to her she would have gone home and
died. Ah ! sir, as I said before, there's the mistake—
to speak to them.

" Mr. --. Well, what became of her at last 1
" Mrs. F--.--- We had her in our parish for years
and years ; and once a woman named Hugging, a won-
derful strong woman, swore she would try whether
Betsy Norris was a witch or not. She took and put her
on to a faggot and shoved her into a pond, and turned
her over and over with a pitchfork, but she came up
again every time, and swam like a duck or goose. At
last they put her into the workhouse, and there she be-
witched a whole heap of other women and filled them
with lice.

" Mr. --. Well, any dirty old woman could do
,hat.

" Mrs. F.—Yes, sir ; but Betsy Norris was very clean,
and it was the power the had from the Enemy that done
that, and she could make them come and go at any m o-
meat. At last she died, and her body swarmed with
them, and after the grave was shut up there was not one
left in the house."

P.S.—March 23, HZ—This day the bewitched
woman herself called to ask advice as to consulting an
astrologer for her complaint. She is evidently under
mental delusions, and therefore it would not usefully
i;lustrate the subject to repeat her many absurdities.

* On inquiry I found that no such sudden death took place
at this cottage, and that witch No. 2 is still alive.

APPALLEVGt MURDER IN LIVERPOOL.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY.
The most painful excitement was produced in the
neighbourhood of Lime-street, and the streets adjoining,
consequent upon the report that a man named John Gib-
bons, a butcher, residing in Four-court, Bolton-street,
Copperas-hill, had attempted to murder his wife and
several of his children by cutting their throats. The
following appear to be the facts of the case. Gibbons
occupies a stall in St. John's-market, but owing to re-
verses in business has lately been in a state of mental
debility. He came down stairs as usual this mooning
to breakfast, followed shortly afterwards by his wife.
About eight o'clock the latter was coming down stairs
with some tea things, when her husband put his arm
round her neck and said, " Come, Mary, let me give you
a kiss," and while in the act of kissing her he cut her
throat with a razor, inflicting a severe gash. She ran
immediately to the street, crying " Murder," with her
face and clothes covered with blood. A policeman was
promptly on the spot, to whom she stated, as well as
she was able, what had occurred, and he hastened to the
house, and bad the unfortunate woman, then nearly in.
sensible, hurried off to the Infirmary in a cab. Mean.
while the work of murder was going on inside the house.
The wretched man, alter the attack upon his wife, went
up to the bedroom where his fire innocent children, the
eldest only 11 years, were sleeping, and cot the throats
of Thomas, aged four years, and Joseph, aged one year
and a half. He made a desperate attempt upon the
throat of his eldest daughter, Margaret, but she, after a
powerful resistance, got away train him ; and his eldest
son, John, aged 11 years, wrested the razor out of his
father's hand, and succeeded in making his escape, and
giving an alarm. Upon the arrival of medical assistance
the boy Thomas W3S found quite dead, and Joseph in
very precarieue state. Hie wound was reewn up, an ,1 he
was taken to the Infirmary, but no hopes aro enter-
tained of his recovery. The cries of the two Surviving
children, on hearing of their brother's death, were heart-
rending, the lad Johu having during the day had-fre-
quent convulsive fits. Gibbons was at once captured
and taken to Bridewell. He confess(
el to having done
the horrid deed, and made no resis'sance. A large mob
of people followed him to the Bri:dewell. The house oc-
cupied by the prisoner is now = n the charge of the police.
It has since an early hour teien surrounded by a large
crowd of people. The prisoner is 46 years of age.
XAMINA.TI`JN OF THE PRISONER.
The prisoner, Jobe. Gibbons, was brought before Mr.
Mansfield at the rlice-court, at 1 o'clock. He appeared
dejected and d ep'ressed, and gazed vacantly round the
court.
Mr. Clcvagh, superintendent of police, said the prisoner
was charged with the murder of his son Joseph that
morning. It appeared that the father and mother and
,five children slept in one bed in a single room; the mother
vot up that morning at half-past eight o'clock, and was
followed immediately by her husband. He walked to
the staircase head leading down into the cellar kitchen,
and he kissed her. After he did that witnesses would
prove that he drew a knife across her throat. Immedi-
ately after he turned upon his daughter Margaret, and
he laid her across two chairs and cut her throat, and the
throat of his son Joseph, who is now dead. The others
were in the hespitel, and Margaret was very likely to
die. Whether the wife would recover was uncertain.
He stated that the prisoner had a stall in St. .Tolites-
inaiket, hut business had hem unprofitable, and he had
got into diaculties, and been driven out of the market.
His wife had taken care of the stand for the last two or
three months. During that time the prisoner had priu-
prieeneee ho-oily spoke in high terms of the
ci"l-157 remained at lions. The wounded persons and
e Moe of the
kindness of his diepositieu toward,. them, and of his
general g„,,,t deportment. lie was a perfectly sober
man, alit' had been a teetotaller for 23 years. A sur-
geon had examined him in Bridewell, and certified that
he was labouring under temporary insanity.
The prisoner was remanded for SeVell days, unti
I.%,Etiit. of the iejellee should ho known. l the
It is since reported that the wife died this afternoon at
the Infirmary of the wounds received.

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