The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-12-23
THE HEx's DAUGHTER.
IA Weird Tale of Modern Witch
craft in Pennsylvania.

fral Pennsylvania recently" said New
York travelling man, land stopped one
night in quietslittle old Pennsylvania
Dutch town. An old woman had died
ON the place that day, and wherever !
went about the village her death seemed
DO be the leading topic. finally asked
the landlord of tho hotel where |
stopped who or what tho old woman had
been.
"'Oh, sho was hex the landlord
replied
''Not having tho least suspicion of
what in the world u hex might be.
pushed inquiry and learned that u great
many people in that vicinity, and, i'll
fact, throughout that entire part of the
State, were still firm believers in witch
craft and in tho power OF certain per-
sons, by ridiculous nominations, cerc-
monies and prescriptions, knoNn under
the generic name OF pow wowiug, to
drive the witches away from persons,
animals, wells, crops or whatever had
fallon under the ban. These witch doc
tors were usually women and were
known in Pennsylvania Dutch as heXes.
They wero held in greatrespect and the
death OF ono was regarded as Il calamity
by the believers in witches. The
woman who had just died had beona
particularly Successful hex and her
death WAS an event of no little i'm
portancc in the village.
CHOW, | dom believe in witches NY
self, or in tho power OF hcX, said the
landlord, but would be obliged TO
some ono who would explain to me an
occurrence with which this woman. who
has just died was concerned, and which
came under my personal observation. 1t
was certainly the strangcst thing over
read or heard of, even in this locality,
where superstitious belief and crodJl
ity find nevcr-cnding weird and wonder
full things to tell.
81 don't know how old tho hex was
who died to-day. No one knows. Tut
twenty years ago She was ali old wo-
man. She was tho widow of we'll
known Pennsylvania Dutch farmer,
Jacob Freitcher, who died quarter OF IL
century ago. Although shc was left
wealthy, her daughter went out in SER
vice, as is the custom of Pennsylvania
Dutch parcntage, although they may be
prospective heircsscs to thousands. This
girl, then about 20 years of age,
worked at this very hotel. Her name
was Barbra, and sho is to-day the wife
OF one OF the richest farmers in the
county. The landlord at that time was
leading man in this county, and
usually iovial sort OF fellow. His
name was Joseph Boyer.
" For some reason he never could OK
plain he took an intense dislike to the
old bex's daughter, who worked for him.
l have often heard him say that when
he was near the girl, or she was in his
presence, he could scarcely restrain
himself from doing her personal injury,
yya
wishing that he, or some one else,
might make her suffer. 1t was n most
Z singular feeling. for tho girl was honest
and Industrious, and, as tho landlord
frequently said, the best girl he ever
had il his house.
"'Boyer's unaccountable hatred of tho
hex's daughter was not tho only strange
fact connected with the two. The girls
fear of her employer amounted to ter
ror. She trembled visibly when he was
in sight, and that She suffered greatly
could be seen by tho expression OF her
face. At times she fell into fainting
fits after Boyer had left her sight. out
of which she was revived with difficulty
Another singular thing was that the girl
quit tho landlords employ several
times, but after an absence Of few
days invariably came back and re-
entered his service. She told his vito
that she had such pains while she was
away that she was forced to como back
for relief.
"It seems that Barbara, who was IL
sensible girl and not inclined to the
superstitions her mother was believed
TO hold tho charms against, did not
make known to her mother the peculiar
sensations and suffering she experienced
and endured until nearly Il year after
firctu G,,J; 1. !
she got no better, sho confided in her
mother, who told her at once that she
was bewitched.
"'"But, who would want to bewitch
me, mother?" she asked.
''''I don't know" replied her mother:
isbut will find out"
% The old hex took q piece OF black
pap, took down her witch book, some
thing every hex has, copied something
from it on the paper, and folded tho
paper. She then gave her daughter a
hammer and sharp nail, and told her
that ~ O'Clock on the first night OF tho
first new moon she must take the paper,
the hammer, and tho nail with her to an
ash tree that stood at tho cross roads Il
mile beyond the village. She must
place the paper against tho tree, and
with one blow of tho hammer send the
nail home through the paper. That, the
hex said, would not only destroy the
witch, but would discover tho person or
thing that the witch had acted through.
"'I remember it was night in early
fall that Boyer, three others and my
self sat down in the back room yonder
to play few games of euehre. Just
before we sat down the landlord glanced
out OF tho window there:
"Hullo! a new moon, and saw it
over my left shoulder. won't have
any luck tonight"
q, 81