The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-08-31
Instances OF Modern Credulity.
lCbambers's journal.

At Madelay, in Stafordshire, in 1867,
man went into neighbor's house and
there found child troubled with severe
cough. The father had delayed sending
for doctor until he had tested the eff
cacy of remedy which he declared had
never failed. This remedy or charm
consisted in cutting few hairs from the
part of the child's head where it joins
the neck, placing them between two thin
slices of bread-and-butter, and giving
them to dog to eat. Resisting his
neighbours expostulations at such an alb
surdity, the father of the child admins
tered this delectable Sandwich to a dog I;
if the animal had sickened, doctor for
the child would have been sent for; but
as Rover did not seem to care much
about it, the child was left to recover
without medical aid.
At Stratford.on-Avon q whole family
held firm to the belief that they were
visited by creatures of n very exceptional
character-sOmetimes human creature
carrying his head under his arm; some
times headless being that descended
the chimney; sometimes headless
couple that tossed the beds and the in
mates about, and made havoc with the
furniture. Neither ridicule nor serious
talk could shake them in this belief;
they declared themselves 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 of. The father pounced upon her
one day, held her firmly, and cut her
face with knife. The family protested
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 the charge of cutting and manning.
If the memory of Shakespeare has refined
his birthplace, this refinement certainly
had not reached the family in question.
A laboriDg man at Woodbury., whose
wife had an attack of paralysis, believed
apparently modification of the old be-
lief in the "evil eye." Having heard OF
woman at Plymouth 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 for twenty-one nights
Moreover, certain powders were to be
burnt in the fire, one in the morning and
one in the evening, and the ninety-frst
Psalm was to be read during the burn
ing; "skin" was to be worn round
the neck, put on for the fMt time OH a
Sunday. A piece of parchment was
given to him under the name of a
"charm," bearing cabalistic signs or HE
roglypbics, with a few sentences-"Who-
soever beareth this sign, all spirits will
do him HOMAGE" "This sign against
witchcraft, putrid infections, and sudden
death :" "Whoso beareth this sign need
fear no foe;" "This is sign against
witchcraft and suicide and evil demons"
The foolish man lent willing ear to all
this; and as he had saved little money,
he became welcome dupe to the wise
woman, who heeced him out of more
than four pounds sterling. As his wife
became more "ill-wished than ever, or
at any rate more paralyzed, his eyes were
opened little; he told his grievances to
magistrate, and imprisonment with
hard labor was allotted to the wise wo-
man.
A countryman lost his watch, and con-
suited cunning woman" about it.
She undertook, for fee of twelve shil-
lings, to show him in glass the man
who possessed the watch. On the silly
noodle giving her the money, she brought
a sort OF bird-cage glass, and requested
him TO look in il he did SO, and saw
something that looked like a mans
whiskers, but no face" He paid a second
visit, and paid her money 70 buy some
"stufi" at chemists. The cunning
woman" went to his house next day,
took tea with him, told him that person
who had the watch was Every hard
hearted" and demanded nine or ten
shillings wherewith to buy some more
"stuff." Another day came, and with
il demand for more money, which the
dupe gave; and so on until forty-fve
shillings in all had been transferred. All
the instruction she gave him was to
keep at home till midnight, when the
man who had the watch would bring it."
OF course the watch never made its APP
pearance, and the only consolation for
the Berkshire man was 10 get the "cun-
,;no woman, - ,uniabad for fraud