The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-02-21
THE WITCH'S RING.

@-F- .-. ~, GRAVEYARD. -.
c. ~ A very curious, sleepylold Village is
Adlngtune. Half a century behind the
rest of the world, il still sits between
the green hills of-an Eastern State, with
its elbows on its knees and its chin
IN its hands, musing on by-gonc DAYS
when old King George held the
land nader his sway ana whom. rs ie
.E Old fork sagelv remark, things Nere NOT
rs they are now. There are n GREAT
many old people in Adlingume-ih fact
very lew die Young there. The atmos-
Fl phere Is SO dreamy and pestcaih that
excitement cannot exist, and the wear
ana tear of the busy world is unknown
or o. most only huns family oyery tho
MIS- like the buzzing Of fly on n srtr1fy
pane on summer day. And SO they
sun sit IN their Gimme -coruers from
= FNearto year and muse, ,vnd dose, and
dream, until they dream their liycs away
and takc-t their hutl sleep. Ii was to an
old crone Qf this description that WAS
indebted Tor my adventure. ~ 80
800 In The course OF my Idle rambfings
about the yillage- Il Aanoad- one tla,-te.
peer over a crumbling wall and discov-
ercds an. old, disuscd burial ground 4
The brown slabs were broken PROSTATE
and Scattered yglth only here and there
torloru unsteady stone standing wca-
rily and waiting for the time TO come
when It. too, might fall down and rest
with the sleepers beneath. Scramblinc
r over the low wall stopped about among
the grass, pushing away the tangled
masses OF vines and leaves from
the faces of slabs that mi rllt read the
20 - inscriptions there. But the suns
and storms of over one hundred wears
had oNiterated nearly all the letters,
so that only portions of names and
dates remained. Finally. down in a
deep corner of the inclosure, where the
weeds grew deuseSt and the shade was
darkest, / founI-a old stone which,
leaning forward, had protected its face
from the storms, and ON this stone 4
BARBARA Cornwall
BoRN 1910, DIED ls31. AGE, SIXTY YEARS.
Hartng been hW',lB erocuted FOR the practice
~ lCitcaordfL
My curiosity was at once aroused
inquired of several persons rs to the
history OF this woman, but without sue
cess for time. Finally however /
found an old woman, who told me the
history of Barbara Couwail, as IL had
been handed down by her ancestors:
living imam old stone house at the
edge of the village. she.waS rarely seen
-tOr no one ever crossed her TIRES hold
save when She was occasionally met bv.
a frightened party on children idIing
away "a summers afternoon holiday
in the woods, when She would scowl
and pass AWAY, STOPPING along over tile
fields, gathering herbs with which to
brew her mighty potioRs. No one
ever interfered with her, however, uu-
til a sad year came To AdEngtuue.
49, An epidemic broke ont and. ragged
t4 with a fury that nothing could with
Sa s3s F Sc @,5 s;sss s 9.:s ~
Passing along the road she was stoned
bv a party of hoys, "a whom she
turned, and, shaking her bcny hand,
sbrieked that the curse was upon tbeu.t
- r. d7Sgo of the lads sickened and diedin
few DAYS and though scores
we're carried away ia like manner
oeneciaI import was attached TO their
5eatb. Barbara began to. be watched:
IT,, looked through her--windows at.
,iJ1ioht and found her bending over
ntbi1q caldron, throwing in herbs
,,tterino cabalistic words, and stirring
the mixture with what an i6ey !, reported to
working her charms