Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1841-05-11

BOwtOn, Samuel Hayes, Eleazer SlawsOn
John Belden, John Walkman, JOSEPH
Rowland ~" '-
1.-Two persons, viz:-Goody Miller and
Goodwife alias Elizabeth Clawsoh
were also indicted at the same term o.
the COurt,1 ''' '..l' '7..
The testimony Introduced in support
Of the charges contained in the indict'
ments, against the three prisoners, (for il
seems the "weird sisters" were assOci.
ates in miscSieD is exceedingly volumin-
Gus, and would Gil many columns Of this
paper, There were probably two hun
dred depOstions taken, and we must
therefore select only The most interesting
and amusing. 1t is astonishing to find
the degree of excitement that prevailed
upon this subject. The whole colony
was apparently in an uproar; and all ap-
peared fully to believe in the existence
of witches among them, to the manifest
affection IF The good peOple-some of
whom the wicked shrews would divert
themselves by "knocking down with an
spoplexy, or by blowing up like bat, or
by tumbling over with an epilepsy y
Wives positively testified that their hus-
bands we're bewitched, & husbands in turn
testified the same Of their wives-young
ladies were kepttwO thirds Of their time
Ianguishing under the ponderOus weight
of the nightmare or dancing with the hys-
terics. SWANS were grievously annoyed
in their courting fIolics, and frequently
lost their way bome-infants were pinch
ed, squeezed, twisted out Of shape by St.
Vitus's dance, or disfgured by the rick
cts. Indeed, terror and disease stalked
abroad at noon-day, through the whole
settlement ofC ampo,* and in fact through
out the county yof Fayrefeld. Calves, pigs,
and cattle shared the same fate; and ma
nv of the affidavits describing, with the
utmost posiliVcness and sincerity, the
''fantastic tricks" played by these poor
animals. And all the evil was traced d.
rectly 10 Mercy Disborough, and her fa-
miliar sisters, Goodwife ClawsOn and
GOody Mlller.-T F..
But as no epitome Of our own will prob
ably satisfy Eaton, we proceed 10 extract
portions OF the testimony taken down in
writing at the hial Of the aforesaid defen.
dants; as also Of a certain Miss
whO was appleaded at the same
time.
CAT court held at Fayrefeld ye 18th Of
Sept. 1892" .48 g3Ju &
The testimony of Hester Gromsnt, aged
thirty-iour years or tber abouts, tesiifeth
that VIII ;n she lay sick some time in May
last, she saw about midnight, or past, The
widow Staples, that is the shape of her
person, and the shape Of Mercy Disbor-
ough, sitting upon The floor by the two
chests, that stand by the side Of the hous
in the inner rune, and Mr--'s shape
dancing upon the beds feet witha white
cup in her hand--and performed some
three times. gs4 ....
Sworn in court, Sept. Is, 1892. g
Attest, JOHN ALLYN, Sect.
Catharine Branch. aged seventeen years
or thereabouts, testifeth and saith tha;
sometime this last sOmer, she saw and
felt GOOdwife Clawson and Marcy Dis
brOugh afflct her, not together, but apart
by scratching and pihching and wTingiBg
her body: and farther saith that GOOdwife
CIawsOn was the first that did atlict her,
and afterwards Marcy Disbrough; and az
ter that sometimes one of them, and
sometimes the other Of them; and in her
affections, though it was night, yet it ap-
peared as light as oOn,day. sdaod y
Sworn in court, Sept. 10, 1892. oa'..
Attest, JOHN ALLYN, Sect.
81 David Sellick, waching with Catha-
ripe Branch, at the house Of Daniel
WestCOtt, in company with Abram Finch
doth testify that in ye night when sd.
Katharine was in her fit, she looking off
the bed, sayed Gooddy Miller, hold up
your arm hyer, that the black dog may
suck yef better 3"H1s a. ui e1a7 ai''5
Against saved, Gooddy Miller, | nev.
er iho'i 50 mnUh'before now--I am sure
yOn are a witch, for you have got
a long ~ under your arm. Then sd.
Katharine coming 10 herself, wee asked
her what she saw; she answered that she
saw GOOddy Miller succle ! a black Gag;
and she had a long ~ under. her arme.
*Compo, an early settlement upon the
margin Of creek of the same name, now
knOwnih the e'couidy Of Fairfield by the
name of COmpo Cteeks u8 .IiI @f.
t"Goody," ''Goodwife.' 9 "Goodman. !"
In the early days Of the Puriians and Pill.
grims, these were the familiar designa-
tiSns given TO the lower cIasses Of the
people. To be called .Mr. . and "Mrs."
was a privilege Of the better sorl--the
middle class, ranking between the ple-
beisns, and The 'squires, and those Of
gentle blood. Soma oFIhe oId writer's
deplored the Introduction Of the sleveling
system, addressing the poor and he vdl.
gar by the title oi, Nj, and Mlstrsss--de-
re belonging alone 10 lhoss zap.
Il Utl. a fFH - ~