Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-06-11
A CONVICTED WITCH.
Mrs. Fletcher, inst From an English
Prison, Tells Her story.
Philadelphia Record.


More than 500 Spirituslists were gathered
in Academy Hall, on Spring Garden street,
above Eighth 10 hear the first public address
of Mira Susan Willis Fletcher, the Spiritual
ist who has recently served a term sf twelve
months imprisonment at hard labor IN
England, upon the charge Of obtaining
$4,000 by false pretenses from Mrs. Hart
Davies, OF London. a good deal Of time
was consumed by address by Mrs.
Fletcher's husband, and an Introductory
speech from sn old lady with a sepulchral
voice, after which Mrs Fletcher, who is a
handsome woman, advanced 10 the front OF
the platform. Everybody stood up and sp-
planded vociferously The famous Spiritual
ist is a little below the medium hight and OF
prepossessing appearance. Her face appears
60 be cast in a somewhat masculine mold,
owing TO the fact that her ceal-black hair
was cropped short in front. Her address
was brief and pungent, graceful IN style,
and delivered with ease and great effect.
Without entering into the details of her
trial, she gave a graphic picture of the court
scenes, and said that she assured an
acquittal if she would deny that she was
Spiritualist.
ain addressing the inry," said Mrs.
Fletcher, "the learned prosecuting attorney
said; i do not ask You 10 convict this
woman, but ! say 10 you that II You do you
will do Great Britain a lasting service. You
will destroy Spiritualism in this country"
After the lecture Mrs. Fletcher said that
the most curious thing about the trial was
the indictment. 81 enjoy the distinction"
she said, "oi being the only person in more
than a century who has been tried anywhere
in the civilized world for witchcralt Among
the counts in that very elaborate indictment
was one that / had obtained the property
from Mrs. Davies by the arts of witchcrafi,
by destinations and tricks supplied by the
Evil One, and as the jury brought in yer.
dict Of guilty | presume ! am proven by
English law 10 be a witch"
A listener, who was evidently Impressed
with the undoubted charm OF Mira Fletch-
er's conversational powers, remarked that
the charge OF fascination was not impTop-
erly applied, whefeat she laughed merrily.
She related briefly the story how Mrs. Davies
had sought her society in London, where che
had established a Spiritualist society, and
finally insisted that she should give her
home in her house for life, in return for
which she agreed TO and finally did Sign over
her property to Mrs. Fletcher. When ON tie
steamer bound Tor New York Mrs. Davies be-
came Infatuated with a male passenger and
wanted 10 marry him. lie would not consent
unless she recovered her property; hence the
proceedings which resulted in Mrs. Fleichers
return to England, her arrival, trial and con-
vietion. She wac sentenced 20 only one years
imprisonment with hard labor, although the
judge could have given her i've years Of
penal sergitude under the Law
"My hands, you see" said she, -"were not
tough enough to pick oakum, and conld
not break stone, 30 they set me TO work
keeping the chapel clean. sometimes
lived on bread and water and slept on the
soft side Of a board, but didn't die, and
here j am"
Mrs. Fletcher proposes TO remain in this
country for some time, and then return to
England TO lecture, "and tell the people
there" she added, show a woman can be
convicted in that enlightened country, in the
nineteenth century, OF being q witch" Her
fret lecture will be delivered in this city on
Tuesday evening. A portion Of the property
obtained from Mrs. Davies is still in litiga-
ton in the London courts.