Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-17
MODERN CREDULITY,

AT Madelay, in Staffordshire, in
1867, a man went into a neighbours
house, and there found child troubled
with severe cough. The father had
delayed sending for a doctor until he
had tested the efficacy of a remedy
which he declared had meyer failed.
This remedy OF charm consisted in cut
ting few hairs from the part Of the
patients head where it joins the neck,
placing them between two thin slices
of Observation-Disclosures and giving them
to 4 dog to eat. Resisting his neigh
bor's eXpostulation at such an absurdi-
ty, the father of the child administered
this delectable sandwich to a dog: if
the animal had Sickened, a doctor for
the child Would have been sent for;
lut as Rover did not seem to care
much about it, the invalid was left to
recover without medical aid.
At Sratford-on-Ayon whole fam
lily held firm to belief that they were
visited by beings of a very exceptional
character sometimes a human crea-
tuTe carrying his head under his arm:
sometimes headlesS being that de-
Scended the chimney; sometimes a
headleSs couple that tossed the beds
and the inmates about, and made
havoc with the furniture. Neither
ridicule nor serious talk could shake
them III this belief they declared them
selves to be beWitched, and that relief
could only be found by drawing blood
from the person supposed to be the
witch. Unfortunately for her the
foolish people suspected a woman
named Jane Ward, who lived
door or two off. The father bounced
upon her one day, held her
firmly, and cut her face with a knife,
The family professed to be at once
relieved by this mode of breaking the
spell; they all slept well that night,
which they declared they had not done
for some time previously. Jane Ward,
Of course, did not approve of such an
extraordinary proceeding, and the
magistrates committed the man on a
charge of cutting and manning. If
the memory of Shakespeare has re-
fined his birthplace this refinement
certainly had not reached the family
il question.
\ laboring-man at Woodbury. whose
wife had an attack of paralysis be-
lieyed that she v as "ill-Wish'd" by
some one-apparently a modification
of the old belief in the "eyil eve"
Having heard of a woman at Ply
mouth possessing magic-power, he
went and sought her out as a means of
.aScertaining who was the ill-wisher
The "Wise woman" was equal to the
occasion. She told him that his wife
would have to "see the planets > and
to gather certain herbs in the church
yard Tor twenty-one nights. More
over, certain powders were to be burnt
IN the ire, one in the morning and one
IN the evening, and the ninetv-first
Psalm was to be read during the burn
ing; skin" was TO be worn
round the neck, put on for the first
Time on Sunday. \ piece of parch-
ment was given to him under the
name of : charm,'' bearing cabal-
Istlc signs or hieroglyphics, with few
sentences Whosoever beareth this
sign, all spirits will do him homage;'
-" This sign against witchcraft, putrid
infections, and sudden DEATH"
:" Who SO beareth this sign
need fear no foe;'' ''This is a
sign against witehcraft and suicide and
evil demons. The foolish man lent
willing ear to all this; and as he had
saved a little money he became a well
come dupe to the wise woman, who