The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-06
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occupied by Jonathan Gown, one Of the
Judges in the witchcraft trials, and some of
tho examinations OF accused persons were
held In its rooms. There Is now. drug
store in one corner Of the house, and as
Mrs. Upham neatly says in her book,
Nothing more impish goes from there
now than the witch hazel, which the apoth-
ecary will sell you from one part of the
ancient building" The only witchery I
couldssee about the premises was That of
tho eyes of IN uncommonly pretty Puritan
maid who sold me soda water and cigars.
In ten minutes my cabman had me mt
Gnllows hill. 1t is not much more than a
knoll. rough, washed by the rains and used
as grazing ground by village cows limo
cent enough 1t looks, but no once cares to
bullu house upon or very near It, and at
night, SO my driver said, the boys keep
away from the spot as II 1t were tenanted
by ghosts. don't blame them much, for
If there is n bit OF ground in the United
States which has black and bloody record
this Is It.
Hither came the high sheriff, June 10.
1862, with Bridget Bishop, whom he hung
TIL sho was dead land buried" hither he
came again, July 10, with Sarah Good
Sarah Wildes, Elizabeth How, Rebecca
Nurse and Susanna Martin, and hung
them too.
A month later he came the third time
and put to death George Burroughs, John
Proctor, George Jacobs John Willard and
Martha Cnssier. Sept. % he appeared for
tho last time. placing the rope around the
necks OF Martha Corey, Mary Easily, Alice
Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott,
William Reed, Samuel Wardwell and
Mary Parker. 1t WIS after this wholesale
execution that Rev. Noycs pointed to the
bodies OF the eight women and exclaimed
with much emotion, What II sad sight it
is to see eight fircbraDds of hell hanging
thcre!"
Az thought of these awful tragedies
and was depressed thereby the driver con-
sldcrately took me to see the house Haw-
thorne was born ina plain rather cheap
dwelling which bears it's fresh coat OF
paint and it's honors without ostentation.
1t Is shrine ut which many worship, and
then they go to the old custom house where
Collector Hawthorne wovc the beautiful
romance of "Thc Scarlet Letter." which I
notice Richard Mansfield has just put
upon the stage without, it almost GOES I'M
said, pleasing the New York critics
asked my cabby to take me to 1.-THE
House of the Seven Cables" and he
promptly did SO, though l think the old
rascal knew very well Hawthorne denied
having any special house In mind. Still
ono Hawthorne ought to have had in
mind, even If lie didn't, the house Mt So
Charter street, where the novelists father
ln-llw lived. To the cabby and therefore
TO the stranger 1t is and probably always
Will DO The House of the Seven Cables"
Another house which some Of the natives
insist is entitled to this honor stands I'm
Turner street. Years ago it belonged to
the Ingersoll family, and Hawthorne often
visited there. The story is that during
one OF these visits Miss Ingersoll told
Hawthorne the house usel to hnvo seven
gables, and took him TO the attic to prove
1t by the beams and mortiscs. Coming
down the stairs Hawthorne Is said to have
muttered House of the seven gables
that sounds we'll"
was surprised to learn that Hawthorne
Is not very popular In Salem. The trouble
was he didn't care much for Salem soci-
ETY., and the worry old people who remember
INN, and their descendants who think as
their fathers and mothers, look upon Haw-
thorne, the neiEhbor, M very unsocinl
and uncomfortable. Still they make a
great deal Of his fame, and there arc I'm
Salem Hawt hOrno stories by the thousand
They show you all the houses he over
lived in; the old town pump Is preserved
In picture; at the Essex institute they have
the desk which he used in writing 1.-THE
Scarlet Letter. and the original manu-
script Of that immortal story. At the Gus
tom house saw hanging upon the wall
tho tin stencil with which Hawthorne or
his clerk marked inspected goods IN. Hnw-
thorno." Visitors who inquire for the ia
nous embroidered scarlet letter "a i" as
many do, arc of course doomed TO disap-
polntmcnt. ROBERT GRAVES