Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-09-06
TERMS =, $50 SO In RsF AGysnee. TssT.

the Rev. Mr.. Gardiner, the rector CHAPMAN
consented, and to him they went to decide the
dispute. Mr.. Gardiner advised them to live
more peaceably together, told Chapman to give
the old woman shilling, and sent them away.
Jane Wenham was dissatisfied with the award,
and in passion dropped the unlucky words,
that q if she could not have Justice there, she
would have it elsewhere" She left the reef ?,
passing through the kitchen, where there at a
servant.girl of Mr.. Gardiner, named Anne
Thorne, who had just returned from the sur
goon's who had set her knee, which, by some
accident, had been put out of Joint
Within few minutes after Jane Wenham's
departure, Mr. Gardiner, his wife, and Mr..
Francis Bragge, the author of the narrative we
arc quoting, who happened to be in the house
at the time, were alarmed by u " strange, yell
ing noise in the kitchon' Mr. Gardiner i'm
mediately went to see what was the matter, and
found " Anne Thorne stripped to her shirt
sleeves, and wringing her hands in a dismal
manner, and spcechless. He calling out Mrs.
Gardiner and Mr.. Bragge came Immediately to
him. Mrs. Gardiner, seeing her servant in
that sad condition, asked her what was the
matter with her? She not being able to speak,
pointed earnestly at buudle which lay at her
feet, which Mrs Gardiner took up and unpin-
ned, and found to be the girls gown and apron,
and a parcel of oaken twigs with dead leaves
wrapped up therein.
When Anne Throne came to herself, she de-
clared that, during the few minutes that Mr..
Gardiner and the others had left her, she had
found herself compelled to run to place half
a mile distant, to reach which she had to climb
over q fve-harred gate with her dislocated knee
that she was met by @ little old woman muf-
! fled in a riding hood" who sat her to gather
the sticks, made her strip herself and wrap up
the bundle in her gown, and gave her large
crooked pin " to fastcn tup with. Mrs Gar
diner immeliateIy proceeded to C burn the
witch /; that is, she threw the bundle which
was supposed to be bewifched into the fire
The charm was successful whilst ii was burn
ing, in came Jane Wonham. She, of course,
was the " little old woman and Anne Throne
was bewitched
"lh he next morning says Mr.. Bragge,
6 being the 10Th of February, after she had
a pretty good nights rest, her mistress asked
her whether she thought she could 90 to Mis-
tress Adams's house ia near neigbbor) to fetch
few pease. She said she thought she could,
and went with Mistress Rose Adams (who had
brcakfasted that morning with Mistress Gardi-
ner) to her house. Having got her pease, as
she was coming home she met Jane Wenham
who asked her why she told such stories of her,
as if she had bewtched ber? Anne Throne
answered she had said nothing but what was
true, and she was the cause Of all her disorder
10 this Jane Wenham reply'd, If you tell any
more such stories of me, it shall be worse for
you than it has been yet, and showed her with
her hand. As soon as Anne Throne had limped
home, she told her mistress with great con-
Germ that she had met Jane Wonham, and what
had passed between them. When this circum-
stance was pressed upon Jane Wenham after
wards before Sir Henry Chauncy, she denied
that she had met Anne Throne, saying that she
was at that time at Weston, three miles off; to
dsprove which Thomas Ireland made oath that
he saw her in the town within three minutes of
the time the girl said she met her which yet
might possibly be false, although he had all
the reason in the world to believe his senses, if
the solution Jane Wenham gave of it after
wards may beadmitted as truth, when she said
that although it was not she that met Anne
Throne. yet ii ,cas her ta0.ihar IN her shape.-
But of this more at large, when We come to
speak OF her coniession.'
We have not space to follow Mir. Bragge
through this very minute account Of the occur
rences of the next two days. They were passed
by Anne Thorne in vaulting over gates making
efforts to drown herself, falling into fits, in
which she yehementy denounced Jane Wenham
for tormenling her.
Upon this some that were present were for
bringing Jane Wenham to the maid, and ac-
cordingly went for her. She had locked herself
in. and said she was not well, and refused to
come They used all the lair words they could
think Of to persuade her, not without offering
her money, if she would but como and speak to
the poor girl but all to no purpose. Then
they sent for the constable (who had just re-
cciyed warrant from Sir Henry Chauncy to
apprebend her upon suspicion of felony and
witchcraft) When the constable was come,
they told her he was there, and desired her to
en- the door by fair means, and not to force