Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-02
AN ALLEGED WITCH.
MRS. oelseR SAID TO HAVE BEWlTCH'
Eo FOUR CHILDREN AND a cow
Reported to Have the Power TO Blight .
Life with q Glance of Her Eye-Ch'i-
dren Victims OF Her Strange GIT

Is witch, some Of her neighbors say, ac-
cording TO the New York Herald, and has
the power to blight life with glance OF
her eye. Then she has the faculty OF steal
ing vital power from the children OF her
acauainsances and transferring II to her
own offspring. who are plump and nour-
ishing. Four children and one COW have
come under her spell, the superstitious as
sert. A..
The Herald saws: Lewis street is IN the
outskirts of Paterson. IL Is very seeuy
thoroughfare, and the very place whicn
cherries witch would probably selec' asa az a
location for her charm and curse-iac-
tory. The trains of the Erie railway
shrek past the house No. 22S. IN when
Mrs. Geiser lives, and at nlglt they
might sound TO the terried Ike the Cries
of lost souls. When the dogs OF Paterson
have nowhere else to bark tney 60 our 10
Mrs. GeIser's end OF Lewis street ana Wn Wal
TO their hearts content. perfectly Snio
from interruption, for the voters or tnn.
vicinity fear 10 mt their noses out IN the
night air for purposes OF remonsrance.
No ono in Paterson knew that wltcn,,
craft was practIced In the city limits until
Mrs. Gelser herself marched into the 70
lice Court, behind the City Hall. on MOI
day afternoon IN great state OF ui' ~
Justice Van Cleve was disposine VL .nJ
cases OF two drunkards just as the allegeG
witch stalked into the room, noulisu'"S
her umbrella and demanding justice
HER STRANGE HYEs.
The magistrate gasped when he looked
! into the woman's eyes. she Is si,h uuI
dark. 40 years old. and not at al soon
looking. She doesn't differ in appearance
from hundreds of Paterson women uh.i
YOU see her eyes. They are daiK nnu
njercing. and she has nervous anectlon
| that makes her keep blinking them IN
way which the ignorant might LINN nlnA
maleyolent. Even Justice van ~
| turned from her. and Afterwards ne suiu VI
me " ] believe, I'd have been menu '"'N
If she'd STAYED here a minute longer;
The burden OF the woman's tale was
that Mrs. Sapdford. tenant IN her mouse,
was going about denOunclng her as %
witch claiming that she had laid Spell
mon ber boys. John and Henry Sandtoru'
and irretrievably cursed Tom ana Adriah
Vredenburgh, neighbor an oi9 coy u
| longing 10 the latter family had ha u ngI
soul consigned TO perdition' anu eeLe'a',S
speaking, there was the ueuoo w P"'
that end of Paterson. ,,I-.
Justice Van Cleve inquired whether Sirs.
Geiser really was witch. she beld up
her hand sOlemnlv and SAID swear l
am not Judge. They say dance around
a fire and hide chlcken-bones IN peopies
pillows TO give them rheumatism; out us
A lie. Pm not witch. and what's MORE
never have been"
ira Justice promised 10 send police
man 10 try and persuade Mrs. Sandford
not TO make any more trouble.
Inst before the scene IN the Police Court
tbe Saudfords moved out OF the basement
of the Gelser house and took up their quar-
ters around the corner. When everything
had been transferred they moved 10
body upon Mrs. Gelser's home ard told her
that she was a personal friend OF the devil
HIRED DEPUTY IMP.
"You have been killing my boys Mrs.
Sandford screamed. You cursed them
and the flesh has fallen from their bones.
and there are big blotches on their skins
which they scratch and tear at like little
demons. You have hired an imp 10 choke
them. and every night he clutches them
by the throat"
At this point in the narrative Mrs. Gelser
banged her door. But Peter Sanford. the
boys father. then took MP the TRADE. ana
the neighbors heard the whole story.
Some of the women crossed themselves,
but the more sensible told Sandtord that
he was an old fool.
NV little boy tore his pillow" said
Sanford. shaking his head, and when
my wife sewed IL M she found in II long
cord Of feathers wound together, piece
of glass. a chickens foot. and a plecrust."
They NAV have been the child's play
things" observed a cynical nelghbor.
"Playthngs :" exclaimed Sandtord.
"They are the very tools OF the devil. In
Germany the witches weave ropes OF fea-
theirs to destroy their enemies. \ chickens
| foot brings pestilence. | don't know
what the glass and ple-crust are, but L
| think they bOde no good.
| II took the feather rope 10 priest ana
| he went when he saw them. saying some
| evil would come OF it.. He told me to get
| q tin nan, fill 1t full of water and have my
children drop pinch Of salt In. II two
| nights running. On the third night was
| to put II on the stove till It boiled. When
| II boiled | should see the face Of the witch
| or the spell would be broken. / did rs l
was told and on the third night, just as
| the water began to boil. l looked around
| and there was Mrs. Geiser standing III the
| doorway glarlng at me.
| DRAMATICALLY DENOUNCED.
| "Old man Vredenburgh and | were
| frightened and we paid fOrtune-teller 30
| cents for a remedy. She came out dressed
| In a black veil and after she had waved
| glass rod over her head three times and
| nut the money in her pocket she said
| Look again IN the pillow and YOU will find
| more feather ropes anu lump oI porh Iht'
| Never lend anything TO woman YOU
| know, for she IL a witch
| ~ remembered that Mrs. Geiser had
| borrowed saucepan. Then the fortune
| teller looked up in the clouds and eX-
| claimed, turning 10 Vredenburgh, who was
| ready TO drop with fear. You have COW,
| also a pair OF twins. You give milk every
| dav to a witch. Stop 1t or your children
| will die.
Vredenburgh and prayed all night,
and next morning Vredenburgh told Mrs;
| Geiser that ste was a witch and could
have no more milk. His twins became i'll
at once. so did the cow"
Peter Sanford" SAYS bystander,
"you are an old stupid. There arentany
| witches"
| Aren't there" exclaimed sanford;
Why, the fortune-teller told me herself
| that there was.
| Mrs. Geiser ridiculed the witch story.
| She is a Woodworking woman with very