The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-01-29
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT.?
A WEIRD TALE OF MODERN WITCH.
CRAFT IN PENNSYLVANIA.
Believers in Ridiculous lamentations, Ger
emonies and Prescriptions to Ward
OFF the Powers OF Evil.

wherever | went about the village her
death seemed to be the leading topic.
| finally asked the landlord of the hotel
where | stopped who or what the old
woman had been.
go. she was hex the landlord re.
piled
Not having the least suspicion of
what in the world hex might be. |
pushed inquiry, aud learned that
great many people in that vicinity, and
in fact throughout that entire part OF
the state, were still firm believers in
witchcraft and in the power of certain
persons by ridiculous incantations.
ceremonies and prescriptions. known
under the generic name of 'pow-wow-
ing to drive the witches away from
persons, animals, wells, crops OF what
ever had fallen under the ban. These
witch doctors were usually women.
and were known in Pennsylvania
Dutch as heXes. They were held in
great respect, and the death Of one was
regarded as calamity BY the believers
in witches. The woman who had just
died had been particularly successful
hex, and her death was an event of no
little importance in the village.
Now, | don't believe in witches
myself, or in the power Of hex, said
the landlord, but ! would be obliged
to some one who could explain to me
an occurrence with which this woman
who has just died was concerned, and
which came under my observation.
II don't know how old the hex was
who died to-day. No one knows. But
twenty years ago she was an old
woman. She was the widow of a we'll
known Pennsylvania Dutch farmer,
Jacob Freitcher, who died 4 quarter of
century ago. Although she was left
wealthy, her daughter went out TO
service as is the custom with the girls
of Pennsylvania Dutch parentage, al
though they may be prospective heir
esses to thousands. This girl. then
about 20 years of age, worked at this
very hotel. Her name was Barbara,
and she is to-day the wife of one of the
richest farmers in the county. The
landlord ut that time was leading
man in this county, and usually Il
jovial sort of fellow. His name was
Joseph Boyer. For some reason he
never could explain he took an intense
dislike to the old heX's daughter. who
worked for him. | 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, and was
constantly, against his will, wishing
that he or some one else might make
her suffer. II was Il most singular
feeling. for the girl was honest and in
dustrious. aud, rs the landlord fire.
quently said, the best girl he ever had
in his house.
"'RCyer'S Unaccountable hatred OF
the heX'S daughter was not the only
strange fact connected with the two.
The girls fear of her employer
amounted to terror. She trembed
viSibly when he was in sight. and that
she suffered greatly could be seen by
the expression OF her face. At times
she fell into faimting fits after Boyer
had left her sight, out of which She
was revived with difficulty. Another
singular thing was that the GIRL quit
the landlords employ several times,
but all - IN absence CT a few days in
yariabiy came back and rc-entered his
service. She told his wife that she
had such pains while size was away
that she was forced to come back for
relief.
at seems that Barbara. who was a
sensible girl and not Inclined to the
superStitionS her mother WAS believed
TO hold the charms against, did not
make known to her mother the pecu-
liar sensations and Sutferings she expe-
rienced and endured until nearly Il
year after they first appeared. Then,
finding that She got no better. she con-
tided in her mother. who told her at
once that she was bawitchcd.
bat who would want to bewitch
me, mother? she asked.
Il don't know. replied her mother;
"but | will find out
The old hex took n piece of black
paper took down her witch book.
something every hex has. copied some
thing from it on the paper, and folded
the paper. She then gave her daugh-
ter Il hammer and Il sharp nail and
told her that at II O'Clock on the first
night of the first new moon she must
take the paper, the hammer and the
at the cross roads mile beyond the
village. She must place the paper
against the nee. and with one blow of
the hammer send the nail home
through the paper. That the hex
said. would not only destroy the
witch, but would discover the person
or thing that the witch had acted
through.
II remember it was night in early
fall that Boyer, three Others. and my
self sat down in the back room Wonder
TO play 4 few games of cuchre. just
before we sat down tie landlord
glanced ont of the window there:
"Hullo! 4 new mooa. and / saw it
over my left shoulder. | wou' have
any luck tonight
We played along until it got to he
almost midnight, and we dealt for the
last game. As the clock in the hall
struck twelve Boyer picked up his
cards. The next second he Sprang 10
his feet, with a lock of terror | Shall
never forget. Tie cried out. almost
shricked. the name @: he hcX's tlauwh-
ter. and fell back in his chair dead.
"'Of course, We were all paralvzed
with horror for moment. but. rrcov-
ering. we hustled about to do what we
could. We summoned Il doctor ut
once, but he WAS of no use. The land
lord was dead-tlcad. undoubtedly, of
heart disease, the doctor said
"A few minutes after II that ni~ht
the inmates OF u house half mile up
the road Wonder. toward the cross
roads, were aroused by some one
Knocking violently ut the door. The
person who was knocking proved TO
be Barbara, the hcx's daughter. She
was pale rs Il ghost. and as soon as she
could find Ter voice she startled the
family by exc.aiming:
~ have killed Mr.. Boverr
"Thjnkin- the girl was out of her
MUD the family tried TO sooth her, but
she declared that she had seen him
fai. dead rs She drove nail into pa
per at the ash tree To lax witch. ac-
cording In her mothers Instructions. nj
just II 0 o'clock that night She told
what Bower was doing when she saw
him drop dead i'm his chair Ha w,s