New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-12
VITCHCRAFT IN KENTUCKY.

day in Salem, was the author OF an excellent
monograph upon the Salem Witchcraft, the
most satisfactory history of that lunacy ever
printed. Mr.. Upham at some future time may
have successor who will discuss the decisions
and dreams of our own day, and prove us not
much wiser, if little more tolerant, than our
fathers. The passion for the marvellous, the
incredible, the supernatural, never dies out al
together; and there are always those who are
ready to follow the schoolman and to believe
O thing merely because it is impossible. Ot
course, there are more believers now in Witch
craft than there were in that dark day OF Gre
duity and cruelty; but the number cannot DO
settled by the census, and the Wild faith takes
too many forms for classification. There Is
however, certain sameness In these aDerra-
tiOns-therc is the bewitched, the bcwitcher,
and q go-betwecn or medium, usually be-
longing to the animal kingdom. This want OF
original method, this sticking to old formulas
and processes would be the best refutatlon
possible of the error if. to begin with, 1t did
not refuto itself. Those who are above natu-
raj law should be above any established
routine and Independent of defined processes;
and if a witch is sure to be found out by her
care of cat or q goat, or any other four
legged familiar, why, with her power OF
change, should she employ such an asslstantt
Why not rid herself of such witness against
herr But we are lspsing into serious argu-
ment against what is only laughable, being
tempted to do so by new story of witchcraft
which comes to us from Clinton. Kyy where
women even at this time of day have been
accusing other women of bewitching them.
NJ: bod
variety. The late Mr.. Mcdonald visited her In
the form of an angel and doctor, Sand told her
what medicine to take for disease which
troubled her. The prescription is not given,
but it was Pill. Rhei Comp, as likely as any
thing. Angel Mcdonald likewise informed
Miss Berry that sundry neighboring ladies were
witches, and would como TO her house In the
form of cats and do her some great injury
Then Angel Mcdonald went to the place ap-
pointed for him; and we trust that he Will
stay there.
Cats-these were the convincing features OF
the revelation. If the seraph had said tigers,
or hyenas, or dOdOs, or megatheriums, nobody
would have believed him; but when he said
Cats!-i was so natural, you know! Number
of cats IN that vicinity; Lady-cats, Thomas
lers, ence-jumpers, garden scratchers-cats OF
dissOlute and reprehensible ways-cats OF q
gravity so profound as to DO suspicious! All
the Berrys at once believed in the cats, and
came to the conclusion that tho ladies who
owned the cats should be put to death, accord
ing to the law of the Scriptures, which were
duly searched. But there was a boy Berry,
who suggested, boy-like, that it would be
better first to let him try his hand and few
buck shot upon the cats. So he took his gun,
and in a proud and delightful frame of mind
went after the supernatural animals, with in
tent MORALLY to pepper them. Unfortunately
he couldn't start the game and, being con-
WINGED that the cats and the ladies were identi-
cal, he proceeded to the house, determined
to pepper tho ladies, who could trans
form themselves into tabbies and resume
the feminine form at will. Things were
looking little too much like manslaughter to
be comfortable; and SO upon proper complaint,
boy Berry and all the rest OF the Berrys were
marched to the lookup, to the great delight OF
the cats. In that dOnjon the family con-
tinued to asscverate their belief that the ladies
were witches and also cats, and should be put
to death. 1t was then suggested to them that
unless they changed their opinions suddenly, they
would be conducted in body to the Insane
Asylum. The argument was conclusive They
admitted that they Knight he mistaken"
The Judge thought that it would be just as
we'll if they should give bonds lin $500 each)
not to shoot anybody; aud they gave them.
Whether this bond covers the cats of the
vicinagc, we are not informed. We hope so.
That is, if they are honest, weil-behaved cats,
that "sleep O nights" The world does adj
vance little. Two hundred years ago there
would have been hanging; and it would MT
have been a hanging Of the cats.
The friends of Yale College rejoced over the