Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10
HoUNDED BY WITCHES.
Sixteen frightened People Found HUI
died observation-disclosures as a Charm


Sixteen frightened People Found Hud-
died TOgether-DOg- Tails as a Charm.
One of the most remarkable cases of
superstition unearthed in this country
since the days of the historical affair at
Salem, Mass, $50 years ago, says a Flint,
Mich, special to the Chicago Times, is
reported from Mount Morris township, in
the county of Genesee, Mich. Four and
half miles from the village of Mount
Morris and eleven miles north of Flint
there resided a family Of sixteen persons
in a small hut, not intended for the ac-
cOmmodatiOn Of over four with any degree
of comfort. A day or two since,
word was brought to Flint that the whole
family was bewitched, or at least labored
under an hallucinatiOn to that effect and
were conducting themselves in a most
singular and outrageous manner, much to
the annoyance and even alarm of the
neighbOrhOod.
In company with officers of the law
your correspondent visited the scene.
Shortly before the arrival of the COR
respondent at the place, DIR. Lyman Full
Ter, of Clio, who had attempted to gain an
entrance into the hut on professional
visit, had been stabbed in the right breast
with pocket knife in the hands of fe-
male member Of the bewitched family,
who resisted his intrusion. The wound
inflicted was not serious. After stabbing
the doctor, the woman, followed by two
other inmates of the shanty, ran to the
house of neighbOr, where, after flighten-
ing the occupants of the place out of
doors, they locked themselves inside. The
house was surrounded by officers, who in
the meantime had arrived, the rear door
was broken open, and
THE LUNATICs WERE ARRETEDs
and taken to Flint, where they were
placed in jail. The howell in which the
family have lived for some time past con-
tains but four small rooms. In these
there have been huddled together like
swine sixteen persOns-viz., Mrs. Sumner
and baby, Mrs. Whitney, probably 20
years of age, Mr.. and Mrs. Clark and
three children, Mrs. Livingston and three
children, Artle Whitney, Edward Whit
ney, Fora Whitney, and Sylvester Whit
ney, all the progeny of Mrs. Whitney with
the exception of Mr.. Clark and the child
rem. The scene of squalor and wretched-
ness which met the eye of the correspond
ent as he entered the hut battles descrIp-
ton. In small room on a tumbledoWn
bed lay Mrs. Sumner with a small infant
at her breast. This unfortunate woman
imagines that she is beWitched and the
victim of evil spirits. she was separated
t s"i Ne, he" h'ish.'' no. long since, because
she and her relatives thought ,i.... the
man, who is described as simple minded
and InotfensiYe, was trying to induce his
wife to join him in his spiritualistic belief
and become mediums She now imagines
that her husband has caused the witches
to select her as subject for their capri
ces, and the mental anguish she has suf-
fered is something terrible. She is a
yeritable living skeleton and is physically
as well as mentally a complete wreck.
Her belief in the visitatiOns of witches is
shared by all the members of the house.
hold old enough to think, and many and
novel are the practices resOrted by them
to dispel the intlunces of the evil spirits.
The ignorant people claim that the pres
ence of the witches is made known in the
night in various ways. Sometime it would
be by noises resembling the buZzing of a
swarm of bees; distinct cries of
''Murder!" would be heard: strange and
unaccountaDle sounds like the singing of
a hooking bird, the whinny of horse,
and the bleating of lamb were also men,
toned. But a still more remarkable
feature OF the alleged mysterious vista
tiOns was the presence at times of an
offensive smell which resembled
THE ODOR OF BURNING FLESH
and came pouring into the shanty through
the doors and windows. To dispel the
stencil, which threatened to suffocate the
whole family, two old muskets were pro-
cure and loaded with powder and pieces
of silver in the shape Of broken coin.
This charge they fired through the Win
dows from the inside, breaking every pane
of glass IN the frames. This strange eX-
pertinent for frightening the witches away
was kept up for several nights, until the
neighbOrhOOd finally became alarmed and
notified the authorities. On Wednesday,
July 80, Mrs. Whitney became impressed
with the idea that the witches had taken
up their abode in the animals about the
place, and in accordance with a tradition
airy custom she went into the field and
a portion of the tails of the
COWS and pigs to break the spell. The
family dog was not forgotten, a small
slice of its ear being cut off with a razor.
The furniture of the hut is most dilapi-
dated, and the appearance of things gen.
orally repulsive in the extreme. Filth
predOminated, and the stencil was simply
unbearable.
At the time of the correspondents visit
a small, rickety stove emitted a sickening
heat, which in great measure was the
cause of the abOminable smell. On in
Quiry as to the reason for keeping sucn a
blazing fire on a sultry day the cores
pOndent learned that the heat did it's
share toward preventing the presence of
the witches. Little children of all sorts
and sizes, clothed in garments of poverty
but apparently happy enough, infested
the shanty and gazed with curious inter-
est upon the unexpected visitors. Last
Thursday afternoon officers from Flint
again visited the place, and arrested the
inmates of the hut on a charge of disorder
ly conduct. The superstitious creatures
were brought to Flint and placed in du-
rance. The case against them will be
heard on Friday. The authorities are ats
loss to know what disposition to make Of
the misguided people now they have them
on their hands. While the untortunates
are beyond a doubt crazy on the subject
of witchcTaft, they are rational enough in
all other matters. They are visited daily
at the Jail by large numbers of curious
persons. with whom they converse with
great freedom.