New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-23
THE WITCHES or NEW-YORK....No. II
MADAME WIDGER,
No. 5 Fir,, Avenue. peAE Houston st

This sncient dame, whose very NrlDkies oS'c osC>
into the Eighteenth century holds her magic court in
the delightful locality specified at the head of this artl'
Gle. That the public may be apprsed OF her where
about. and know exactly where 70 find genuine afi'
Gle Of modern Wtchcraft, she inserts every second
day the following advertisement IN the The Herald
ard Sun:
MADAME WIDGER, the Natural-Gltted As
oo., Second Sight Seer and Doetres tells past present
md future event, love couship marriage sb.-nt ftend,
sickness preseroes medicines 2r a. properly los 0
stolen Of No. First sv, near Hou'tonst'
Bes ued by the poetic euphony of her sonorous cono
men urreporter determined to begin with the venerable
madam his researches into the secrets of the future
r.,olyed moreover, to have her tell biz Glove court
shp marriage absent friends sickness, OF 10 pre-
scribe medicines" for property lost stolen" &C
corong TO the advertisement. Trembling with underlined
terror and apprehension of the fearful ordeal before
him. be bent hi. steps the Fret avenue, and in due
tine stood awe-s.ruck before the mansion ofthe en-
chantress The necessity OF taking notes soon dis
ptued his bewiderment, and brought him to a sense
Of the reality of the scene, which stripped of its mys
teriou ness assumed aspect very commonplace, not
to say seedy. The house three-stcry lex, seemed
10 have that architectural disease which is perpetual
endemic among the tenant houses of the city, aud
which makes them all lock as If they had been dipped
in strong solution of something that had taken the
skin of. The paint was blstered and peeiug of in
flakes; the blinds were hanging conerwise by solitary
hinges she shingles starting from their places
with strange air of disquietude as il some mighty
hand had stocked them the wrong way; the door
steps were shaky and crazy in the knees; the door
had a curious air Of debility and emaciation, and
the ben-knob was too weak 10 return to its place
after il had feebly done its brszen duty. There was
no door.plae but on battered tin sign baZ0ned
in fasletters the my.tic word Widger' The door
was opened by an uncertain old man with very weak
ewes who appeared TO have, in Dilder form, the
same nalady which afflicted the house perhaps he
was twin, and suffered from brotherly sympsihy-st
any rate the die pidatng disease had touched him
sorey its rsyages particularly noticeable n the
toes OF his boots and the elbows Of his coat. Violent
remedies hsd evidently been applied in the latter case
hut the patches were of different colors and suggestive
Of the rsgb bag; the boots were past hope OF conva
escence. Guided by this individual, our reporter e.
tered small ,habbily furnished room, and, accepting
the proffered imbecle invitation, bestowed himself in
a disreputable chair. On seven-by-nine cooking
etove, which three pnts Of coal would have
driven blazing crazy, stood diminutive iron
kettle, in which something was noisily stewins;
the something may have been decOction Of
sgi: herbs, or it may have been Madame Wild
ger's dinner. Our reporter, pursued his Investigations
no further than the outside, and did not consider him
self justified in raising the eovsr. A tumbledown
trurk in corner Of the room did precarious duty for
chair a faded carpet bid the floor; cheap rocking
chair in The act of mounting its upholstery spread it,
luxurious arms nvitingly the dim window and
table on which pack Of German playng-ca was
coyly hof concealed by The San newspaper coal
bod and poker completed the necessary furnishn.
of the apartment. The ornaments soon nyentoried
Q certificate of mt mbershp Of the New York State
Agricultural Society, given at Albany to Mr.. NJ. G..
Ri, ins, hug in cheap frame over the table. The
other decorations few prints Of bigl-colored
saints an engraving Of purple Virgin Mary with
pea green child, and picture OF blue Joseph being
sold by yellow brethren to a crowd of scarlet mer-
chants who were paying for him with money that
looked Ike peppermint lozeDges
Madsme Widger, the mysterious Spanish lady,
yas not OF first visible to the naked eye, but loud,
shiil vicious voice. which made itself heard through
the partition dividing the reception room from some
apartment as yet UNEMPLOYED by him, directed the
attention of reporter 10 her exact locality The
old man sub.ided into chair, and in weak sort of
way began TO talk evidently with ZONE insane idea OF
pleesrgly filing up the time " I'll the prophecies
should be dkengseed. His conversation seemed 10
run to disasters with particular Partially to ship
wrecks He accordingly detailed, With wonderful
e1actness, the perls encountered by certain canal
beat Of nus, "loaded principally with butter and
cheese, during dangerous voyage from Albany to
this city, ard which was finally brought safely 70 a
secure hsrbor by the power Of the Widger, which cir
cnn stance bad made him her slave for hf The shrl
voice cow ceased and the person to whom it had been
addressed came forth. The lime on his blue jean gar
mens and the cloudy appearance of hs boots declared
lin to be something in the mason lire. he depored
himself with becoming reverence and departed in ap-
psrtn. awe.
gizzled he al now thrust itself on. Of the mystic
ricu. elo,et, opened its mouth and the vicious voice
raid: 81 will see you now, Sir. Our reporter with
futt.rirg hear. and unsteady steps, summoned his
courage end entered the place to him as yteous a.
was Blue ards COLDER keyed closet 10 his ninth wife.
He encountered a cadaverous, bOny-lOOking woman,
very tall very old, though with hair .till black with
gray eyes, and fase cleaning teeth. She was alfred
in caco quality, ten cents yard appearance dirty.
hardly the door closed when tie vicious voice spite
fully remarked, SIT down, Sir" and skinny foyer
IoiLt.d to a osne-boOmed chair. While seating him
self aud taking of biz gloves, our reporter took an
observation. The apartment no. large; IN an IN
furisht state, moderately hoped belle MI ut have
stood n without serious damage to her outskirts,
but there would be little extra room Tor any enter
pTi,iI sdS.nturer to crcuruneviGate uront he- In
oIe corner was mal! pius light stand OF which was
skeI cal locking Bib, with very black brass key
lied il it av9lUme Of Covper bound 10 full cali lile
l0mp With srgle ligited wi K ard pile Of the
Madsme business haldblls. The Wdg-r shut her-
sci; bai up Ike jack kiiie and sat down ansaiy On
one Ct the chars aad the vicious voice mentioned this