The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-05-22

less, motionless, and statue-like expression Of
her collntenance.
1 After short pause, the boy declared that
only the day before he had broken small
knife and threw away part Of the blade
while the accuser was with him; that he knew
her well, and that being outside the door when
he heard the story, he suspected how the mat
ter was and stroye to getin, but was prevent
ed by the pressure, and would not have had
the courage to speak Out. when he saw the
people so quiet all about him and so wedged
together. but Cor the help of the stranger whom
he saw afar of, and to whom he told the story.
whereupon, said the boy, he lifted me up with
one hand, as il he had been little child, and
brought me here making his way through the
people there, with only two or three sweeps OF
his arm Here is the other part If the knife !!
he added, reaching up to the Judge who was
nearest, a handle with part Of the blade.
You may see, Mr.. Judge, il is the very same.
Bridgy Pope, there--you may ask her, il you
don't believe me she knows that are knife
well enough, don't you, Bridgyl
That do y she whispered in reply, the
tears running down her pale cheeks. !" That
do, Robert Evelett, but never expected 10
see i again, nor you, neither. after you were
cast away"
The two parts Of the blade were diligently
compared by the judges, and found TO agree
the boy was treated with favor a large girl
was rebuked for lying, but this did not avert
the fate Of poor Saran Good, who was put to
death according 10 law.
| Out Of this affair grew a multitude Of other
accusations. The afflicted were sent for from
all parts of the country. Their numbers aug
mented every dry prayer and fasting preced-
ed every step Of their progress their progress
itself was trnmphal march--and whitherso-
ever they went, witches and witchcralt were
sure TO be discovered. pious theologian Of
that day, Cotton Mather, and very learned
writer, was employed by the proper author-
ties to draw up an account Of the whole affair;
and he says OF the poor creatures that were
afflicted, all Of whom he personally knew, and
most Of whom he saw, perhaps, every day OF
his life, that when the fit was on, they were
distorted and convulsed in every limb that
they were pinched black and blue that pins
We're found stuck into their flesh by invisible
hands; that they were scalded as with hot
water, and blistered us with FIRE; that one Of
the afflicted was beset by spectre with
sharp spindle, which nobody could see, till in
her agony she snatched it away from the spec
I tire, when il instantly became visible to every
body about her; that another was haunted BY
a shape that wore sheet, which none but the
afflicted were able 10 see till she tore piece
Of il away, on which every body was able to
see it that poison was offered by invisible
creatures, which poison, If but drop of il
touched the lips, or even the flesh, made the
body swell up to bursting
"And this juice Of hell,
| Wherever il fell, =.
! To "a cinder burned the foor;"
that burning rags were forced into their
mouths leaving incurable sores that they
were branded with hot iron, so that marks
were left upon their foreheads for life; that
the spectres were careful to personate such
as were known to the afflicted; and that, if in
such case. the shape or spectre was hurt by
the afflicted, the person represented by the
spectre was sure to be hurt in the same way
as, for example, where one Of the afflicted
charged woman Of Beverly, Doras Hoare,
with tormen,ing her, and pointing to distant
part Of the church where they were assem-
bled, cried out--fhere, there There she goes
no,r! whereupon man that happened to be
near, whipped out rapier and struck the wall
with il and the afflicted told him that he had
was found very soon after this to be true, for
when they apprehended Dorcas Hoare, she
pleaded guilty to the charge Of witchcrafi, and
acknowledged, that in troubling the accused,
she had actually received scratch over the
eye, and cut il the side from rapier; that,
after while. If the accused but glanced her
eye at the afflicted, though they were looking
another way AT the time, the afflicted would
swoon awav and only come back 10 life at the
touch or bidding Of the accused that often
times the afflicted were bitten with peculiar
set Of teeth, corresponding precisely with
those Of the accused, whether old or young
large or, small, broken or regular; and that
after few days Of torment, most Of the ac-
cused were able to see their tormentors; and
among the others devil,of diminutive stature
and a sort Of tawny color, with fierce black
eyes, who carried book which he kept Offer
ing to the sufferers and persuading them TO
touch, thereby to acknowledge the power and
authority Of the Black Mana mighty sha-
dow, with whom two or three Of their number
had actually slept--if they were to be believe
ed upon their oaths, ,ohile under sentence Of
death, and no other escape LETT for them, bat
that Of telling The truth.
WHO WOULD NOT BE A FARMERl