Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-06-25

he considered her an enemy IN ambush,
liable to fly out at any moment with a
stout broom-stick or hot suds, and so
wisely kept at a safe distance.
But, roasted on the fence, with a
handful of corn, Jonathan's fears were
at rest, and he fed the chickens, drove
the old roosters utterly wild with long
and loud growing, and sometimes made
hasty jump into the yard to set two
ruifled, ambitious roosters fighting.
Now Jonathan teased and bothered
the poor fowls so continually that they
began to grow afraid of him, and would
not come when he called them, much to
his Indignation. But one day he thought
of plan, and went straightway to work
at it.
First he went to his mothers work
basket and got a spool of thread, then
to the meal chest for handful of corn.
Sitting down on the doorstep, he tied
long strings of thread to each grain of
corn, then climbed the fence, ard COM
menced what was fun for him, but
misery for the poor chickens.
"Chick, chick, e" called Jonathan and
he threw his handful of corn to the
ground. "Now I've got ye, ye dis
obliging things" said he to himself, as
the stout old hens and pompous roosters
pushed the young ones aside, and COB
bled up the corn.
Then Jonathan gave a sudden jerk to
his strings, that caused the poor chick
ems to feel more uncomfortable in their
stomachs than they ever had before, and
made the roosters dance, and the poor
old hens tumble and bob around in all
directions. Mischievous Jonathan sat
and laughed until he tumbled off the
fence, which broke the strings, and set
the poor fowls free.
This mischief Jonathan carried on for
few days, until the willy chicks would
not come to get the corn when they saw
him, and he had to hide behind the
fence until the poor things had swal-
lowed their uncomfortable morsel, and
then he would pop up to see the fun.
But Betty had her eyes on Master
Jonathan, and one morning, while wait
ing on table, spoke her mind as follows:
"Master, know not what's to be
done with that brat Jonathan Winthrop;
now that his fathers away, he behaves
more unseemly than wont. The master
on trial yonder has made him witch,
and he has bewitched our chickens"
"Why for, my good BettyP"
"Why forP Why, they scream and
fly away from him on first sight; and
then he bewitches them nearer, and
they are filled with pain seemingly, and
futter and fly about as if in great dis
tress."
"Some of his pranks, doubt not. I'll
speak to him. Serve fowl for dinner,
Betty" and the Rev. Deodat Parker
rose from the table, evidently not cred
iting Betty's story.
Well, the fowl was served for dinner,
and the minister and his wife ate heart
lily, likewise Dame Betty. But that
night the minister had an uncomforta-
BILE time of it, for the fowl was q tough
old hen, and didn't sit as quietly on the
minister's stomach as she would on a
nest full of eggs.
"To my thinking, that boys witch
of the Black Mans own brewing" said
Betty, the next morning. "He hath be-
witched our chickens, for certain.''
"Nonsense, Betty" said the minis
ter and his good wife together.
"Verily, no nonsense" snapped back
Dame Betty. "That hen was bewitched
l killed and cooked yesterday, as the
eating of it has proved to the master
Never hen had such legs, or was so hard
to kill; and, hark ye! 1 could not keep
water in the pot" said Betty, mysteri-
ously.
"Verily, this is a matter to be looked
into. Thou thinkest the boy witch?"
And the Rev. Deodat Parker, uncom-
Portable from his disturbed night, was
more willing to believe.
And so, can hardly tell how, in
short time it was whispered around that
little Jonathan Winthrop was witch,
and had bewitched the Rev. Deodat
Parker's chickens.
One day Dame Betty walked into the
minister's study and said, "Master,
come and see for thyself."
So the minister called his good wife,
and the three took their station behind
closed blind. And there, sure enough,
was Master Jonathan astride the fence,
waving his hands in the air, in what
seemed to them some dreadful incanta-
ton, while on the ground four old hens
and one miserable rooster were bobbing
and squawking like things bewitched.
Now, unfortunately, the minister and
his good wife and old Betty could not
see the strings in Jonathan's hands,
and so Immediately believed him true
witch.
/" Deodat, it must be seen to-" said
Goodwife Parker.
Yes, | will 60 at once for a magis-
trate." And the old gentleman hurried
off with unseemly haste, and returned
in short time with two magistrates and
brother clergyman, all considerably
out of breath as they took their station
behind the blind to see the wonderful
manifestations.
And Jonathan was at it yet. Owing
to the chickens being so hard to catch,
he prolonged the fun when he did catch
them. As the solemn magistrates peeped
out, Jonathan gave jerk to his threads
that made the poor fowls fly toward
him, tiuttering and squawking like mad
and as he let the thread out again they
ran away with all their might, only to
be twitched back by their tormentor,
who laughed until he cried at their an
tics.
The two magistrates and brother
clergyman were old, as nearly all men
in Office were in those days, and their
eyes saw no strings either. So they had
I ~ AOllS lilhS anu uSNlhNh OOudNllll lldu
best be arrested and tried, lest he should
bewitch people next.
But on that day little Deliverance
Parker, the minister's granddaughter,
who lived out beyond the town, came to
make visit at her grandfather's, and
she was told by Dame Betty that she
must not play with Jonathan Winthrop
as she used to do, for he was witch,
and had bewitched their chickens. And
then Dame Betty showed her, as she
had many others, from behind the
blinds, Jonathan as he was plaguing the
poor fowls.
Now little Deliverance had sharp eyes,
saw the strings plainly, and took in the
trouble at once; but Betty was so set
and stupid she could not convince her,
and they would not let her tell Jonathan
of his danger.
Fortunately matters came to crisis