The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-22
New York Timcs.I


The witches may or may not all have been
burned In New England century or TWO
ago, but there are persons on stattai is,snd
who are positive that one witch IS SUI, ahve,
ana fiat che has made them the victims OF
Hnr darn mowers. However this may be.
me idea OF advertising In a New York daily
newspaper for person that can cure witch
craft II certainly u unique one; and when
the following advertisement appeared IN o
morning newspaper yesterday, a repor'e,
Was Immediately dispatched TO staten fslabo
70 learn something about the witch:
popr RICHMOND. e i.-If there IL any person
n New Ysrx that can cure wichcrste nan OF mo-
man, white or black We, ,nesn o,rm.pm NY por,
can. and no cure no pay ni~nN"" "' w.
Richmond. 3.
II WAS hard work TO Ind Mr.. May In Port
picbuoond. but at length IL was learned that
- lived in one OF the side streets lthe Port
Richmond streets are nearly all side streetsl,
that be was an old man, that be had been a
carpenter, and that he and his wife lived
alone together. The house pointed out was
4 neat little story.and.a-half cottage. paint
ed white, with an old.fasbioned well.curb
IN the front yard and piazza across the
front. A brisk knock at The door brought
out little old woman, wrinkled ana gray,
but withal plump, and bearing on ber
face the kindly look OF rural
lrishwoman. She wore the same clo'D
hood, In the shape OF sun'oonnet'
and fbe same short skirts. that such women
always wear. She said that Mr.. May lvtd
there, that be was ut home, and that beeould
be seen. And SO saying she ushered 1er
visitor into room opening off the little
hail. evidently The living-room OF the family
II is very small room. but large enough
fnn In firm m
scapt. was comfortable, and there was the
air OF comfort about the place that is always
10 be found in the home OF an old Irish fam
ily. There was table between the two
windows, and a rocking chair, and small
stool, and hjtle cooking-stove with red
hot lids, and tea-kettle on 1t
HUMMING THE SANE Old TUNE
that tea.kettles hum to BARNS and graDnies
year in and year out and never grow tired.
An old-fasbioned tin caDdlestick on the
table held an inch or two OF iallow candle.
and two thick green paper shades shut out
the world. In an armchair by the stove, so
close 10 the fire that il was a miracle he did
not scorch, sat token old man, leaning
far over the stove, rubbing bis hands to-
petber as II they were cold. This was Mr..
Richard MAY, the advertiser, who was In
search of some one TO cure him OF witch
craft.
EYES," said he. in answer to question,
81 bad the advertisement put in; at least,
my wife did. She has TO attend 10 every-
thing now. Can you drive out witchesI"
The reporter was inclined to think that
he might drive one out, il 1t was small
witch and he had q big club; but he re-
piled, with some caution, that he proposed
10 publish an account Of this wiichcraft in
the Times. and that such publicity would
certainly have good effect upon the witch,
and perhaps drive 1t out altogether.
eyes," said the old man, "yes. don't
know but 1t might. I'm sure l wish it
would. It's very hard to be bewtched this
way, and kept away from work and left to
starve. But ] can't talk much; the witch
won't let me talk much. My wife can talk."
On the subject OF bis wife's ability to talk
the old mans intellect was still sound. She
Strengthened up some little things about the
room. went into an adjoining closet and
brought out a flesh candle, drew a small
and low four-egged stool, OF home manu-
facture, up by the side of the stove, and sat
down. 1t would have been evident to the
least experienced observer that she had a
story to tell, and that she was about 10
tell II.
"He hasn't done stroke OF work." said
she, "for four years.
THERE HE SITS ALL DAY,
lust as you see him now, And me, too,
I'm all wrong. ] am bewitched, too, but
not rs bad as him. PlltelI you all about il,
and you can write 1t down. so as not to for
get II. Think you can remember itg Wei, /,
some people have great heads. u we were
only wise enough we could get over this,
and there are plenty of people could cure
ris--peope with great learning-if we could
only lind them. 1t was all along of that
woman. She did IT ALL"
- What woman"
"The woman that lived in this house
with us. There was only US two, and there
are nine rooms In the house, so we had
plenty OF room and to spare, and we rented
her two rooms. That was eight years ago.
She had big room upstairs and little
room for a kitchen, and then she had the
back cellar, for we didn't use it, and no.
body else went into it. She had husband
then, and be made plenty Of money. He
was wheelwright and got So day. She
was all right then and just like any other
woman. But by and by her husband got
took Just like my old man has. She be-
witched him. They were Scotch folks, and
she sent him back 10 England and got rid
of him. Then she began. The first | no.
ticed wrong about her she began to have
the black eye. Did you ever see witch?"
The reporters experience had been con-
fined principally 10 witches OF the ham.sand
kind, but he replied that he bad frequently
seen persons who locked as il they might
be possessed, and this was strictly true.
Well" the old woman continued, "you
knew they always have
BLACK EYE.
No matter what color their eye is before.
when they get to be witches one eye gets
black. Well, my old mans eye began to
turn Dack-tbe same eve. Then his hands |
began to draw up. and he couldn't do any
work. l knew IL in minute what was |
the matter with him, so l began to |
watch this woman. Her room was right |
over ours, and we heard great rsckets |
UP there every night as IL somebody was |
chasing her about the room. So one morn |
ing early / went up there and looked
through hole 10 the door. We never
could get into her room, for she kept the |
door locked. What did see? There was
3 great big white towel stretched over the
rocking-cbair; you'd have thought there
was corpse there. And on the towel was
laid an oval bit OF wood. That was her
circle; witches always work with circles,
you know. And by the side OF that was
= long. slim stick OF wood. That was too
much for me. I always knew there was
witches, but I never thought one
Of them would live in my house. So
went to her and told her what she'd done
10 my husband, and told her she must leave.
She said to me, says she, Mrs. May, didn't
do It, You did, says 1. Mrs. May