Smyrna times., 1892-02-03
KILLED FOB A WITCH.
A NEW YORK FARMER A VICTIM TO
SUPERSTITION.
Straage Reaerd Of Old Time Practices
-Sidysrs IN Jai
CALLICoN. Y. Y Lan q


In the Empire State of New York
within l4O mites of the great City Of
New York, IN the centre of a prosper
Gus farming community, in county
where thousands of dollars are ex-
pended annually for the purpose of
education and thousands more for the
advance Of Christianity, there are per
sons who believe so thoroughlv in the
ancient bugaboO called WithCraft that
they could have committed murder to
rid the community of a peaceful old
man who had lived among them for
forty years. He was accused of be
witchlug a man Filling him with pain
and strange sensations by merely
stroking his own beard, and by the
same means these foolish people say
he killed the bewitched ones horses
and affiicted his cattle till they died
He is also said to have caused a ruffian
to kill the bewitched ones mother-in-
law, and his son to fall from load OF
hay aud break his neck. He was also
accused Of causing the bewitched ones
brother to be killed by the cars and of
doing other things, all insane, twaddle
hat would fit well the pages of the
history of the days of witchery.
The witch was met in the night, was
shot, and then pOunced upon by a man
or men armed with clubs. They beat
his head in aud when he fell dead thev
kneeled beside him aud fred five
shots into him to make sure of
their bloody work. A few facts have
been told regarding the murder of old
George Markert on January l9 two
miles outside of the village of Jefferson
and within stones throw of his own
house. SO certain were the people of
the town that they knew the murderer
and knew his idiOtic motive that they
arrested a man even before the body of
Markert was discovered, or before it
was known positively that a murder
had been committed. The man and
his son, youth of twenty-five years,
whose head had been filled with the
twaddle his father had retailed among
his neighbOrs for years were commit
ted yesterday to the Sullivan County
Jail Every bit of evidence points
toward them, or one of them, as
guilty.
The place where this crime was com
mitted is called the Halfway House.
1t takes its name from tavern on the
main highway, ten miles from CALI
con. OF the 200 people who form
the community there are probably
twenty who are believers in witch
craft.
These people are ashamed of their
supestitions and only talk about it
among themselves; but Adam Heidi,
the most superstitiOus of them all, did
not hide the fact. He lives on little
mound calleed Swiss Hill, which is
half mile or more from the Half
! Way Tavern. He was born in Sulli-
van county and has lived there all his
life. He is called "old man Heidi "
though he is only 42 years old.
His family besides himself and
and his wife Barbara, who ispossessed
of considerably more seGse than her
husband, consists of Joseph, % years
oil; ; John, Is and teacher in a public
school Rosie, 10; Anthony, l3 and
Mary 8 Heidt's farm covers 1873 acres
most of which is cultivated. 1t is one
of the largest in the community and
his stock is among the best.
George Markert was - years old,
and probably was the poorest man in
the community. His farm was only a
fifteen acre plot. Ever since he was
twenty or twenty-five years old Heidi
has been aling He says he was pos
sessed. 1t was twenty years ago, he
says, that Markert cast the first spell
on him. The last year he has been
especially fierce against Markert. On
Thursday night, a week ago Markert
spent the evening at the Half Way
House, as was his custom three nights
every week. He left the tavern at 10
o'clock. He never reached his home.
Wednesday morning evidences of a
struggle were found near the bank of
the creek which crosses the road. After
a short search Markets body was
found in the creek, and so sure of the
identity of the murderer were the
ueighbOrs, that Heidt's arrest followed
at once. A revolver of calibre cores
ponding with the bullets in Markets. 5
body was found hidden in Heidt's
barn, and in the house there were
some blood-stained underclothing and
couple of threatening letters against
Markert in Heidt's handwriting.
These and Heidt's own weird story of
! MarkerJ'S sinister luuueuCe over uiLh
are the evidence upon which he and
his son Joe was held for murder by the
cOroner's jury yesterday. The trial
promises to reveal a story of the most
startling degradation and ignOrence in
the criminal history of the state.
A special to the New York World
from Laurel, says: REV. w. w. John.
son was sent three years ago to Gum
boro to take charge of the M. E.
Church. He had to leave at the end
of the year, owing to charges of i'm
proper conduct, and went to HOoper's
island. In his new field the young
clergyman soon became popular. He
began revival meeting this winter.
Among the converts was Mrs. Sim
mons, whose husband, Captain Samuel
Simmons, is a sailor and absent most of
the time. He returned Unexpectedly
a few nights ago, and found his wife
reading letter from the pastor Civ
ing instructions how to elOpe. The
captain gave the clergyman twenty
four hours to leave the island, which