San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-03-07
TWO WEIRD STORIES.
PEOPLE IN PENNSYLVANIA SAID TO
BELIEVE IN WITCHES.

A Child Under the SpelI-Killing a Bad
Man at Long Range.
The belief of past ages in witchcraft is still
entertained by many people in this (Berks,
county Hearing of several men in the city
who were said to be able to give well
authenticated cases of witchcraft, or hex
ing" as it is called here, your correspondent
visited one of them and was told the follow
ing story:
Several years ago family with whom
was well acquainted lived on Cedar street.
this city, and directly opposite them on the
same street lived woman who was known
to be hex tthe Dutch for witch. There
was child born in the family OF my friend
1t was beautiful child, had the sweetest dis
position of any youngster | ever knew, and
never cried or gave its mother any trouble at
all When the child was about three months
old this old hex came into my friends house,
and, taking it out of the cradle, Rugged and
kissed it, at the same time mutterlng In the
language in which the Bible was first written
When she left it was at once noticed that the
child was as completely spotted as leopard,
and it cried continually, as though suffering
great pain. 1t would cry at night as long as
the hex across the street remained at the
window, but as soon as the witch would re
tire its cries would cease and it would get
some rest. This state of affairs kept up
for some time. The regular doctors could do
nothing for the child; everybody knew the
poor little thing was 'behexed' (bewitched),
and the mother, worried nearly to death
through anxiety and loss of sleep while at
tending the little sufferer, would not be sat
isfied until they sent for a witch doctor tthe
identical doctor still lives in this city.
EASY ENOUGH WHEN YOU KNOW HOW.
HE came in answer to their call. but pre-
viouS to his arrival had sent them note
warning them not to speak word to him
He wrote several words in the Ethiopian
language on piece of paper, placed it in
certain place in the Bible and after putting
the book under the child's pillow, informed
the mother that if they would refuse the hex
across the way everything she asked for her
baby would get well. The same day the old
hex sent over for some trifles-I think it was
for smoothing iron or pinch of tea-but
the mother refused to let her have them, and
from that moment the child commenced to
get better.
had been there big black cat came to the
bedroom window and scratched to get in.
The child's father, knowing that the old hex
had sent the cat, picked up his boot, and
hurling it through the window, sash and ALL
struck the thing and knocked it to the ground.
The fact is, when the boot struck the cat it
struck the witch herself, for she had turned
herself into a cat in order to get into the
room at that child. The next morning the
hex came limping around and said she had
fallen down stairs during the night but she
never bothered my friends child any more,
and everybody knew well enough that the
words the doctor had put in the Bible We're
too strong for the devil in the hex This,
my dear sir, is fact, and the child who was
bewitched is now q man and has children Of
uis own, and works on the Philadelphia and
Reading railroad"
Your correspondent felt very preceptible
chill course its way up along his backbone af-
ter listening to this recital, and the old gentle
man noticing that something was wrong con-
tinued:
You probably don't believe in witches,
but | know there are witches in this city to-
day who can do just as they please with you
or ne. Why, they sign a contract with tho
devil with u pen dipped in their own blood
and he gives them the power knew q man
living i'll the neighboThood of BoyertOwn. il
IhIs county, who I~as Uewitcned by nan
living on Tenth street, in this city, ten miles
away from him. What do you think of that!
The witch would come to his house in the
dead hour of the night, sometimes on a horse
and at Other times in big stone wagon, ard
no one could see him but the man he was tor
turing. Tho mans daughter could SEQ the
window fly up when the witch came into the
room, AID could sec and hear the window
fall when he went out, but could not see tho
witch himself He would sit on the poor
mans breast and hammer and pinch him
dreadfully, and would keep it up nearly every
night until he had him 50 sore that he could
scarcely move around at all
MAILING TIE WITCH
"IIe came to Reading one day and consult
ed the witch DOCTOR who wrote some words
on slip Of paper, folded it up, and, giving
the man horse shoe nail, told him to 90 to a
certain tree early in the morning, before sun
rise, stick this nail through the paper and
drive it into the side of the tree next to the
sun, just far enough to hold the paper to the
tree This, he said, would hurt the witch
and probably keep him away. If the witch
would not stay away he was to hit the nail
another tap the next morning, but was
warned not to drive the nail clear through
the paper or he would kill the man who vas
the witch. The witch continued to trouble
the uan, however, and when he went out to
tan the nail tho third TnOrDiDo he on