Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-05-10
wIrCHcRAFr AT EPHRATA.

A Dubious Story From q Dubious Source
A Reading correspondent of the Phila
delphia Times writes the following sensa
tional story to that paper:
DR.. Diller Luther, secretary OF the state
board Of charities, returned to his home IN
this city from Lancaster yesterday, in
which place he brought suit against a
number of persons on the charge of rob-
bing a grave The defendants live in the
small village of Ephrata, Dunkard vii
lage of Lancaster county. The principal
of the accused is named Spangler. He and
his associates in the alleged crime are
charged with having entered vault and
taken out portion Of the remains depos-
led therein. Three of the parties entered
bail and will be tried at the August term
of court in Lancaster.
An old resident of Ephrata drove to this
city to-day, from whom additional details
were learned. He says "Things are very
much mixed up over there among those
old Dunkards. The fight is for the posses
sion of the old property that was originally
established by the brethern and sisters of
the clcister. Those old Seven-day Bap-
lists were queer people, you know wore
no buttons, but fastened their clothing
with hooks and eyes wore their hair long,
great broad rim black hat, and very plain
brown clothing. The sisters wore plain
and simple gowns, white caps
and black pasteboard bonnets. They
lived in colony at Epirata several hun
dred years ago. A number of the wooden
buildings they erected are still standing
and are in splendid condition, bidding fair
to stand another century. There are sew
cral hundred acres of excellent land con-
nected with the old clOister. The control
of all this property, it appears, has re-
Gently changed hands and there is fight
between the ms and the '' outs
among those straight laced people. The
outs are making an effort to find
some lost records. They have in vain
searched the history of the cloister that
was printed at Ephrata away back in
the last century. 1t is in the German
language. Now, it is said, the report was
started that a number of valuable records
were buried with some of the old dead
people in the vaults and that that of DIR.
Luthcrs ancestor was not the only one in
vadcd and searched for old papers and
titles. But this suit of the doctors will
clear up the mystery. | am sure that 4
number of startling things will be revealed.
The men who were arrested are too smart
t" open vault simply through curiosity
and mischief. | have even heard it init
mated that an old witch woman named
Fisher, residing near Iteinholdsville, not
far from Ephrata had something to do
with the robing of the graves. don't be-
lievc in witches, but there are plenty in that
neiyhborhood who do. | will simply
give you the story as it is repeated over
there. 1t is to the effect that number
of old Dunkards consulted this old witch |
woman about some lost records they were |
after. She went through number of i'll
carnations and strange movements at
midnight, and finally told them to ransack |
Il certain grave where the records would
bc found. Whether the parties that were
arrested by DR.. Luther are the same ones
that went to the witch woman cannot |
say. Another story is that the witch woman
advised them to steal Il certain skull, hang |
it under the caves of a smoke house and |
wait until after the first thunder storm |
The whereabouts of the lost records would |
then be revealed. Now the facts are that
Il grave and vault We're broken open and a
skull stolen therelron, but whether it was
done in accordance with the witch wOman's
advice l certainly don't know. Just the
other day heard OF Il young woman of
that neighborhood who burned Il lock of
her hair in graveyard at night in order
that she would dream of the hiding place
of a lot of stolen jewclry. She had been
told to do it by the old witch woman refer
to. She can make many of the people
about there believe most anytl,ing.'