Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-10-23
door on the hill overhanging Tamney Lough
"'Nae winding-sheet, nae hearse,
Nae coffin for his corse."

=
and they shook their fist in her face with
rage.
All that day and the next day they
sought, but Tom Doolan's body could not be
found. 1t was, indeed, never found, and the
lake was regarded with superstitious horror
for years. s'..
But to return to the witch. Little Eileen
was an intelligent child, and she told her
father how Betty had bade her watch the
dish in the tub of wafer, while she had been
muttering low to herself; how it had turned
round and round, sinking at last to the bot
tom and how Betty exclaimed: "Ay, that's
yer fathers boat, an Tom Doolan, the thief
an villain, II be drowned"
Devenny was not quite so unnamed by
superstitious dread as his neighbors; besides
which, he was sorry for the loss of his COM
rade, and he determined that his death should
be avenged. Feeling his way very cautious
ly, he found couple of fitting accomplces
among the kneeing crowd in the chapel-yard
next Sunday, and he settled with them what
was to be the witch's fate.
One night when all was silent in the vii
lage of Tamney, the three men stole out OF
Devenny's cottage, and coasted the reedy
edge of the lou gh, in whose gloomy depths
poor Doolan was lying. No candle, or priest
or wake had the poor fellow had, and they
shuddered as they passed his unknown grave,
crossing themselves piously, and thinking Of
his wandering soul. The water hens were
disturbed by their stealthy tread, and flock
of plover flew overhead, uttering their wild,
almost human, cries On they went, cautious.
ly mounting the hill, and pausing several
times to listen before they reached the witch's
door. The reason for this caution was that,
Donegal being in disturbed state, parties of
yeomanry secured the country every night,
and apprehended anybody whom they found
abroad after nine o'clock. All lights were to
be extinguished at that hour, so Betty's dip
candle had long been out, and no glimmer
appeared at her single tiny window.
"Where's the kale stalk?' asked one OF
the men. They climbed upon the roof, stop
ped up the chimney, and then putting the
cabbage stalk into the key hole, blew clouds
of sulphur through it into the cabin.
"Well smoke her the way his reverence
smoked the bees" said they, stationing them
selves at the key. hole in turn ; and they did
not desist from their labor until dawn.
So they smothered the witch. She was so
so cold and dead next day when the door was
opened and as there were no coroners IN.
quests in those days, her being found dead
excited but little attention. Indeed, at the
time of the Union, Ireland was in SO disor-
ganized state that the death of one old wo-
man in her bed was but little noticed. -Ths
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 wall stead upon the hillside, and
told their little children what the witch's
fate had been. The writer was told the story
by man whose mother had lived in Tamney
at the time.
On our venturing to doubt the existence Of
witches at the present day, he declared there
was then (August, 1879, to his certain
knowledge, witch living close to his own
farm and he pointed out'a pretty, fair-haired
woman, mother of large family, who has
only one cow, yet sells quantities of butter.
She has slight figure as we'll as blue eyes
and faxen hair, and we thought her pleas
ant sight as she tripped along the road to
market, followed by her little crowd of white
headed children. :
"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 nae divilment
too hard or too bad for thae witch.woman.
Sure she turns herself into hare every sum-
mer NIGHT, an milks the COWS in the field.
| ha started big hare from amang my ain
cows in this very field, an as sure as I'm
liyin' sinner, it made for yon hole in the back
O. Norah's house"
"Do you really think Norah's the hare2
"Think it, miss God bless your innocent
wit! I'm sure of it. 1t wad be charity TO
the countryside to shoot her WI bit O sill
ler-in troth, if was as souple as l used to
be, I'd do it myself"
"Does it take long to turn her back into a
woman2'
"Is it long, miss Not a minute. She just
says wheen words that the bad man learned
her, an she's in her ain shape again"
as Norah the only witch in the country"
"Na, ma; there's her mother at Coolback,
and her grandmother at Milford; all the
breed O. them Taylors was witches. But
there's warlocks too; mind to ha' seen ane
O. them when was wee chiel the height o
my stick"
"Oh, please tell me all about it."
I was sketching in the old farmers own
meadow, behind the witch's cottage, and he
stood near me, leaning on his stick and as I
washed in the delicate or gorgeous tints OF
my picture, listened to his weird tale.
lit was in the County Derry" he began,
"that all my people was born and bred:
The Derry gentlemen was great riders, an
fond of hunting, and it was aye spree for
we boys to follow the hunt. | could run
nigh hand as fast as a hound mysel in them
days. One day Il mind it as weel as if it
was yesterday we couldna start hare ava,
an the gentlemen was all out O. patience,
when we came upon an old man sitting cob
bling shoes, an herding cows, in wild kind
O. place below the Cirdstown Mountains.
"'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
"Well,' says the ould man, if find a
hare in thon woods says he, will yez gle me
FIVE shillin' when the run is over?
cay, surely, good man, you'll get five
shillin',' says they
"Wi' that the ould fellow down WI his
awl, and the brogue he was cobbling, an into
clump O bushes that was about hundred
yards off the knowl 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 knowl fornenst