Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-10-30

uutl udWH appeared.
So they smothered the witch; she was
cold and dead next day when the door
was opened; and as there were no coro-
ner's inquests in those days, her being
found dead excited but little attention.
Indeed, at the time of the Union, Ireland
was in 80 disordered a state that the
death of one old women in her bed was
but little noticed. The manner of her
end was known to her old neighbors
around Tamney Lough; but it was
never spoken of except in whispers,
though years afterward parents pointed
to the ruined wallsteads upon the hill
side, and told their little children what
the witch's fate had been. The writer
was told the story by an old man whose
mother had lived in Tamney at the time.
On our venturing to doubt the exist.
ence of witches at the present day, he
declared there was then August, 1870,
to his certain knowledge, witch living
close to his own farm; and he pointed
out pretty, fair-haired woman, mother
Of alarge family, who had only one COW,
yet sells quantities of butter.
She has slight figure, as well as blue
eyes and haxen hair, and we thought
her pleasant sight as she tripped along
the Tamley road to market, followed by
her little crowd of white headed children.
The uninitiated, at least, look at her
with pleasure; but the Roman Catholics
cross themselves furtively when they
meet her, and the old and ignorant
among her Protestant neighbors regard
her with evident fear and dislike.
DO you mean to say that she is able
to draw the butter away from your
churn?" we asked our old friend the
farmer.
"Troth is she, miss; there's ma divil-
ment too hard or too bad for that witch
woman. Sure she turns herself into
hare avery summer NIGHT, an milks the
cows in the fields. l ha' started big
hare from among my ain cows in this
very field, an as sure as Pm Twin
sinner, it made for yon hole in the back
O Norah's house."
"Do you really think Norah's the
hare7"
"Think it, miss? God bless your in
nocent wit! Pm sure of it. 1t wad be
charity to the countryside to shoot
her wi bit of silier--in troth, if was
as souple as used to be, I'd do it my
seP."
"Does it take long to turn her back
i'll 20 woman"
{" Is it long, miss? Not minute
She just says wheen words that the bad
man learned her, an she's in her ain
shape again"
els Norah the only witch in the
country
"Na, ma; there's her mother at Cool
back, and her grandmother at Milford;
all the breed O them Tsylors was witches.
But there's warlocks too; l mind to ha'
seen ane O them when l was a wee chiel
the height O my stick"
ooh, please tell me all about it."
l was sketching in the old farmers
own meadow, behind the witch's cottage,
and he stood near me, leaning on his
stick; and as l washed in the delicate or
gorgeous tints of my picture, listened
to his weird tale.
st was in the County Derry" he be-
gan, "that all my people was born and
bred. The Derry gentlemen was great
riders, an fond of hunting, an it was aye
spree for the wee boys to follow the
hunt. | could run nigh hand as fast as
hound myself in them days. One day
Il mind it as we'll as if it was yesterday
we couldn't start a hare ava, an the
gentlemen was all out O patience, when
we come upon an ould man sitting cob
bling shoes, an herding cows, in wild
kind O place below the Birdstown noun.
tains.
"Wad your honors wish me to start
a hare for yez says the ould man, risin'
to his feet.
"Ay, surely says the gentlemen,
for we Gamma find hare this day: at all,
at all
"' Weel,' says the ould man, if l
find hare in thon wood says he, will
yez gle me five shillin' when the run is
overw
"Ay, surely, good man, you'll get
the five shillin" say they.
"Wi' that the ould fellow down wi
his aw and the brogue he was cobbling,
an into a clump O bushes that was
about hundred yards of the knowe
where we found him.
He wasna three minutes in the wood
till a big hare ran out, an the hounds
after it, an AVA over the country. Weel,
we had the best run O that season, but
the hounds couldna get up wi the hare
ava; and at last it brung them back to
the kno~e fornenst the wood, and ran in
amsng the trees, just where it ran out in
the morning. The hounds lest it there,
an the ould fellow stepped out o the
wood an ND to the huntsman An