Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-11-03

she lived. every resident OF which she
knew. Her uelgtboIs went 70 her for con-
snI,aIton and advice for miles around. To
her husbands took their wives. parents
their children, lovers their sweethcarts or
themselves for treatment for all ills, for inc
removal OF evil spells, aud for charms
they believed to be potent in love and bust
ness, or In The satisfying OF vengeance.
child were deformed, demenied. tongue
tied, blind, "liyer-grosD," or unnaturany
afflicted In anyway, VISIT TO Dame tisner
was never delayed. For child to be =" h'er-
grown" f. an allment that seems 10 be pecu'
liar 10 the disease vocabulary OF these " "i1cn
wOmsn." What Il IL does not seem to be ex.
acily knewn 10 anybody, but II child II iii
and the parents consult "wonder. y orker
and she tells them II Il ilyer-grown they
consider that misfortune has fallen heavily
on them, and the sympathy Of their FRIENDS
aud neighbors goes out 10 them Indeed. A
liyer.grown child means that some witch Is
visiting them with her worst spells and The
greatest powers OF the wOnder-workers must
lie invoked 10 break these spells and render
them pOwerless for the future.
Only short time ago. in the busy borough
of Columbia, the second largest town 10
Lancaster county, the wife OF 4 weil-kno Sn
and prosperous business-man consulted
witch. woman OF thu place, Der baby being
m. The witch-woTnsn went through certain
"pOw.w0w " ceremonies, and then Informed
the mother that the child was liver-grown.
The grief Of the mother was great, and in-
creased as the charm OF the witeh>WoInani
failed IN efficacy, and the child still remained
under the spell. Bfo0ding over her aili'ctloh'
the poor woman lost. her reason. enc De'
came 80 violent that she was placed IN the
I Yah
died there a week later, raying over the ai-
Fiction that had beiallen her babe.
II was not the application Of humanity
alone that Dame Fisher was called upon 10
minister TO by her neIghbors. III 2
farmer had preaching COW, II sheep bad
the inurrain, II crops looked bad, old Bar
bara's aid was sought at once. A horse was
never stolen in the neighborhood wolle
Dame Fisher lived there which she was
not asked 10 recover, and the catching OF
the thief was also desired. That was
serious undertaking for ner, Du'
she never hesltated moment 10
both catch tho thief and recover
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 no in the stall TIE
horse had occunied, aud dropped there by
the horse Itself, and not hairs that might
have been kept on hand in case OF an emer-
gencv As stolen horses are not IN the hablt
o. carefully dropping three hairs ont OF their
tal- I'm their stalls a. precaution agaln't
uossible visits Of thieves, the finding OF the
desired number was not always an easy
thing 70 do. But n the hsirs we're obtained
Dame Fisher would proceed ut once
10 yet b1ck the stolen properly and bring
- L. no "a : they
would be Oi equal length, and then tied them
together In the middle. Atsunsct the owner
q the stolen horse must take the hairs 10 MS
| barn ward, place them on a shovel, and light
them NJ both ends. Whichever way the two
ends Of the hairs turned as they burned In
| Dictated The direction the thief had gone.
| The short ends Of the burned hairs were
then 10 be buried in the barn-yard. THIS
ceremony placed q spell on the thlei that
prevented him from getting beyond q
| certain limit, and finally forced him
| TO turn aud drive or ride back IN the
! direction he had gone until he came to the
very farm where he had stolen the hor-e.
| In spite ~ the fact that no hOrse-thiet ever
came back with any Of bis plumber alter
fhus placing him under spell, except ne
vas accompanied by constable, Barbara
Fisher always got the credit OF fetching him
back. II the thief or horse never appeared
Dame Fisher simply told the person she was
using her power for that be lacked faith IN
her or bad deceived her with the hairs
either OF which was sufficient TO destroy her
power.
Dame Fisher did not scruple to use her
wonder. working powers for evil as vel rs
good. She would for the proper Zee give
IN applicant a charm TO ward of lightning
from his buildings, or one that would MAKE
bis encmy's COWS give bloody milk. She
would bring lovers together and marry them
happily or separate man and wife. instaS her
customer desired. She would undertake to
restore q person to health or TO PROSTATE a
whole family with Illness with equal
readiness. Whether II was 10 scatter
blessings or call down evils she did not
hesitate 10 act according to the wishes OF her
patrons and the size OF the fee, and ~ strange
! rs II may seem, she succeeded in maintaining
such implicit confidence in her powers IN .
community where she bad lived and ope-
rated for more than sixty years that Mt hei
death her reputation a wonder-workeI
was as great and unquestioned as 1t ever had
I