Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-08-10
Fron the n. o Crescent, July 3 :.
Eze.asn.en. IN Ns.. Orleans about a witch.

A
German glpsies, generally known as WOOD piuerers'
blackberry pickers and who occupied miserable
little shantv on the GENTLY road near the Juncture
of Enharpe street-a long way IN the rear OF she
third d;strjct-were neither more nor less than
witches of Satan's choicest breed. Wonderful and
tbrIIne were the stories circulated of their mystic
rious doings though no evil has yet been traced to
them Numerous persons declared that they saw
the hays brewing internal decoctions in hole IN the
ground, back of their shanty; also, that they saw
them engaged In witch dance-all hopping round
on one foot, and making extraordinary leaps in the
air gardener living in the neighborhood solemnly
declared that he saw the chief witch-an old BEL
dame named Elizabeth Sutherland-come flying out
of her chimney heels foremost and that she snoted
flames of living FIRE from her nostrils.
We would never nave believed that stores IKE
these could obtain credenco with anybody but it is
an actual and melancholy fact, that hundreds OF peo
pie comprising representatives of the varied coiorS
aod nationaltes of people in the old third 0eleveo
them so far to trudge all the way out TO the kdge
to see for themselves This on Friday and Sat
urday last It was curious sight 10 see these peo-
ple collecting around the mysterious shanty, at re-
snectn distance climbing into trees and upon fences
and every other available emlnence, to WATCH "ien
SUPPRESSED breath and strainng eyes, the movements
of them whom they verify believed 10 be daughters Of
the devil. The women gratlhed the curiosity VI
these vsters by cutting up various senseless oooes
which were interpreted into living proofs OF the dc
moniac presence and as the supershtlous always
enlarge upon what they the stores they told on
their return caused still larger crowds to go cut on
Sunday. -,
/ The fences being crowded with spectators, thai
they broke down in several places; and so a-absoro
! ing was the desire TO see without going near tina
numbers climbed upon house In the Vlclnlty' ant
remaining there, some going and others coming
Throughout the day; always In spite OF the owner
remonstrance and the danger OF the root breaking IL
The nnlucky ruralst found his premises invaded al
by a swarm of human locusts, whom he found 1t i'm
possible either to coax or drive on
On Monday the 'furore increased. The fences
trees and house of the unlucky neighbor, were be-
seced by q crowd that could not have consisted o
| less than o thousand persons. The old women KEEP
up their antics going in and out of their shanty ant
! cooking, as was supposed, all sorts OF Immature
things In the hole in the ground How long this eX
element would have continued there is no telling
for the owner of the beseged house, fearful that tn
roof would give way beneath the crowd, and losing
oil patience, came into the police office and prayed
tor the arrest Of the so.caled witches.
Sergeant Johnson accordingly sailed out and cap
tured the chief WITCH Elizabeth Sutherland, much t.
the establishment and admrat On of the crowd Their
assembled. The crowd, of course, followed to tn
guard house, and after the old woman was locke'
up, continued to hang about the place, under tn
same superstitious spell which had Iured them GU
to the Ridge and detainei them there. The officer
r at The station found the crowd nuisance, and mad
repeated endPavors 10 drive the'' away, but Wthou
success All midnight, one of the officers, it'll
more waggish than the rest, went out and gravel
told the crowd that the witch had escaped by chang
ing into Il cat and leaping through the window bar
of her cell, leaving her human skin behind; III proc
of which he held up something, which IN the dar
had the effect of sending part OF the crowd away
but considerable numbers who wouldn't believe suc
a cock and bull story that, remained about th
guard house till morning. Then the crowd re-as
sembled. and was so great and bothersOme that Re
corder Suezenou had TO post officers about the buId
ing to keep the sidewalks clear the court room be
ing as crowded as pot-pie.
! The Recorder, after questioning the old woman TO
a while, concluded that she only human, ant
had got little crazy from picking berries in the sun
so he gave her to charitable people OF tn
Second District who took an interest In her from tn
strange stories of which she was the heroine. III
old woman, it seems, processes to be fortune teller
and told several fortunes, COOL and bad to the 9Th
GERS OF the court, by reading lines in their hands
Taking the hand OF Sergeant Johnson who had aT
rested her, she scanned rtu=ciy for whiln; the
looking at him with wild eye and, holding up
skinny finger she said soemnly, " Young man, 20
will not live long,
At this shudder ran through the crowd; Johnso
is said to have turned pale but this we don't heleV
and several idlers ran home for the purpose, as wa
suspected, of writing petitions to the Police Boar
for the expected vacancy. After the old woma
l left, the crowd gradually dispersed. When WEI
down there, at Ten o'clock, there still supcrst
, tious faces lingering about the building; and W
were not q little surprised and amused by the Ia
darkey who stays at Recorder Ramoss Oficc-a rel
' intelligent sensible fellow, thought-askir
us to find out and let him know, for good ar
earnest, if the skin of the witch was still in the eel
We knew long ago that there all sorts of Peep
in the Third District but we never suspected TIL
: superstition reigned so largely among them.