Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-09-13


them cry sometimes like children that once he
was not able to strike them, but afterwards he
killed one Of them. Being asked with what
he answered, With a setting staff lie said al
50 that lie saw the feathers taken out of the
maids pillow that there were several little
cakes of feathers nicely joined together, and 50
strongly cemented, that the first night they were
taken out of the pillow, he trye1 to pull them
asunder but could not do it and for a farther
account of this referred himself to
The next that was sworn. Mr. Francis Bragge,
who began to relate that he was present the
first time Of the maid S running for sticks etc,
but was interrupted by the judge, and asked
whether he had any new matter which was not
already sworn to He answered he had some
thing new to offer. Being directed to proceed;
he said that on Tuesday the 10Th Of February,
he thaving heard that strange cakes OF Ieath-
ers were taken out Of Annie Thorne's pillow
the night beorr) was DESTROYS to see them.
That he went into the room where those lealh-
ers were and took two OF the cakes, and com-
pared them together. lie said they were both
of circular figure, something larger than a
crown piece. That he observed the small icath,
ers were placed in ii nice and curious order, at
equal distances from each other, making 20
many radii of the circle il the centre Of which
the quill-cnds Of the ic ,thers met. That lie
counted the number of these feathers and found
them to be thirty two in each cake. That af-
forward. he .ndeavored to pull off two or three
of them and observed that they were fastened
together by a sort Of visCous matter, which
would stretch seven or eight inches in fine
thread before it broke. That having taken off
several of these feathers, he removed with his
finger that viscous matter, and found under it,
in the centre, some short hairs, black and grey
matted together, which lie does believe to be
cats hairs. Upon examination Of the other
cake, he found it exactly resembling the former
in all its parts, lie said he did not examine
any more Of them, but they seemed to be all
alike, and that he saw ten or twelve of them
lie said also that Jane Wenham confessed to
him that she had practiced witchcraft these six
teen years. have been the longer in relating
the evidence Of this witness, because he gave in
ne written information before Sir Henry Chaun
cy. My Lord said that he wished he could see
an enchanted feather, and seemed to wonder
that none Of these strange cakes were preserv-
ed, and asked the witness why he did not keep
one or two of them9 lie answered he would
have have done it, bat was not permitted thew
being of opinion that the maid might be eased
if they were burnt.
Then was sworn Mr.. Thomas Adams, junior,
Of Walkerne, whose evidence was exactly the
same with his information above transcribed.
Then came Matthew Gilston, who told the
story oil his running for pennyworth of straw,
adding one circumstance, which was omitted in
his aforementioned informaton-viz. that
when upon his asking fora pennyworth Of straw
at Numbers Hill, they refused to give him any,
he saw the old woman in the riding hood again,
and that she directed him to the dung heaps
from whence he brought home the straw in his
shirt; I'll the rest of his evidence was the same
with his information.
"Another evidence was John Chapman of
Walkerne, who said that he had for MANY wears
suspected the prisoner to be a witch that the
reason he did SO was because he constantly found
whenever she has threatened him, that his
horses, or other of his cattle, dy'd strangely,
without any signs of natural disease, and that
he believed he had lost above two hundred
pound by her in u very short time.
Afterwards was sworn Susan Aylott who
deposed that Richard Harveys wife. and also
her child, were bewitched to death by the pris-
oner her evidence being the same with her
information.
" Elizabeth Field was also sworn. She said
that about nine years ago she had q nurse-child
and that one day the prisoner came and stroaked
the child, saying it was a curious child, or
words to that purpose that soon afterwards,
in the evening of the same day, the child was
taken strangely ill, one of her legs being so dis
torted, that the toes were turned back behind
the heel ; that in two days time the leg was
well, and the other distorted in the same man
ner as the first had been. That afterwards the
child had strange fits and commissions at times
and pinned away I'LL she died. that she always
thought the child was bewitched by Jane Wen
ham, the prisoner at the bar. Being asked why
she did not prosecute her Immediately after !
she answered, that she was poor woman, and
the child had NO friends able to bear the charges
of such prosecution. Being again asked
whether she was grown rich since she said she
was still very poor, but this oppo tunity present
ing itself she laid hold Of it to give her evi
dencp