St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-01
"WITCHING" FOR WATER.
An Operation Occasionally Seen
Out West

81 see that you had something in your
paper the other day about water
witches said gentleman to a New
York Times reporter.
"Yes," said the reporter, II believe
that we did,"
"Well, do you know that 1 was en-
tirely misled by the heading to the story
that you printed? Until | read that
story | had never seen the term water
witch applied to the undertow of a
mountain stream. got the idea when
| saw the headline that what followed
had something to do with one of those
fellows who go about telling people
where to dig wells. They are quite nu-
merOus out West, and are always called
water, witches Eve seen lots of
Them"
"How did they do it?' asked the re-
porter.
Let me tell you about one of them,
and then you'll know. Pll pick out one
whom saw about ten years ago when
1 was out in the territory of Dakota. I'd
gone there to grow up with the country.
Il settled in paper town-that is to
say, in town that had been laid out on
a map into streets, squares and sites for
churches, public schools, opera houses
and hundred-thousand-do hotels.
Two hundred dollars would have put up
all the buildings In the place. There
wasn't drop of water to be had in all
the town. The nearest well was at
least half mile away.
'''Ehere were lots of big holes about
the place that had been dug by thirsty
people, but they were all waterless.
"'We've got to do suthin' right away
said the oldest inhabltant (be'd been
there six months). Pm in favor OF
holdln' mass meetin'.'
IL acquiesced, and the others who
were spoken to were willing, and so the
mass meeting was called. About twenty
came-all there were-and | was made
chairman of the meeting. There were
remarks from several persons, and then
up got the oldest inhabitant and moved
that we hire water witch. The motion
was seconded. and before i knew it
had declared it carried. Then some
body passed around the hat for money.
Being the chairman of the meet
ing, felt that must chip in literally,
and did. l didn't know nor care what
water witch was. l proposed to show
my new friends that they had made no
mistake in sizing me up as fit man to
preside at one Of their important meet
ings. Besides. hadn't had bath for
week, and l felt scratehy and desper-
ate.
"The second day after the meeting
the water witch came to town-a grizzly,
bearded fellow, muffled up in what
looked like a fur-liped buster, blue
wooden comforter tied about his neck,
with the ends Tapping in the wind.
HE had T-shaped piece of willow
with him, the arms six inches long, the
other part, say, eighteen inches long.
"'Well, Mr.. Loring,' said the oldest
inhabitant, addressing me, what kind
of trade shall we make? The water
witch offers to witch for us, and not
guarantee, for $40. He'll guarantee for
S. extra
'Guaranteep l exclaimed.
ayes, guarantee US water
"'By all means, let him guarantee / |
answered, decisively. we need water
so badly that S. isn't worth looking at
THAT witch took his SIS and set him |
self to work. He grasped the T-shaped
willow by the arms, an arm in each |
hand, and held it so the long piece stuck |
straight out in front of him. Then, in |
the Solemnest manner imaginable, he