The Dickinson press., 1883-10-20
YANKEE NOTIONS.
BELIEF In Witches, Ghosts, and Hob
gob,ins Current In New England.

Col. George G. FortesQue has just re-
turned from a trip to New England. He
was met by a Denver News reporter
and asked in relation to his impression
of the people of that out of the W ay
section. In reply to the questions of
the reporter, he said:
"The love of the curious and the mar
velous is not confined to any race or to
any age of the world. Though the &C.
tivities OF the present age do not give
people much time for superstition
where any opportunities for its cultiva-
ton is given. It is pretty sure to spring
up in some form or another. In no part
of the country would one look for SUI
perstition more readily than in New
England. The old houses to be found
in such pl,ces as Nantucket and Salem
seem as if ghosts have one day peopled
9hem. They haye passed through long
generations of men, and their timbers
still hold together. They have seen
births, bridals, and burials. In Nam
tucket there used to be old families of
rich shippers-many of whom found
watery graves in the great deep where
their activities lay. The whale fishery
went down on account of the discovery
of petroleum in Pennsylvania, Tut re-
minders of it still exist in the old houses
with a lookout built on every roof, in
wharves now used by excursion steam
ers, and the general aspect of a place
that is still fifty years behind the times
in many things. In Nantucket the
popular vehicle with the old settlers is
cfI1l a cn,oII orn-cook0l 10~k - I:, -
tip-cart, although not so heavy as the
vehicle of that name so much used on
New England farms. The best families
still go to ride and make calls in their
carts, which are apt to tip up when one
gets ou of them. In Nantucket there is
another peculiar feature. TIE announce
ment of meetings, concerts; entertain
ments, and public gatherings generally
is always made by a crier who rings a
bell when he wants to collect an audi
ence.
Salem and Nantucket look alike, but
Salem is in many respects the more an
tigue of the two. In the adjoining town
of Peabody there is still to lie seen Witch
hill, where SO many innocent people
suffered lr ON New England superstitions.
The houses are still standing where the
judges of that time lived, and on one of
the principal Salem streets is to be seen
q quaint old gabled house. where one of
the supp' sed witches is said to have
lived. The house is now inhabited by a
corn doctor, who is making a fortune
out of witch-hazel ointment. In anoth-
er part of the city the credulous stran-
ger is pointed to a house that is said to
be the original of H~awthorne's house of
seven gables. Hawthorne used to live
in Salem, and probably gained a good
inspiration Tor his tales and novels from
the old house and their strange history.
There are no witches in Salem, butthere
are to be seen there some of the hand
soonest and best preserved matrons and
some OF the prettiest young ladies to be
found in all New England. There is an
air of romance about the place yet, and
it is no wonder that those who have
quaint old streets, and have learned the
history of its earlier days should be SO
prolific in writing novels and ESSAYS.
and histories pertaining to the Salem
witchcratt.
"But 1t is not of Salem, but of Lynn, a
seaport city some ten miles away, known
all over the world for it's shoe manufac-
lures, that | remember the most tradi-
tions. In the days of the revolution,
and before it, that part of Massachusetts
was not so we'll known for its manufac.
turtles rs now. What is now lynn, Ma
hant, and SWampscott, was at that time
a quaint New England locality, quite as
noted for its superstitions as Salem it.
self. Having a pretty fair harbor, it
used to be a favorite resort for pirates,
p~rivateersmen and other notorious char
acters. People in these precarious cal
llngs are always prone to believe in
witchcraft and fortune-telling. and it is
no wonder that Mol Pitcher used to
gain SO much money from telling these
men OF their past and future. 1t is re-
lated of her that a ma at one time went
to her and asked her what his end
would be. He was a sea captain of rath-
er doubtful reputation and was popular
ly supposed to be a pirate.
The old woman was silent for a few
moments and sat smoking u long clay
pipe. Suddenly she stopped and let the
pipe fall to the floor. THAT said she
to the sea captain, will be your fate.'
1t Is said that some years afterward this
same captain fell from a high precipice
and was dashed to pieces. The moral Of
this story seems TO be that it is never a
good plan to fool around a fortune-teller
if she smokes a pipe.
Mol Pitcher certainly had an exis.
Jence, as ner descendants are o mum.
bered among the first families of Lynn
but perhaps another fortune-teller has
quite as much of a local celebrity as
Mother Pitcher has.
"This last-named person was named
Debby Saco. She vas an Indian by
birth, and claimed to belong to the now
evtinct tribe ofSaco Indians, from which
ono IF tho toyupo m Noino Horiuos SIC
name. Old Debby saco used to peddle
herbs on the streets, and in this way
gained a great deal of information as to
peoples doings and whereabouts, which
was a great help to her in her divina-
tions. She had a great faculty Of put
ting this and that together, and in this
way was able to tell people things about
themselves which quite astonished hem.
Had she lived in the present day she
would have been a valuable acquisition
q newspaper staff.
"The vicinity of Lynn is n of the
places which is popularity supposed to
oe the place where Capt. Kidd, of doubt
full memory, buried his treasures. Dun
geon rock was the place where a man
named Hiram Marble and his family
dwelt for vears and dug and drilled
patiently being led on, as they supposed
by the spirits. Unfortunately they
eve found anything, but they sue
ceeded in making a good deal of money
out of visitors.
Moll Pitchers (who by the way was
not the heroine of Monmouth) supposed
husband used to hear all the super
stitions ofthe time He used to dwell
with great gusto and not a little terror
on a story offs company of gambling