San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-06-14

mel you fall from fearful height to the
ground-but are luckily never killed by
the fall There are several courageous
people in the territory who have made
journeys thus upon the backs of witches.
At least they are ready to swear so. and
they find 10000 believers to one skeptic-
One striking popularity about New Mex
leo witches is that any one named Juan
OF Juana John or Jane) can catch them,
and that no one else can except priest
with holy water To catch witch, Juan
draws q nine foot circle on the ground.
turns his shirt inside out and cries:
"Veuga, brutal" come, WITCH, where
upon the witch has to fall inside the cir
Gle and Juan has her completely in his
power. This ability to catch witches.
however, Is seldom exercised, for let Juan
once catch a witch and all the other
witches in the country join hands and
whip him to death.
And now, having briefly outlined the
nature of witches here. let me give you
some veracious anecdotes Of their exploits
-rehgiously believed throughout this
section. Lorenza Labadie. q man OF
prominence in New Mexico. once unknown
ingly hired witch as nurse for his baby.
He lived in Las Vegas. Some months
afterward there was ball at Puerta de
Luna, couple Of hundred miles south.
and friends of the family were astonished
to see the nurse and baby there. Where
is Senior Labadie and his familyf" they
asked The nurse replied that they were
at house few miles distant. but too
tired to come to the ball The friends
went there next day and found the Laba-
dies had not been there. Suspecting the
nurse to be witch. they wrote to Don
Lorenzo, who only knew that the nurse
and baby were in his house when he went
to bed, and there also when he woke up.
It being plain, therefore. to the most
casual observer that the woman was
witch. he promptly discharged her.
PECULIAR EXPERIENCES.
A pretty girl at San Rafael. just mar
ried, had q quarrel with one Of the witches
there. That night strange cat came
into the room. Feeling sure it was a
witch, she locked the door and window.
and her husband came with his six
shooter, but the cat melted into thin air
before he could shoot. A little later an
owl suddenly appeared, few against Mar
garitas cheek and cut It, and then dis
appeared as mysteriously as the cat had
done. A horrible sore formed on the
cheek. and could not be cured till Marga-
rita appeased the witch with presents.
Jose Patricio Marine. one of the most
respected men in San Mateo, had a most
unfortunate experience not long ago.
| There was then in town a witch named
Marcellna, thin, withered woman of per-
haps so years. Marine had the bad luck
to offend her. and she retaliated by turn
| ing him into a womanl He was in this
predicament for several months. as he is
keen to swear, and recovered only by
| bribing the witch to restore him to mas
culinity. MarceHina found witchcraft an
unhealthy profession. for last year two
! men whom she had bewitched caught her
and beat her to death with clubs. right
here in this pretty little village of San
Mateot Anything done to themr Wei.
| harayl-San Mateo IN. NJ Cor. GLOBE
| Democrat.
a FARMER near Cneoanse, Ills, having
an OK that did not obey orders. concluded
that the animal was deaf and bought an
ear trumpet. which worked with great
success. The animal had lost its appetite,
but with its return of hearing ate heartily.
The ear trumpet is fastened In place by
wires around one of the horns. The story
: is from q western paper. and no chrome
| goes with it