Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-18
Witches In Illinois.
from the Duquoin (Irl.) Tribune

LFTOm tue UNI
About five miles southeast of this place re-
sides Mr. James Williams, who has two
daughters, aged respectively about fourteen and
eighteen years. For some time they have had
strange symptoms, indicating insanity. Their
father took them to Kentucky, hoping a change
in surroundings would help them. For n time
they seemed better, but after returning home
the former symptoms soon returned This state
of things lasted till about ten DAYS ago, when
the entire community was thrown into feverish
excitement, and reports of witches and their
wonderful feats filled the air whichever way one
turned. The following are some of the rumors
which wild excitement, with wonderful amount
OF credulity, circulated with winged rapidly,
many believing them. Every evening lust as
twilight came on these young ladies were at
tackled by witches, when, with wonderful agility,
they would climb the house, or rather jump on
top OF it, run and dance over the roof sing beau
tifnl songs, lie on the comb of the roof, glide
down on its edge and swing off, holding by their
teeth to the cave; then suspending themselves
in the air, throw themselves back again on the
root, pass over the gable end, and go through a
small opening, ten by twelve inches, into the
garnet, with as much ease and rapidity as a
squirrel, and then come down and commence
hunting pins and flies to eat. They never failed
to catch fly, and could pick up pins on the
clean swept boards when no other person
could see one. Some affirmed that they had
jumped from the back door of the residence
on to the top of the house on which
they performed their feats, which stands
about thirty feet distant, and then jumped from
this house on to a tree thirty yards off. These
spells would come on as night came, and leave
them with the return of day. During the day
they would remain rational, and converse freely
of their condition. The following was reported
as their own version of the matter: One even
ing shortly ago, just at twilight, the eldest saw
woman witches are always women) ride ND
10 fbaf afar hoo Ell. coll l.
horse, who invited her to go to meeting with
her; she refused, when the woman put the tip
OF her forefinger on the tip of her 1.-THE girl's)
forehnger, and, without an effort placed her on
the horse behind her and rode off; finally they
arrived at house where were congregated a
great many most beautifully dressed women.
Taking her to cell entered by hatchway, the
woman opened it and told her to go in, then
give her soul TO the devil and she would be-
come witch, and be able to do ANYTHING she
wished in this world; this she refused to do,
when instantly she found herself seated on a
pole in her fathers barn. Since then every
evening the witch comes and torments her for
refusing to be witch. She says she can see a
woman who does it, and knows her. but when
ever she attempts to tell who she is, she chokes
her and throws her into spasms. Such is said,
by those who talked with her, to be her story
Hundreds go every night to see the sight; and
not being afraid of witcheS-for | do not be-
lieve there was ever such a thing in the world
or out of it-concluded l would 60 and see for
myself what foundation there was for the re.
ports. So on Saturday night l rode down TO
witness the scene. On the way / was asked
what | thought of witches; if | believed in
witches How witches were made and who
made them? If thought it was the witch
of Endor, &c. 10 which | replied, ! don't
think of witches don't believe
in witches; don't think they were made at all;
don't know anything about the witch of Endor;
korvn .r.NE hoo
Samuel was raised from the dead, ETC.. and thus
rode brayey on till we came, just at twilight, in
sight of the house, and there they were, right
on top of the house, standing, side by side sing
ing, waving their arms, and turning round and
round. l never had, / aver | never had, and
never have, and never will believe in witches.
and was determined to be courageous; and as
their beautiful voices rolled out from the house
top on the still twilight, plaintive, mournful,
sweet, their arms waving, bodies turned in this
way and that, looking in their light dresses more
IKE fairies, ghosts, or any unearthly apparition
than human beings, wave after wave of chill
came up my back, and felt light almost as air.
When did not believe in witches, it seemed the
only suitable place had ever seen for them.
and ii such thing could be, they surely would
be there, and then, right then. We hitched our
horses and told mine not to let the witches
ride him, as must ride home that night, and
examining his mane to be sure that there were
no stirrups in it, we walked TO the crowd. who
stood gathered around the house on which were
the young ladies. Distance lends enchantment
to the view, especially of an evening when
ghosts and witches are supposed to be about
On nearing the house | could see nothing re-
markable in two persons walking and singing
on the top of the house, and so expressed nv
self; but there was the window, they told me,
and il would wait, would be convinced when
they had gone in at that. | told them, though
not very small myself, l was confident could
go through it, for saying which / got laughed
at soon, however, one of them came down to
the corner Of the house, not over from the comb
OF the ROOT, as had been reported, and climbing
along the cracks Ia log house, till she was d-
rectly under the window, and reaching up, took
hold OF the bottom casing, and easily pressed in
Soon after, Mr.. E. M. Martin, large man.
whom you often see in Duquoin, climbed up
and passed his head and shoulders through,
which eftectually spoiled their feat. When
they came down. the crowd formed q circle
round them to prevent them running off. The
circle was large, as there were not less than two
hundred people present to witness the perform
ance, for such by this time it had got to be.
Now came the most distressing sight / ever wit
messed. The young ladies, rendered wholly
unconscious of what they were doing by some
unknown cause, were running about hunting
pins and flies to eat. A coal oil lamp heinz
held to give light caused pin to shine and be
more readily picked up than in daylight, II is
hard TO believe, but there were villains there
who threw pins on the ground to see those Door
senseless creatures pick them up and try to eat
them. After running around and across the
ring some time, stopping often to pick up pin
when one of their friends would spring in and
catch their hands to wrest it from them, which
would be followed by severe struggle she
struggling 70 get the pin in her mouth and
Otten succeeded in swallowing il, After this