The Indianapolis journal., 1885-06-08
CHARMS AND MAGIC SPELLS.
Why Mrs, Reichard Was Arrested-A Witch
Doctor Who Does Thriving Business.

READING, Pa, June 6-Mrs Raymond Reich
ard is the wife of well known citizen of
Strausstown, near which place five children
were recently reported to have been bewitched.
1t is an isolated locality in the Blue mountains.
where the people are still welded to the old
supersttions, including witchcraft. charms and
magic spells. Several old women. who have a
reputation as wonder workers, or hexa fin
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, ETC., thai she
was arrested, Squire Weible, of Strausstown.
issuing the warrant. The court appointed A.
~ HelIg an attorney, DR.. Rudolph Schultze and
Squire Weible to investigate the case. They
found that she sane, excepting the sub
lect OF wltchcraft She accused some of the
best known people of trying to bring plague
into the community, stirring domestic strifeB
by supernatural means and killing off their enc
mics by bewitching them.
Her house was curiosity shop of articles used
the house was found charm which the woman
had purchased of a witch doctor when her hus-
band 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 out of witch
hazel. The woman visited their residences and
Nlosn h,su
that part of their head where phrenologists 10
cate 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 quarters 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 child
birth. This she fed to black cat. thus des-
troying. as she believed, the power of witch
craft She was continually afraid that these
witches would work their charms spells upon
her, and TO keep them off she carried the feath-
ers 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 she believes 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 drag.
ons. To the correspondent she said witches
show themselves in all FORMS very frequently
as cats
Il know that in one neighborhood while a
man was working in his barnyard a black cat
rubbed herself against his leg. He kicked at her
and when she refused to go took his pitchfork
and ran it through her back. The cat went
away, yelling with pain. Next day the farmer
heard that woman in the neighborhood who
was known as a witch was ill. He went to her
house and found that she had been run through
the back by sharp instrument just where he
stabbed the black cat. That womans power as
a witch was ever afterward broken"
The report of the committee which investi
gated the present case will be presented to
| court next week. Mrs Reichard is forty years
old and inclined to stoutness. She comes from
very good family. 1t is generally supposed
! that, led by her belief in witchcraft. she con-
suited the witch doctor, and that the latter inn
pressed these absurd beliefs upon her. This
man has a reputation all 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 people living
in the backwoods of Lebanon, Lancaster,
Schuyikill, Lehgh Chester and several other
counties practice the most absurd rites besides
filching much hard earned money He claims
to possess power to compel any person to do
anything another desires, and to remove any
obstacles or to bring about anything whatever,
no matter how unreasonable it may appear.