The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-03-28
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT.?
a WEIRD TALE or MODERN WITCH.
CRAFT m PENNSYLVANIA
Dslisvsrs u Ridiculous Iaeantstions, Ger
smeaiss ssd Prescriptions TO Ward
or the Powers OF Evil.

eylvauin Dutch town. An old woman
had died la the place that day aud
wherever l went about the village her
death seemed To be- the leading topic.
l finally asked the landlord OF the hotel
where stopped who or what the old
woman had been.
10. she was hex the landlord re-
piled.
Not having the least suspicion OF
what la the world "A hex might be.
pushed inquiry. and 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. croDs or 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. aud the death Of one was
regarded rs "A 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 Ia the village.
Now. | don't believe In witches
myself or in the power Of n hex. said
the landlord. but would be Obliged
10 some one who could explain To me
M occurrence with which this woman
who has Just died WAS concerned. aud
which came under my observation.
III don't know how old the hex was
.al "A I.se
twenty years ago she was an old
woman. She was the widow OF we'll
known Pennsylvania Dutch farmer.
Jacob Freit her. who died n quarter Of
y century ago. Although she was left
wealthy. daughter went out TO
service. as IS the custom with the girls
Of Pennsylvania Dutch parentage. al-
though they may he prospective heir
esses to thousands. This girl. then
about 20 years OF age worked ut this
very hotel. Her name was Barbara,
aud she Is to-day the wife of one OF the
richest farmers In the county. The
landlord at that time was a leading
man In this county. and usually
joyial sort OF fellow. His name was
Joseph Boyer. For some reason lac
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 ia his presence. hes
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 n most singular
feeling. for the girl was honest aud in-
dustrious. aud. ms the landlord fire.
quently said. the best girl he ever had
Ian his house.
"Boycr's unaccountabe hatred OF
the hexs daughter was not the only
strange fact connected with the two.
The girls fear OF her employer
amounted To terror. She trembled
visibly when he was in sight aud that
She suffered greatly could be seen by
the expression of her face. At times
she fell into fainting tits 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 after an absence OF few days in
variably came back and re-entered his
service. She told his wife that she
that she was forced TO come back for
relief.
LIT seems that Barbara. who was n
sensible girl aud not inclined 10 the
superstitions her mother was believed
TO hold the charms against. did not
make known 10 her mother the pecu-
liar sensations and sutferings she expe-
ricnced and endured until nearly
year after they first appeared. Then.
finding that she got no better. she con
fided In her mother. who told her at
once that she was bewitched.
'"But who would want TO bewitch
me. motherP' she asked.
~ don't know. replied her mother;
''but will find out"
1.-THE old hex took piece of black
paper. took down her witch book,
something every hex has. copied some
thing from IL on the paper. aud folded
the paper. She then gave her dnugh-
ter hammer and a sharp nail aud
told her that at ~ o'clock on the first
night OF the first new moon she must
take the paper. the hammer aud the
nail with her 10 an ash tree that stood
nj he crossroads mile beyond the
village. She must place the paper
against the tree. 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.
~ remember II was night In early
fall that Boyer. three others. and my
self sat down In tho back room yonder
10 play few games of cucbrc. just
before we sat down the landlord
glanced out Of the window there's
'"Hullol n new moon. and 1 saw Ii
ever my left shoulder. ! won't have
ANY luck tonight"