The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-03-01
FOR THE JEFFERSONIAN.
Wonderville, I'd month, 9th.
lave we the Salemites amongst us ?


Have we the Salemites amongst us?
o, no; there is no one amongst us who
believes in witcbesl We believe there
acere witches long time ago,-and not SO
long ago either; for we are sure our pa
rents saw them. We recollect well bow
our mothers we're frequently obliged to
throw a red hot horseshoe into their
churn to burn out the witches and liber-
ate the butter, so it could "come." But
whether the butter thus affected tasted
most of the witch or the horseshoe We
do not Just now remember. Now we
don't believe witches exert this Astonishing
power in this latter half of the nineteenth
century, though We do occasionally find
butter that tastes Of something besides
grass, hay or corDstaks.
l say We don't believe in witches, for
they are all gone long ago-yes, gone
dried up and disappeared on a broom
stick soon after We came into this world
of wonders. But we have distinct recol-
lections of some Of them, how they used
to assume the form of big black cat, a
little bird, or any animal that might suit
their fancy or convenience, in order that
they might do the peculiar work of their
Office upon their subjects, the human fam
lily. say positively We believe they are
now oil gone, but We still claim as con-
stitutional right-we wouldn't do any
thing contrary to the constitution-We
still claim the privilege to believe in
ghosts, and in sights, signs and wonders.
We beg leave to be excused from that
rule which says, Every effect must have
a cause That is nothing but book talk
and zee profess inspiration. Now don't
say We are superetitious. Perhaps our
fathers were little that way inclined,
but it is all SANDER if you apply it to US.
We fully believe Gipsies can command
money to come and it will "come" faster
than butter Eith horse shoes. And fur
thermore they can command an evil spir.
it to depart out of plagued individual
and it will depart. They give immediate
relief to the tender infant that is taking
its turn at the sprue, and as for stopping
blood and perfecting smashed limb,
why few words,-no doubt they are We
~ powerful words,-a gentle breath, -
no doubt it is very gentle-a soft brush
Of the haDd, d,-po doubt it is very soft
and, this done, three times, before sun
down, or after sundown, or between sun
down, or without sundown, ! don't recol-
lect which, and the wonder is achieved
Now you need not produce any Of your
philosophy to controVert what we say, for
We have heard our parents long ago tell
US all about these things, and others told
them before what they did not see them
selves, SO that the evidence is beyond a
doubt, and We are not going to believe
anything else. There we're those iD those
good old times Hho could do these things,
and happy We, they conferred the gift on
tacored ones Of their posterity, and disea-
res are stayed; the blood from severed
vein looks out to the light but dares come
DO further; the bruised limb at once as
sumes its wanted perfection Whist won
derful cures And yet there are skep-
tics who laugh ct these things, and with
their fingers in their ears run out of hear
ing crying "bah bah away with such
presumption, such humbuggery, supersti-
ton, ignorance, and such supernatural
foolery."
POW WOW.