The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-06-12

My massa gave me liberty, ~"
= And have wandered here; .-------.--, II
But still my bosom heaves for her
My Bella Hatche dear sars sFf. .- .rz....t
Down, down below .@
Oh, where the Apaiacbc se -.,,,.
Rolls its wave, is made the grave,
Oflovely Bella Hatche. T. A. L.
Lancashire Witches.
A more melancholy tale does not occur in
the annals Of necromancy than that of the Lam
cashire witches in 1919. The scene of this sto-
~ is in Pcndlebury forest, four or FIVE mile from
Manchester, remarkable for its picturesque and
gloomy situation. Such places were not sought
then as now, that they might afford food for the
and crafty the refined taste Of the
traveller. They were rather Stunned as infa-
nous for scenes of depredations and murder, or
as the consecrated haunts of diabolical inter-
course. Pendlebury had been long Of i'll repute
on this latter account, when county magistrate,
Roger Novel by name, conceived about this
time that he should do public service, by root
ing out a nest of witches who rendered the place
q terror to all the neighboring vulgar. The first
persons he seized on were Elizabeth Demdike
and Ann Chattox, the former of whom was eigh-
ty years of age, and had for, some years been
blind; who subsisted principally by begging,
though she had Il miserable howell on the spot,
which she called her own. Ann Chattox was
of the same age, and had for some time been
threatened with the calamity Of blindness
Demdike was held to be SO hardened witch,
that she had trained all her family to the mystic
ry; namely: Elizabeth Device her daughter, g.
James and Allison Device, her grandchildren.
In the accusation of Chattox was also involved
Ann Redeem her daughter. These, together
with John Bullock, and Jane his mother, Alice
Nutter, Catherine Hewitt, and Isabel Roby, were
successfully apprehended by the diligence of
NOVEL; and one or tw neighboring magistrates
and were all of them by some means induced,
some to make a more liberal, and others a more
restricted confession of their misdeeds in witch
craft, and were afterwards hurried away to Lam
caster castle fifty miles off, to prison. Their
crimes were said to have universally proceeded
from malignity and resentment; and it was re-
ported to have frequently happened for poor old
Demdlke to be led by night from her habitation
into the open air by some members of her fami-
ly, when she was left alone for an hour to curse
her victim and pursue her unholy lamentations,
and was then sought and brought again to her
howell. Her curses never failed to produce the
desired effect. X s.55.5# ga -s--z. -.
These poor wretches had been but short
time in prison, when information was given that
meeting of witches was held on Good Friday,
at Malkin's Tower, the habitation of Elizabeth
Device, to the number twenty persons, to con-
suit how by internal Vaccinations to kill one Co.
vel an officer, to blow up lancaster castle, and
deliver the prisoners, and to kill another man Of
the name of Lister The last was effected
The other plans by some means, we a.e not told
how, was prevented. #s"N
The prisoners were kept in Jail till the sum-
mer assizes: and in the mean time it fortunately
happened that the poor blind Demdike died in
confinement, and was never brought up to trial.
The other prisoners were severally indicted
for killing by witchcraft certain persons who
were named, and were all found guilty. The
principal witnesses against Elizabeth Device,
was James Device and Janet Device, her grand
children, the latter only nine years Of age
When this girl was put into the witness box, the
grandmother on seeing her, set up so dreadful a
yell, intermixed with bitter curses that the child
declared that she could not 90 on with her evil
dence, unless the prisoner was removed This
was agreed to; and both brother and sister swore
that they had been present, when the devil came
to their grandmother in the shape of black dog,
and asked her what she desired. She said the
death Of John Robinson; when the dog told her
to make an image Of Robinson, in clay, and af.
ter crunble it into DUST and as fast as the image
persisted, the life Of the victim should waste a.
way, and in conclusion the man should die
This evidence was received; and upon such tes-
timony, and testimony like this, ten persons
were led to the gallows on the Goth Of August,
the day after the trials which lasted two days,
Ann Chattox Of 80 years Of age, among the rest.
The Judges who presided on these trials were,
Sir James Altman and Sir Edward Bromley, ba.
rons Of the Exchequer.
From the whole of this story it is fair to infer
that these old women had played at the game of
commerce with the devil. Ii had fattered their
vanity, to make their simpler neighbors afraid
Of them. To observe the symptoms oftheir rus
TIC terror, even of their hatred and detestation,
had been gratifying to them They played the
0afne m lOn0. that in imnarfocf dnorna fho1 y,
deceived themselves. Human passions are al
ways TO = certain degree infectious. Perceiving
the hatred of their neighbors, they began to think
that they were worthy objects Of detestation and
terror, that their imprecations had real effect.
and their curses killed. The brown horrors of
the forests were favorable to visions; and thew
sometimes believed that they met the foe Of man
kind IN the night. But, when Elizabeth Device
actually saw her grandchild of nine years old
placed in the witness-box, with the intention Of
consigning her TO public and ignominious end,
then the reveries of the Imagination vanished.
and she deeply felt the reality, that, where she
had been somewhat imposing on the child in de-
devilish sport, she had been whetting the dagger
thaf was TO take her own life, and digging her
own grave. II was then no wonder that she ut
tered preternaturl yell, and poured curses
rom the bottom Of her heart. It must have
been almost beyond human endurance to hear
the cry Of her despair, and to witness the curses
and the agony ii which it vented itself i sEs
Twenty years elapsed after this scene, when
wrctched man, Of the name Of Edmund Rob-
ilsou, conceived on the same spot the scheme
ofmsking himselfa profitable speculation from
. similar source. He trained his son, eleven
years Of age, and furnished him with the ncces.
sary instruction. He taught him to say that one
dAysi9 Tie fields he had met two dogs which he
urged on a hunt hare. They would not move,
a6G H. IN tad them n, = ,,at, IL