Litchfield enquirer., 1831-08-18

s ExrRAoRDENAav CAsE.-A female bell tween l6 and n yearsUf ase, Che danghssFo' d sidow woman, in mDdeTRte clFenmslanccss rusiding in Danisls.stFest, in this city, is the subiect of the following singular disease or
 She had been afflicted with hystrrical Or eplepfic lits, at intervals, during the last eiBb- fean usenths: but for several weeks if not months. down to the last week, was in com" Darativelv good health. On Thursday eve ninr. as she was preparing to go to bed, che heard several knocks upon the head board Of the beadstead; and insisted that some one was in the room, or under the bed; and it was not until thorough search had been made that she was satisfied t0 the contrary. She was not, however, much alarmed, and slept well that night without further Interruption Tn the course of the ensuing twenty-fonr
 hours, she again heard the knocks; became alarmed, and insisted upon removing to anoth- groom. She was gratifed, and young wo- man permitted to lodge with hcrNs She was not disturbed ghst night; but, on the following
 day, and every day and every night since, she
 Attempts were at first made by her cOupan- ions and her friends to convince her that U was
 imaginary, or that the noise was produced by l themselves; and these efforts aided iD relnOS-
 ing the strong sense of alarm and apprehen- ] sion which each recurrence Of the noise | seemed to produce. But when the knocks became SO frequent and sO distinct, and under circumstances that they could not be inscribed ] to any cause that she or others could account for, she yielded to all the teFrors of extreme | fright and alarm. Now. ahs soon as they are
 heard, she either falls inte paroxyslns and spasms, during the cODtinuaHce of which the 1 strength of several persons is required to hold | her upon the bed, or she. becomes insensible l under repeated fainting fts. In her lucid or quiet moments, she seizes ths head board with
 her hands, and endeavoss to hold it; or re-
 moves as far from the place whence the nOise
 last proceeded as possible.
 The knocks are rapid, distinct and loud in-
 donations SO heavy as to shake the bed, and
 so loud as to De heard in the adjoining rooms, and when the windows are up, in the street and adjoining dwellings. They are never less than three and rarely less than five at any one time. They are. heard at irregular intervals
 during the day and night. Persons tn the
 room at the time, not only hear, them dis
 tinctly, but when seated on the bed, or stand ing near it, feel the concussion.e A gentleman
 who. with two or three neighbors. sat up with
 her during Sunday night, says that he was standing at the head of the bed when it was
 heard on one occasion during the night, and I that it was sudden and powerful enough to
 throw his hand from the head board, and that
 it was in it's nature, if not appalling, at least I impossible to account for.
 | Experiments have been made. by changing her position on the bed, but withoOt success. 1.-the head be reversed, the knocking is heard
 in new position. lflaid on the floor it is heard
 there. directly under her head. and sufficient " loud to. be heard in the room below. If placed in position against the ceiling, it is
 heard there.-Albany Argus. ,
 From the ZsNnsssss Herald. 5 WitchcrGtt Notwithstanding wa live in a
 most enlightened age, the expectations of fear- Her and ruder times are not entirely eradicat-
 ed, as appears from the following facts com.
 municatelt to us bya correspondent, who says
 they are nnquestionable. @
 It appears that during last autumn several
 young ladies residing in Fentress county, in
 this State. were strangely affected with ;erks
 and treDsbtings. and various other {" ills that
 flesh is heir to-" which were attributed to the
 influence ofsbitchcrajt. Alter several months
 of suffering. all recovered except one, Miss
 Rebecca French, maiden of forty. She
 was 30 much affected that frequent consulta-
 tions were held amongst the srifch doctors of euS NlU tVWtS0 Ott tUGbE S6khU Uu.
 availing. Among these doctors, were Isaac Taylor and Pleasant Taylor, both celebrated
 for their skill in putting witches to flight; ma ny one had they sent sweeping through the air upon hrOom-sticks. They were unremit- ted in their attentions, but the unfortunate la.
 dy stiii suffered under the '' malign iniluence'' of witchcraft. About the first of January
 last, a man ny the name of Stout went to the
 house of Esquire French, the father of the
 lady, having with him rope made of buck eye splits. As soon as he appeared, inc jerks
 and trembiings 0f the unfortunate Re6ecca
 returned with great violence she called for
 the buckeye rope which Stout at first declin. ed parting with, but being apprehensive oil personal injury if he longer refused, as length yielded tO her request tho rope was tie,l round the waist of. Rebecca, when, wonder. full to tell she obtained immediate relief Here was proof positive that Stout was n witch. and upon consultation among the friends of the bewitched damsel, it was de- termined that if Stout could be prevailed up. on to take the patient by the hand and pro- bounce certain mysterious words.a cure would be etlecied E'r ninety y-nina yeara. Stout, however. had len the house, and in order to procure his attendance, one Charles Staunton filed m account before Esquire French, bail warrant was issued and placed in the hands of . constable. who, with posse of five arm ed men, arrested Stout and took him before Esquire French for trial, where many of the