The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-21

|
Iul things. Her people were greatly dis
tressed about her condition, and finally
| had the spell removed by the incanta-
lions of a witch doctor. In our locality
there is the story of man who was
killed in an orchard by bushwhackers at
the beginning of the war, and since, for
| some reason, he comes up from the grave
and stalks through the orchard with his
head under his arm on each anniversary
of his taking off,"
Then there are certain places where
| phantom dogs-some keadless-may be
seen in the duslzy twilight-keeping vigil
where their masters have met death by
violence.
| There are stories of men being chased
by ghosts which would discount Tam
| O'ShaEJer, and strange to say, there is
always some point-some Brig O'Doon
beyond which the power of the ghostly
pursuers does not extend.
| These stories are by no means common
| Here and there only is found person
| who believes such things, and he usually
! pays dearly for his superstition by being
made the butt of jokes by every devilish
boy in the community. He is the man
VINO sees white figures rising out of and
hears unearthiy groans when passing by
some rude graveyard he is liable to see
a skull, with flaming eyes and fiery
mouth and nostrils, in his pathway
1t be be brave and will investigate he
will probably find an innocent pumpkin
nxed up for his special benefit-if he run
away ghost story is the re-
One reason why so many stories are
told and such general impressions given
which are not correct is that the shrewd
natives frequently work men who come
among them for what is known in west.
ern parlance as "tenderfoot.n When a
foreigner goes among them making
inquiries as though he had discovered a
new species of the genus homo. he will
probably go home we'll stuffed"
A recent case of actual belief in witch
craft came under my observation in the
circuit court at Jonesboro', Tenn. A
man, by the way an Importation from a
State north of Mason and Dixon's line,
burned a neighbours cabin because he
believed the aforesaid neighbor in league
with the witches Usually when horse
tall 10 give milk he would draw a figure
on board with charcoal and shoot 1T
with silver bullet-that would kill the
witch. Last year more misfortunes
than usual befell him. The witches got
on rampage and refused to he exercised
by the usual methods. "Unmerciful
disaster followed fast and followed
on neighbor. He went to his neigh
boris cabin while the occupants were
away, and set it ON fire, and watched it
burn to ashes He was indicted for
arson, when he entered a plea that it
was done to destroy the power of the
witch that had been prosecuting him.
1t is needless to say that the verdict of
the jury had depressing effect on fur
Their crusades against witches
: 10 INV mind the most STRIKING neon.
ilarIty of the mountain people is found in
their views on religion. Here is where
the mountai-, people are earnest. They
take politics twice in four years; they
talk religion seven days in the week,
and many are the arguments between
the Methodists and Baptists and Pres
byterians on such points of difference as
infant baptism, immersion, close COM
munion and predestiration. Sometimes
these wordy encounters end in fisticuffs
of a serious kind
Your mountaineer is fatalist of the
most Ultra type. what is to be will ben
IS faVorite expression, and he will meet
A doctor, not an ignorant one, had cut a
mans leg off; should he fail to see his
patient on o certain day serious or fatal
consequences might follow.
The French Broad river-one of the
sw1ftest streams in the world-fowed
between them. 1t was swollen by heavy
rains to more than double its usual
volume. There was no bridge at which
he could cross, no canoe could live a
minute in the food. He made prepara-
lions to swim his horse, his friends re-
monstrated and urged that such a fool
hardy attempt meant death. He cooily
said,' IF my time hasn't come am
all right if it has I can't help it," and
plunged into the river By miracle it
w0I11d ba a.,
and debris and reached the other side.
His time hadn't come" was the laconic
observation of witness. The people of
the mountains believe in literal hell
lake that burns with fire and brim-
stone--and pictures of the tortures in
hicted on the lost soul are sometimes
drawn by local preachers with a vivid
ness of imagination and minuteness of
detail that would make medieval
monk turn green with envy.
The moOnShiner does exist, but in
small quantities He has reached undue
proportions from the fact that his ex-
istence usually attracts national atten-
tion. He is dangerous kind of game
to hunt, he is sure shot so is the reye-
nue. officer, if he lives long, and some
body generally gets hurt when they meet
The moonshlner does not attach much
Importance to killing revenue officer,
provided he doesn't get in federal
court for it. Owing to the fact that the
officers have Teen much abused by
bad men, deputy marshals receive little
sympathy from people of any class.
Phillips Brooks was making tour of
the western North Carolina mountains.
Riding along one day his driver pointed
to ravine and said: "Over there a
man was killed the other day. What
for?" asked the bishop. "He was reve-
nue. officer" said the driver "But what
had he, done?" asked the bishop. "He
was revenue Office" persisted the driv-
er. Then it began to dawn on the bishop
that being revenue officer was regarded
as a crime sufficient to merit death
A few years ago some deputy marshals
went to house in Mitchell county,
where man was suspected OF illicit dis
tilling. Nobody was in sight, except the
buxom daughter of the suspect. "Where
S your father?" queried one of the off
GERS. Dunno" was the stolid answer.
F." Has he been gone long?" fright smart
while" (Which way did he go?n Never
seed him leave the house. The officers
saw smoke on the side of the mountain
and started in its direction. The girl
picked up horn and gave long toot.
The officers knew their game was warned
They started OF, however, with hope of
capturing the still. You fellers had
better not go up thar" said the girl but
they went on and she followed. They