The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1822-07-02
Georgeto,rn. y. c. Man 4.


a rerp noUel and whimsical trial came on in
our Circuit Court on Thursday last, Nancy
Swami, lady Of color whose mighty powers OF
witch craft have made : de black myers, and de
poor lctate trash" tremblc, was indicted iOr prac
Using in and upon one Peter Belt, ID the peace
of God and the said United States, then and
there being feIoniously, wilfullv and Of her ma
lice aforcthought did make an assault, aud that
the same Nancy Swami with certain hot poker
which she in her right hand then aud there held.
WIltullv, aud Of her malice aforethOught, did push
and thrust down the throat Of him the said Peter
Belt; and Of her further malice aforethought
did then and there drench tile said Peter Belt
with certain pungent liquid and Of her fur
Their malice aforcthought, did prick and stick
the said Peter Belt in his BODY, and limbs with
certain flesh fork, which she ID her b. nds then
and there held by means Of said pushing and
thrusting with the hot pocker aforesaid and OF
the said drenching with the pungont liquid afore-
said ; and Of the said pricking and sticking with
the flesh fork aforesaid, the said Peter Belt on
the said tenth day of January in tue year Of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty
two, at the county aforesaid died against tie
peace and government of the United States.
Miss Nancy, if not weird sister, certainly
resembled those chdrplcrs 50 closely a. 10 make
the likeness very striking, and however scepti-
cal The learned Court and jury might have been
with respect 10 her being absolutely bone idG
witch, we maintain il TO be next TO impossible
for them TO look Miss Nancy in the face and die
unbelievers. Mrs. Susan Johnson, a very dis
Greet ebony lady of about thirty five, daughter
10 law of Peter Belt, deposed that She was pre-
sent at this celebrated ceremony of fare burn and
c1utdron bubble, and that poor innocent Peter
susPicioHed he had been hurted by Mary Eelt,
his wife, who according TO Mrs. Johnson's no
tons was not a diScretioned acO1gQfs' and con-
sequently had received sundry chastiscmCnts
from said Peter Belt. Peter il would appear
could not get over the idea, that lady Belt drug
gcd his poSset and was therefore unwilling that
she should minister farther unto him but Mrs.
Belt had one of two thoughts; either that she
could not do too much for her kind husband, vino
had SO lovingly beat her for her traAsgressCns OF
that being alive, he stood in her way towards
more suitable match-by which of these two she
was influenced, it i'll becomes Us to say but
were it not for that everlasting spirit Of charity
which pervades us we should point blank declare
that she was actuated By the latter. Be this IS
il may however. these two black and secret mid
night hays & Nanny Swan made their appear.
ance before Peter and Nancy arranged mat
tiers for Untrsctang him-but Peter resisting tie
medicine 10 the last, recourse was had to pc
ker of about five feet in length, "a spoon being
an insufficient lever for Peters mouthl and Tie
charmed medicine poured al q armies into lis
throat. They found it necessary also to tie Pc
tiers hands and feet, (hc still protesting) while
Miss Nancy amused herself with the delightful
recreation Of drilling cyclet holes i'll Peters leg,
thighs and feet, either with a view TO let the
spell escape, or In her incantations She might
have iapcied srself pricking some nice break
fast buiscuit. SOFT was, Nancy was % success
ful, as To drive off Peter and spell near aboutfhe
same time.-All the instruments of torture used
were exhibited II court and Mrs. Johnson the
witness, admitted they were the most 'uimasss-
fullest luepens she eger seed.
Whether Nancy had inspired INC minds or The
lawyers with pity or with fear, lest She should
practice on them, VIC cannot pretend to say +;
certain, however, she had DO lacE Of advocates
and while the first two argued the !aw. the latter
quoted tie gospel. Yet the jury treated tie
matter with the most unbecoming leyity and had
not The speech Of the gospel attorney been
prlcking, thrusting, and full cf pungent Iio,ad.'
God only knows what would have become Of
witch Nancy. Verdict, guilty ofmaus'algltcr.
sNctyopotst1s.
rs-1z.s. Va szzs-ez.eas-a-r-z--