Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-09
SHE HAS FAITH IN WITCHES.
Mrs. Reiehsrd Tells Cours Committee 'iew
20 Break the speils.

Mrs. Reiehard Tells CoHrs Couimistee How
10 Break the sreils.
A Reading PAL special says: Mrs.
Raymond Reichard is the wife Of a we'll
known citizen Of Strausstown, near
which place five children were recently
reported to have been bcwitched. It's
an isolated locality in the Blue noun
tains, where the people are still welded
to the old superstitions, including
witchcraft, charms, and magic spells.
Several old women, who have reputa-
ton as wonder-workers, or Hexa lin
Germany, are still regularly consulted
by those who believe in their potent
charms. They put the greatest faith
in the acts and supernatural powers of
the alleged witches. The Richards
lived in pleasant home with sloping
lawn. A little girl ten years old is
their only child. Mrs. Reichard made
such serious charges against well-known
people in the neighborhood, accusing
them Of working magic spells, using
charms, curses, &C., that she was ar
rested, Squire Weible, of Strausstown,
issuing the warrant. The court ap-
pointed A. N. Helig, an attorney; DR..
Rudolph Schultz and Squire Weible
to investigate the case. They found
that she was sane, excepting on the
subject Of witchcraft. She accused
some of the best-known people Of try
ing to bring plague into the commu-
nifty, stirring up domestic strifes by
supernatural means, and killing off
their enemies by bewitching them.
Her house was curiosity shop Of
articles used to drive off witches.
Above every doorway in the house was
found charm which the woman had
purchased Of a witch doctor when her
husband was away from home. She
frequently allowed the family to suffer
for the necessaries Of life because she
spent all the money her husband gave
her with the witch doctors. These
doctors told her the charms had to be
replaced every month. The charms
were sewed up in small canvas bags and
were found to consist Of the figures
Of men and women cut ont Of witch
hazel. The woman visited their resi-
dences and obtained possession Of some
of their hair from that part Of their
head where phrenologists locate the
bump Of love. This hair she burned and
spread on buttered bread, and gave it
to the dog Of the family in which the
supposed witch lived. In other cases
she obtained possession of snakes.
burned them to ashes, and scattered it
over the doorsteps Of her victim. She
procured live toads, cut them into quar-
tiers and fried and ate them, at the same
time pronOuncing her curse on the witch.
She was also accustomed to apply to
the women whom she accused of being
witches for some of their milk when in
childbirth. This she fed to black
cat, thus destroying, as she believed,
the power of witchcraft. She was con-
tinually afraid that these witches would
work their charms or spells upon her.
and to keep them off she carried the
feathers of three doves, wrapped in the
first two chapters Of Genesis, next to
her heart.
These are but few Of her remedies
to keep off witches. She says that she
believes in them as firmly as she oe-
lieyes in her own existence. and that
the women who are witches manifest
themselves in all manner Of forms.
Frequently they press her so hard as to
almost take the breath out Of her, and
then they dance on her head. She says
that they have wings like dragons. To
the World correspondent she said
witches show themselves in all forms.
very frequently as cats.
II know that in one neighborhood
while man was working in his barn
yard black cat rubbed herself against
his leg. lie kicked at her, and when
she refused to 60 took his pitchfork and
ran it through her back. The cat went
away yelling with pain. Next day the
farmer heard that a woman in the
neighborhood who was knewn as a
witch was i'll. He went to her house
and found that she had been run
through the back by a sharp instru-
ment just where he stabbed the black
cat. That woman's power as a witch
was ever afterwards broken"
The report of the committee which
investigated the present case will be
presented to court next week. Mrs.
Reichard is forty years old and in
clined to stoutness. She comes from a
very good family. 1t is generally sup
posed that, led by her belief in witch
craft, she consulted the witch doctor,
and that the latter impressed these alb
surd beliefs upon her. This man has
reputation all over Eastern Penn
sylvania as an oracle on all
matters pertaining to witches, and
that he possesses the power to
break their spells. He makes the peo-
pie living in the backwoods of Lebanon,
Lancaster, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Chester,
and several other counties practice the
most absurd rites, besides filching much
hard-earned money. He claims to pos
sess the power to compel any person to
do anything another desires, and to re-
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