Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1844-06-15
.E. 6bAAS<hEAGN IbAS D@e&NAN@
WAsHfNeToN, May "a, 1914

WrTcHcRAFT and SuPERsTfrTos--LAfEsr
SAw.--Yesterday morning, abous daylight,
some Of the butchers in the meat market Of
the first Municipality out Of a frGEic, stated
a report that a switch, in the shapB and form
Of d negro woman, had been arrested The pre-
yious night, a short distance belog the city
and was then confined in the lock.up h1ise
under the Mayors Office, and would be pub.
licJy burned in the Place D'Armes al 4
o'clock in the afternoon They moreover
aiyerred "lhat she lad the power Of slipping
out Of her skin at pleasure and could chgnge
her complexion every five rdfnuscs If che
| chose-and, furthermore, that at the tinie Of
arrest, having just slipped out Of her skin,
some persons who had been watching Her,
had filed it with salt, she was Enabled to en-.
ter it again, and was at that time as raw as a
piece Of beef
The report spread like wild frs ar66ngst
the guperstitious portion, Of the lower classes,
and before FIVE O'Clock a large cfcvd had as.
sembled in front Of the High Congtabloss Of
fee, anxious to get sight of the Inach, and
making enquiries as to the precise time at
which the execution would take place. The
crowd continued to increase until abou4 one
o'clock, when Captain Youefies, finding it
impossible to dispense them, caused a person
who had ser s,ntenced tothe work hou; 0. to
be wrapped up in a blanket and ordering a
carriare To the door of bis Office, three of the
officers 5f the police placed the prisoner into
il aid drove eff to the work-house. The
crowd believing the witch TO be in the car
rage, Immediately made chase after it to the
work house but having arrived ZOO late to
get a glimpse of the witch, they stationed
. FLAsr~rfsta~ Ftuoz fha naunrpnrf #s auyt4FNztv
awaiting the hour of execution. Some Of the
more Uise, however, still believing the witch
to be still confined in the "lock-house,f' re-
turned and took their position in front elf the
doors, determined not TO miss the sight at
any hazard. As the hour Of four approach
ed, a large crowd assembled in Congo
Square near the Calaboose and in the Place
d'Armes some for the purpose of withess-
ing the execution, and others with eli due
solemnity describing the manner in which
the sentence was to be carried out.
The hour of six having arrived, and the
crowd beginning to grow inpatient at the
. hardness Of the officers of justice for keeping
them 20 lorg in wai'ingt 10 witr ess the attodE
fee, a nepress dressed in white satin and hav.
ing on her head a white satin bonnet with an
ostrich feather was seen standing near the.
Church-Ier peculiar appearance aisfacted
the attention of the juvenile portion 3f the
crowd, who raised the cry that she wss the
seyIl one'' whom they were waiting 30 be-
hold. In an instant she was bese,, ard be-
fore the police officers, who were standing
close BIZ at the time, could rescue her,
her clothes were almost torn from hsE body
and it was with the utmost difficulty THAI they
succeeded in getting her inside Of the High
Constable's Office to save her from falling a
victim to superstition in this, heretofore sup
posed, enlightened age. Onr worthy High
Constable now finding himself in a worse
predicament than before, ordered a carriage
10 one ofthe bachelors Of the City Hail, aud
placing the negress 10 it, told the driver moi
ID snare the whip until be reached the house
If her master, on Poydras street. The mo-
ment the carriage started the cry was again
raised that it contained the veYitabie. 'sevil
one and il was with difficulty that the Jehu
! could prevent the carriage from ksingsleadet
--c~-