The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-03
WTTCHCRAFTI IN THE ENLNETBENTH
EENTILRY

still exists to very considerable extent in
England. We do not, it is true, hear of 1t
much in the busy towns; because there is not
so much gossiping rumor in them as in coun-
try places, and because the people, with all
their shortcomings, are a little less ignorant.
Nevertheless, the ignorance still displayed in
the nineteenth century may we'll occasion sur
prise, and suggest inquiries concerning that
said schoolmaster who is declared to be
''abroad." In London, the credulity is chiefly
among servant-girls, who give their sixpences
to fortune-tellers for information on certain
important questions about clark men, 'fair
men, and the like. The line of division be-
tween fortune-telling and witchcraft being
very slight one, we need not be surprised
that the credulous often step over this boun-
dary, and commit themselves to the most
gross and absurd impositions.
In case tried in Stafford in 1928, one
Sarah Roxborough was charged with the fol-
lowing piece of roguery. She announced to
a tradesmans wife at Hanley, that she could
rule the planets, restore stolen goods, and
get in bad debts" On one particular day
the wise woman appeared att the tradetman's
house and began her professional incanta-
tions. She desired the wife to have q fire kin
died in an upper room; to obtain from her
husband twenty-five one-pound notes; to place
the notes in her bosom, and to let them re-
main there till o'clock in the evening.
Inc WIG tlu as sue was ulTeCIeu
The woman Roxborough came again later
in the day, went upstairs, and sent
the wife down for some pins and some
of her husbands hair. She then asked for
the notes, saying she could not get on with
out them The wife hesitated little, but at
length gave them. Sarah, after putting
little of the husbands hair into each note,
and folding them up, made small bundle of
them, which she put on chair. The wife,
fp6
returned; but the deceiver declared the charm
would fail unless the notes remained few
minutes in the chair. Sarah then told her
silly dupe to stand in the middle of the room,
throw pinsinto the fire, and watch till they were
consumed. While this was doing, the knavish
woman watched for an opportunity to take up
the roll of notes, and deposit in its place
small paper parcel of similar size and appear
snce. This, however, was not so adroitly
fdone as to escape the notice of the wife; sus-
picion was aroused, the husband was called
upstairs, the impostor was searched, given
into custody, tried, and imprisoned. The
cheat was of the most vulgar kind, but it
sufficed to show the intense credulity of the
person duped.
No longer ago than 1857, trial at the
Stafford Assizes exhibited farmer and his
wife in such light as would appear almost
incredible, were it not that the narrative
came from their own lips. The farmer,
Thomas Charlesworth, lived at Rugby. He
married in 1856, against his mothers wish
she quilted his roof, and gave him mys-
terious caution not to make. cheese, as it
would be sure to crumble to pieces. This
warning seemed to imply that the young
wife would bewitch the dairy; but the
e. farmers evidence did not tend to show
what he himself believed in this matter
Very shortly, everything seemed to go
wrong: the cheese would not turn out pro-
perly; the farmer, his wife, and the dairy
maid became unwel. In this predicament he
sought the advice of a neighboring toll-gate
keeper, who suggested that he should apply
to a ''wise man" named James Tunnicliff.
The farmer and his wife started off, visited
the wise man, told their story, and obtained a
promise that he would come to the farm on
the following day. He did come. His report
startled the poor farmer. Mr.. and Mrs.
Charlesworth, the maid, all the horses, all
the COWS, the farm, and the cheese vat, were
pronounced to be bewitched. A regular
tariff was named for the disenchantment-
five shilings for each human being, five
shillings for each horse, three-and-sixpence
each COW, five shillings for the cheese
vat, etc.-until the poor dupe had
paid as much as seven pounds. No good re-
suit followed; the cheese was no better than
before and the inmates of the farm were Cor
fancied themselves to be) very much out of
cOnultlOn Iney DeHeVeu tney nearQ at night
strange noises, the believing of cattle, and
the bowling of dogs. Tunnicliff now asserted
that the whole commotion was due to the in.
huence of Charlesworth's mother over certain
wizards living at Longton, Burton-on- Trent
and Derby; and that to counteract this bane
full influence large outlay of money would
be needed. The farmer gave him an addi
tional sum of thirty pounds. Still there was
no improvement And now occurred the
strangest proof of deception ON the one hand
and credulity ON the other. The farmer tool
the knave Tunnicliff into his house, anG
allowed him to live there eleven months
The rogue lived an easy life, and fed on the
best that the farm afforded. Sometimes ht
would make crosses on all the doors with
witch hazel; and sometimes he would burr
blue lights to overcome the powers of the
evil one. The farmer deposed in evidence
that one night he was taken ILL., that he hearG
sound like that of carriage in the yard
and another like rush of wind through
passage; that the house-dog entered the room
followed by 'fhe shape of another dog all OF
fire." that after the farmer had said the
Lords Prayer the fiery dog disappeared
but the house-dog stayed, with his tongu
hanging out and his paws hanging down
The mistress and the maid had boil
of them something to say concerning
this fiery dog After this extraordinar
hallucination had continued nearly year
even the obtuse mind of the farme
began to open to the possibility that tn
wise man had been making dupe of him
He consulted lawyer, and the lawyer col
leeted evidence sufficient to bring upon Tun
nicliff d sentence of twelve months imprisou
ment with hard labor ''for obtaining none