The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-11-23
Uncle Je' Writes About Witches
When He Was a BOy,n Old Elk Lick.

| When He Was a Boy In Old Elk Lick
The early settlers OF this region generally
came from the eastern counties and ths
hanks Of the Delaware. Our ancestors were
OF German origin, many Of them from the
soil that had been repeatedly ravaged with
FIRE and sword By French invaders Their
dialect. as We still hear 1t. is clipped and
abbreviated in the French style, while their
legends and traditions, yet remembered by
many, point to the valley of the Rhine Un-
edncated and simple 10 their habits theJ
were as different from their countrymen,
who have become so numerous in the heart
of this continent in our day, as if they had
belonged to different race. Few of them
being able to read either English or German
intelligsntly, they had few books and news
papers were almost unknown. Naturally
enough the art Of the story-teller was inyok-
ed 10 while away the tine during the long
winter evenings. Their tales Of the weird
and supernatural were heard with the same
interest We might display in the perusal Of
any ingenious fiction when We have moth
ing else 20 do. But as ignorance and super
stition go hand in hand, many were ready
enough to believe them. especially the witch
stories. These would say, Does not the
Bible speak Of witches making the same
use OF the Bible tha. se often do nowadays,
not 10 search TOR truth. but for arguments to
support their opinion. By occupation
farmers and farm iaborers, they were gener-
ally respected for their industry and hospi-
tality, and above all for thsiF strict integri-
ty, the result Of their religious training,
their pet aversion being for English speak
ing people whom they stigmatizsd as Irish
and Yankees. Among them 8 farm house
was usually hive Of industry. their cloth
ing being made there of wool and fax OF
their own raising and manufacture, with the
butter and maple sugar. Unfortunately
they had an idea that education makes ras-
Gals, and held on to their opinions and hab-
its as tensciously as they did to their relig-
ion, OF the cut Of their garments.
When ] was introduced 10 another genera
ton near seventy years ago the progress of
time hsd wrought great changes. The whis-
Ky war had intervened, Somerset county had
been organized, the National Road had been
constructed and was lined with bone-seek-
ere from the old world and the new, the bat
tie Of New Orleans had been fought and the
people were shouting for Andrew Jackson.
Business men sDd mechanics we're settled
N fln rifla,as n fa-r T,.lfeb .obaolo ~-ara
kept up regularly during the winter, and
the neighboTing lads and lasses were spruc-
ing themselves to initiate the dress and man
ners Of the town. Nearly all the families in
and near Salisbury, though chiefly of Ger
man descent, spoke English, but farther of,
still on our side of the State line, the case
was different. The village is in the lower
part Of the grea; valley, the principal abode
in this county Of the good people l have
been describing. There spent part ofeach
year as a pupil, and afterward as assistant,
in the school of my father, the old Grammar
King, and during the intervals between the
several school terms, comprising the greater
part of the working season, was employed
on the adjoining farms That on which the
town Of West Salisbury now stands was
then owned and occupied by John Liyen-
good, grandfather Of the bankers of that
name, man Of grest weight (Avoirdupois
Weight, and an intelligent and leading cit
izen, somewhat humorous aud quizzical,
but good-hear,ed Eithal. The broken ranks
Of the old orchard, the ruins Of the log dis
tillery, and the frame house on the site Of
the log westherboarded structureI knew so
well, viii serve to identify the spot. About
the last work ofthe ssason used 10 be gath
ering in the heavy end Of the great apple
crop, the fruit being piled up in huge mass
sound, rotten and frozen altogether, to De
used in the manufacture of what was ca lad
"applejack, or 'rot-gui" 1t was on one
Of these occasions the scene occurred
! am about TO relate, which at the time
made an indelible impression on my memo
~.
The party was composed Of the workers,
boys and girls, with visitors of both sex
e. think I was the youngest, and that l
am the sole survivor Of all that were there
that night. AS the day bad been chilly, We
were thawing out after supper under the ge-
nial influence OF log fire in the ample
chimney. 1t was Saturday night, aud the
old folks hEd retired at their usual hour
leaving us TO cur own devices for amuse-
ment- Somehow the conversation dropped
into the supernatural, and as time wore on
the subject of witchcraft was introduced,
when we had several stories illustrative Of
the popular belief of the old German race on
that head, still entertained by some of their
descendants. III we're to repeat them as
they wrre told that night they would put
the boldest types to the blush, therefore
shall not attempt ii, but viii give them in
way that may not be uninteresting.
The first was OF a family that. having been
greatly annoyed by witch. al last had re-
course to = witch-doctor for relief He took
needle, and after mumbling some charm,
bent it so as to insert the point in the eye
The next morning the family found the
witch lying on the manure pile doubled up
in the same style, which made her look very
ridiculous. The story ended here, having
evidently suffered in the telling, for ss an
appropriate frale the Eiich-doc.or should
have been made 10 marry the woman. At
the same time cannot help thinking what
mercy il was that the needle did not
break.
II reminds me Of another many of you
may Tccollect, Of the wicked man who had
sold himself to the devil. He had pursued
his evil way for a long time, and whenever
he fell into the clutches Of ;he law he would
invoke the aid of his master, who by the
terms Of the contract vas bound to release
him. At last, when be was imprisoned for
8 capital crime and had made the usual in
vocation. the devil appeared, bearing at his
back huge pack of old shoes, all Of which