The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-09
a FAMOUS WITCH WOMAN.
How Barbara Fisher Used Her Alleged
Supernatural Powers.


From the NeD York Times.
HARRISBURG, Nov. 4.-The death is re-
ported of Barbara Fisher, the famous
switch woman" of northern Lancaster
county, in whose supernatural powers young
and old members of certain class OF resi-
dents in that section had the greatest faith.
She was nearly 90 years old and had lived
alone in rude hut in the mountains a few
miles from Rainholdsville for more than
sixty years. The belief in witches and the
power of certain persons to drive them
away still prevails to Ia surprising
degree among the simple Dutch
farmers of not only Lancaster
but neighboring counties, and Mother
Fisher was one of the most confidently con-
suited of many witch women" one at
least of whom is to be found in every farm
ing community. The writer saw Mother
Fisher two years ago in her hut. She was
then active and apparently physically
strong, but mucn bent and wrinklcd. Her
hair was as white as snow, and long white
hairs grew from her chin in such profusion
as to almost give them the dignity of
beard. Her eyes were as bright and sharp
as hawks, and altogether she was
most striking person to look at-a
typical witch herself, and, in fact, she pos
ssssed the power, according to the belief of
the people of her community, of bewi ching
her neighbors, their cattle, their wells, or
what she chose, a qualification that made
her an object of great fear to them as well
as Of veneration. 1t was during the writer's
visit to that peculiar community that he
had an extraordinary illustration of the
credulity and superstition of its people A
well-to-do farmer had brought suit before
justice of the peace TO recover damages for
the loss of a dog, which he gravely charged
her with having killel by bewitching it. The
justice, instead of refusing to consider such
Charge, put the case to trial, and on the
evidence presented gave Judgment against
Mother Fisher. The woman had the reputa-
ton of being vindictive witch, and she
lived alone in a small cabin, her family and
neighbours stunning her. The charge made
against her by the farmer was that she had
bewitched his dog and refused to drive the
witch away until he paid her a certain sum
of money He refused, and upon his re-
fusal the dog began running wildly about
in circle, suffering great agony, until it
at last fell down from exhaustion and
died. A large number of witnesses
were examined in the case, and all
gave testimony as to having been
sufferers from the defendants powers of
witchcraft. One witness swore that he had
been solicited by the defendant not to APP
pear in the case on behalf of the plaintiff,
a d that he had refused to comply with her
request. A few days afterward his well
became dry and his cows gave bloody milk
His baby, which at the time he refused the
defendants request was fat and healthy,
had refused to be sucked, and had grown
so puny that its death was hourly expected.
To cap the climax of this remarkable trial,
the defendant, after heari1g the evidence,
confessed herself guilty of the charge. The
justice gave the farmer Judgment for SO
and the costs Of the suit.
Mother Fisher had curiosity in strange
volume, printed in the German language,
and over 800 years old. 1t was called Tine
Wonder Book" and it was brought from
Germany by female ancestor who came to
Lancaster county with the Dunkers in 17l9.
That ancestor was also a noted witch
woman and there had been one in the
family ever since until tue death of Barbara
Fisher, who was the last of her line. she
having never married. 1.-THE Wonder
Book was ponderous volume bound in
boards and its heavy covers secured by
brass clasps. No other hand but he was
ever permitted to touch the precious book,
and from it she drew her inspiration
for wonder working" This shrewd
and cunning beldame could never be in
duced by any offer to try her powers on a
stranger or on any one who lived outside of
the nelghborhood in which she lived every
resident of which she kaew. Her neighbors
miles around. To her husbands took their
wives, parents their chillren, lovers their
sweethearts or themselves for treatment for
all ills, for the removal of evil spells aud for
charms they believed to DO potent in love
ana business, or in the satisfying of ven
geance. If child were defoimsd, de-
mented, tongue-tied, blind, ''Iiver-grown,"
or unnaturaly afflicted in any way, a
visit to Dame Fisher was never
delayed. For child to be "iiver-grown"
is an ailment that seems to be peculiar to
the disease vocabulary of these witch
women" What it Is does not seem to be
exactly known to anybody, bit if child is
i'll and the parents consult wonder
worker and she tells them it is hver-grown
they consider that misfortune has fallen
heavily on them, and the sympathy of their
friends and neighbors goes out to them
indeed. A liver-grown child means that
some witch isvisiting them with their worst
spells, and the greatest powers OF the wonder
workers must be Invoked TO break these
spells and render them powerless for the
future.
Only short time ago, in the busy
burough of Columbia, the second largest
town in Lancaster county, the wife Of a
well-known and prosperous business man
consulted a witch woman OF that place, her
baby being ill., The witch woman went
through certain "pow-wow' ceremonies,
and then informed the mother that the
child was liver-grown, The grief Of the
mother was great, and increased as the
charm of the witch woman failed in eff
cacy, and the child still remained under the
spell. Brooding over her affection, the
poor woman lost her reason. She became
SO violent that she was placed in the state
insane asylum in Harrisburg. She died
there week later, raving over the allie
ton that had befallen her babe.
1t was not the application of humanity
alone that Dame Fisher was called upon to
minister to by her neighbors. II farmer
had preaching cow, il sheep had the
murray, if crops looked bad, old Barbara's
aid was sought at once. A horse was never
stolen In the neighborhood, while Dame
Fisher lived there. which she was not
asked to recover, and the catching of the
thief was also desired. That was a serious
undertaking for her, but shenever hesitated
a moment'to both catch the thief and re-
cover the horse, provided the owner of the
stolen horse would first give her three hairs
from its tail. These hairs, she insisted, must
have been picked up in the stall the horse had
occupied, and dropped there by the horse
itself, and not hairs that might have been
kept on hand in case of an emergency. As
stolen horses are not in the habit of care
fully dropping three hairs out of their tails
in their stalls as precaution against
possible visits of thieves, the finding Of the
desired number was not always an easy
thing to do. But IL the hairs were obtained
Dame Fisher would proceed at once to get
back the stolen property and bring the thief