The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-05-14

THE WITCH DOCTORS -PcWED
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Bcrks county abounds In what tn e
superstitious among the Pennsylvania
Dutch call hexea which means
witches They are always wo men OF
advanced years who seem to have
no other mission In life than to be.
witch their neighbors their neighbcrs'
| children. their horses. COWS and life
generally. Then. as q counter bal
auce 70 the uncanny manipulations OF
the hexes. there are numerous witch
doctors. both men and women. who
have the power TO rout the evil spirits
and lay the torturing spells for which
the hcxes are responsible Directly
opposite the home OF my young friends
parents when he was born during the
early days Of the late war; lived one
OF these mischievously disposed witch
women.
Until the infant was three months
old it was one OF tho best and health
lest children In the locality. OF
course this-was not ut all to the liking
OF the neighboring hex, and one day
during one OF her calls at the bnby' 8
house for these witch women call
when and where they like their neigh
bors Offering no objection for fear OF
offending them-she took the child in
her arms. Rugged 1t and kissed it all
the time muttering In the unknown
language the race of hexos is sup
posed to understandable language as
the simple Dutch farmer folk Of Penn.
sylvania believe. which was used by
the alleged terrible witches Of the
dark ages
The mother of tho child was in. NOR
tai terror OF the result OF the witch's
suspicious affection. and when the hex
went away the mother found that her
fears were we'll founded. The baby
instantly began TO cry rs il in the
most intense pain. 1t was discovered
that its. body had become. covered from
head to foot with angry spots, as thick
as those OF leopard. The only rest
and ease the child got was ut certain
hours OF the night and IL wa, sup
posed that those periods OF rest were
when the old hex was herself asleep.
The baby could not eat. and 1t rapidly
wasted away in flesh, although it
seemed that the diabolical power OF
the hex maintained the little sufferer
physical strength so that its agonies
were prolonged and intensified. 4
Several witch doctors were called to
try their skill against the power pos
sessed by the hex. but they all failed
until the family services OF one of
these doctors who had wide repu-
tation. ana who still lives in Reading
enjoying o fortune he has made OFF
the superstitions OF Berks county peo-
pie. He was sent for when all others,
had failed. Before he made his call
he wrote a note..to the parents of the
child. warning them no. to speak u
word to him when he arrived. and not
to have anything in the room wnore
the child was when he entered except
the family Ri 10.
He attended the child says the
New York Sun. which was apparently
suffering more than IL had ut any
time since it had passed under the
spell OF the hex. That was because
the old witch, having seen tho doctor
enter the house was exercising more
OF her power to dofoat him in his e.
forts to rescue the baby from tho SPELL
The doctors treatment OF the case
was very simple according to the
story. He cut from the Bible the leaf
on which the ohiid's birth was re:
corded and wrote upon it some words
in the language OF the witches closed
it up between tho Bible leaves ana
placed the book under the child pill
low. He then srrinkled over the
baby powder which he made by
burning on silver dish bunch of
pure white horse hair.
After this he warned the mother of
the child that the first thing the next
morning the hex would mora than
likely send over or come over herself
TO borrow drawing OF tea She
must be emphatically refused the
favor for II she succeeded In getting
the tea or In borrowing a fat iron her
spell would still remain on the child
il she was sent away without them
her power would be broken and the
child would get well, unless the he's
managed to have communication with
1t in some way. Sure enough the
neXJ morning THO mex Cum6 over.
opened the kitchen door and asked for
some tea and a fiat-iron.
The child's mother was very much
frightened but she refused the witch's
request and the old woman went away.
The doctor had said that il the hex
could be kept AWAY three days and
three nights she would be powcrless to
do, tho child any further harm. The
baby grew better rapidly, but on the
third night 1t again began to suffer
and the spots which,, had nearly dis
appeared. became visible again. but
not 70 distinct as they had been. The
parents were in mortal terror again.
The pet cat o. the family had q.
habit when 1t wa out doors Of Jump
ing up at che Window sill and fcratch-
ing at tho window to be let in and
some one Of the family Immediately
let her in. About 10 o'clock on this
critical third night ~ scratching was
heard at the window aud the mother
III the child won't to let The cat In. but
fell back amazed and frightened whom
hor husband seized her BY the arm
and at the same t:me hurled his
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