Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-12-12
NJ ISC L L L A N Y.
+ on Dickens Household Uords for December.
The Light of Other Days.


Why are almost all witches women, and. in
sooth. old women! The popular idea of IA witch
coinciies at this day with the picture of her
sSetched by Master Horsett quarter of thou
sand wears ava: "An old beaten crone,
having her chin and knees meeting ior age. walk
mo like bear leaning on staff, untooihed, nav
inyr her lips teapl,ng with palsy. going mhmbllng
IN the streets one that hath turg ,tten her pa'er
n,,ster. aud vet shrawd tongue to call u drab
drab, aud who hath lernaI an old wltr's rhvae
endinV, pax, max, tax. ior a spell" Ills "a a
c,ors MAJESTY King james The First explained
this by a theory: For" he sud. las the Sex Is
Trailer Than man. 81 it is easier t0 1e entrapPrd IN
the uruss Snarps Ut the Dwell, as was over well
proved to he true by the serpent's decelving o
Eve in the beginning; :" and of course when the
weaker sex is at lis period of greatest weakness,
when II mas fallen into bodily decay aud Outage,
then is the tme ilr evil powers u make sure ot
cat.hinr it in traps ST. OF decrepit old woman.
she was p,nr and lived lonely life. without
the aid and comfort of Il loving husband or Il SUR
dy son. tue presumption was fair that she must
have been caught IN the trap, and being witch l.,
nuIht IN the name of all things holy 10 be burnt
alive AioraUver. there would ne disposition On
the part ui men to be very tolerant of women who
wera well favored or yon3r. and ht least an eaia
disposition their part to be tolerant at women
who were nli and ugiy. Let The tenderness oi
Culunel tIohSoa testify.
la the yeaf stxttrn Forty nine the people ot
Newcastle upin- fyne Were much tclU5ied with
witches. aud two ut the towuSergean,s were dis
patrhaG t. Scniland IN order Ia enter into agree
men, with IA Scottish wtrh linder. On the ART
val a. Newcastle of THIS puaijc tnnctlonary The
nau!S, S,ydtes of the town sen bell men through the
Streets ilvlunE ANY person 10 h'ng up suspected
witches Tar eNan,n1tlln. iGIriy women were
a..urdngiy produced At The tIwn hal, and noSi
of them. after trial by the hluStlng Of pms into
me AeSn, were pronounced gully The witch
linder informed Cnl,ir flIason that he knew
whether Og nat women were witches by thelr
looks, but when The said person was searchlnr a
personabie and we'll favored wonan the Colonel
replied and SAID, surely this woman Is none and
need mol be tre1 :" 5uI the Seat Sad "yea she
was. for the tuwn said size was, and therefore he
would try her, Presently afterwards he ran a
pln int, her aud set ,ger aside as child ui Satan
Col III bison proved ,Il the spot that The man was
deceived grossly, whereupin the witch tnde
cleared the woman and said she was not child
of Satan. Nineteen women were ordered tn be
burnt at Newcastle upon the conviction of this
man, Who then went Into Northumberland, where
ne ried witches at three p'lnds head. II IS
ilatlln 10 De luiI iUdl iutS
died on the galIowS when it has to b. addal that
ne confessed himself To have caused the death OF
twa hundrpd and twenty women in England and
| Sc,tland. auu taking them all round, to have
earned abIut pound upon each job
I OF the trill Of witches by water every one has
/ heard. 4 scene like the following used in fact t,'
be uue of The incidents Of ordinary HE in EnglSh
! villages, and was not altogether rare when this
letter was written, hundred and eighteen years
since, 10 the Lundon Magazine:
( ''OAELEY, three miisS ts0m Beiford
''SlR: The people here are 81 praiud'cei in
the beEeI OF witches that you would thnk your
sell in Lapl.Gd waS you to hear their ridiculous
slnries. There Is moi village in the nelgnbnr
hnld but has two or three Aoiut week ago |
was pseSent al the ceremony Ut ducking u witch.
/ u particular account Ut winch may not perhaps be
! diSagreeabe To you
1 ''An old woman III about sixty years OF age had
| long LAT under an imputatlnu ut wi'chcratt, who.
! being anxious Tor her own sake aud her children
| To clear herself, consented tn be ducked and the
/ parish officer Promised her ounce 1t she should
sink. The place appointed was by The river Gus.
/ by mill Ia. re were, | believe. five hundred
| spectators Abuu u'cluck in the trenoun the
woman came, aud tIed up IN a wet sheet. all
! but her face and hands; her tues Tied close
/
uel To the small Of her legs They fastened a
rupe about her nlIdle and then pulled olf her cap
To search Ior pins. ur their notion is 1t they have
but one pin IN them they won't sink
"When all the preIinnares were settled she
was thrown in. nut, unhappily for the ponr
creature, she dated. thJugn her head was all tie
wnlle under water Upon THIS there was con-
fused cry: \ witch! wltcn! DtowG her -
HANG her Sne was In the water about L nluute
and a halt anl was thea taken ont half drowned
| When she mad recovered breath she tried
twice with the 81 NJ SIc;eSs tor she IL iaed
each time, which was plan DEMONSTRATION Ut
Guilt to the ignorant multitude; tor notw!iasand-
iu.r The poor creature was laid dOHn upIn the
grass sptechloSs and almost dead, they were so
| far iron showing any pity or compassion that
,bav slrove whl should oe the most 'nrward IN
La6ing her with reproaches. Such is the DIRE
effect Of popular preJudlces For my part slo ID
a',,,nst tns u,rrenl; aud when nad cut the
sirnrs which tied her hld carried her back Ii
the mill aud enlaavoed t, cmsince .he p. .,pe OF
! bs uncertainty of the expernenI, and otfefed tI
,v five IL ,;le that any wlnia ot her age, 81 tied
nm in !. lo,se sheet would Il AT; out all % no pur
p,,e. ior was very near being n3nhed. Same
,,,,e ,tter The woman came out, and one Ot the
c1nDlny happened u mention np'hef eAPefIhen
| +, nv ,yit'.t winch was to weigh her agains
| the ihuuh Dible; lor a witch 1t seems could NJ"
oniva,Inlt. Immediately seconded the mosior
Gas ihIuk,ng II might be oi service To 'ne poor wo
| 'nanl and maize as oi an argument whlcb
IN ,,,,h weak A. KIM James'* Tor their not sink
*Kiny James arsunen; why witches would not sinh
was this: they had rehouhccd their Dapts W wafer
aud therefore the water would not receive them