Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-02-24

In the county was brought before the church
on the charge Of "lying, associating with and
following after a woman as witch, after
coniurors, necromancers and evil disposed
persons" Several witnesses were examined.
The substance of the testimony is as follows ::
The accused stated that the woman got lost
in his part of the county, and stopped at a
neighbor's house. Hearing she Was doc
tress he consulted her. Que day she came
to his house, and, seeing grapes growing in
the yard, she asked for some, was told they
were not ripe, to wait few days and she
could have as many as she wanted. The
next morning the vine Was withered, as if q
rain of boiling water had fallen on it in
three or four days the leaves were 50 dried
they would crumble to powder when rubbed
in the hand.
Some time after, seeing peaches on tree
in the same yard, she asked for some, and
was again told to wait few days until they
ripened. The next morning the tree was
dead not leaf or peach on it, and not one
on the ground. The milk and clabber were
as bitter as quinine.
One morning, going to the cowpen, with
his wife to milk, the cows took a stampede,
and he had to take rail to keep them from
running out at the gap. Looking towards
his house he saw the woman standing in his
door gazing towards the pen. Telling her
what had occurred, she said, "Never mind, it
will be all right soon." After that the cows
became quiet and gentle, and the milk sweet
A neighbor gave him very handsome
chicken cock. The witch came to his house
and asked to see him. He called up his
chickens, and as she fastened her eyes on
the cock he spread his wings, squalled, flew
over the fence and ran into the branch. He
said, There, now, have lost my chicken. u
She replied, "Oh no, you have not" In q
few moments the cock came back, crowed
and strutted through the yard as proudly as
ever.
Once she asked him to take her daughter
to church, to a quarterly meeting; he prom
ised to do so if he could borrow buggy. Al
the appointed day neighbor hired him tc
bring his daughter home ; he had to pass the
house where the woman was staying; she
called out to him: "You think yourself toe
good to ride with my daughter!" TO which
he replied: "No, ma am; l would be pleased
to ride with such 6nelooking young lady
but my neighbor has hired me to bring hi!
daughter home, and can't 60 to church to
day" Before he got to the bridge, not very
far of, his mare fell down and broke one o
the shafts. When he got home, and, aftel
that, put on the bride, she would not move
a step, but as soon as he took it off she step
ped around as briskly as ever. The mare
too, was always hungry; he gave her hall
bushel of corn at a feed and plenty of fodder
but she was still hungry, eat it up ant
whinnied for more, and iu in few days sh'
died.
The witch gave the man mixture lik'
brandy, which tasted like thorowort it made
him vonlit, and in the basin, on top of wha
he had vomited, lay human form about ter
inches long and for ten days after he felt a
if he had hole bored through him with {
two.ncb auger. She would touch his person
with the mixture, red spot would come ant
any quantity of bugs be ished out about al
inch long. At one time fiddler or sand
crab was taken out, and what was stranger
no mark or scar was left on the skin. An
other witness testified as to the bugs and th'
sandcrab The jury of the church found th
man guilty of all the charges, except lying
and suspended him from the church for sil
months The curious feature in the case i
that the man appears to be strong, intelligen
and healthy.