Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-05
BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT.
It is Still Prevalent in Many Sections of
the Country.
True Story About q Boy Who Was Thought
to Be BewItched and Eff
forts to Cure Him.

1t Is difficult to understand how, in this
enlightened age. there can still be people
who have a firm belief in witchcraft, but
1t Is fact that in one Of Pennsylvania s
largest towns three witch Doctors make
comfortable living by the practice Of their
supposed art. One case to which all three
were called Is Of unusual interest. 1t was
that Of little boy. who, when about three
years Of age. began to show great weak
ness Of the ankles. due, no doubt, to in
fantile paralysis. The parents, however,
after many consultations with friends and
neighbors. decided that the child had been
bewitched by an old man who lived in the
neighborhod. He was a singular old crea-
ture. Of strange habits and uncouth appear
ance. and he had a mania for hunting bur-
led treasure. To assist him in this he con-
suited every witch book" he could find
and tried the potency of various spells"
none Of which. however. proved Of any
avail
One day he came to Mr.. D., the father Of
the little boy mentioned. and asked him to
contribute $40 toward the purchase Of a
send to D Ireland. He promised that s II he
BY means of this book in finding
Mr.. d. was in receipt of very small sal
airy. and he declined to make the contribu-
ton. Promising to give him cause to re-
gret his refusal. the old man went away
strength began to fail. The mother. In tell
ing the story, said:
sure the Old Man Had Bewitched.
1--WE was sure from the first that it was
the old man that had bewitched him. He
did 1t to get even with Jack for not helping
to buy that book We think he tried first
to throw the spell on Jack, but found JACK
was too strong for him, so he threw II on
Joey. That's the way they always do. It's
bound to fall on one of the family. Joey
used to tell US that he saw the old man
come alongside his bed. and We had to burn
q light In the room an night. ~, so n1d msn
was after him with a knife. Then his
tongue got stiff and he couldn't tell us any
more, except by nodding his head s when we we
bound, you see. that he shouldn't tell us
what he saw. Well. we took him to a
cure him. We paid him S, and he pow
vowed over him for a while. and then
wrote something on piece Of paper. which
bed head. and Joey seemed to get some
better for a while. But the spell got worked
out. and he was SO bad OF that
the floor when he wanted to move, and
he was all of twitch all over. So we
took him to witch woman who was the
seventh daughter OF a seventh daughter,
and she said she wouldn't cure him without
we paid her $40 and gave her five yards and
a half Of red flannel and a pack Of needles
hard on US to manage 1t. but We was will
ing to live on oatmeal If only we could get
| our boy cured, and we gave her all she
asked. She gave us a bottle Of water and
said we was to keep it for eight days In
| dark closet. and on the ninth day. at 2
FIRE in the Kitchen stove and set the bottle
on 1t. When it burst the old man would
come and the spell would be taken off of
Joey. She also made a little hood Of some
| n he red round
Joey's neck, and she put little bags OF red
| flannel over each door Of the house. Well.
| on the ninth dry / built the fire and put
the bottle on, and Jack and ! waited out
side the door an hour to hear 1t burst: But
| II didn't. and when 10 o'clock came I was
Just about sick / was so disappointed. But
before went to bed 1 went into the kitchen
| and put the bottle right on to the Goals.
| just as the witch doctor said / was to do If
| morning was awake long before day. but
| 1 didn't dare go down before sunup to see
| about the bottle, for fear I'd spoil the
spell ! was all Of a trem BILE when. at last:
| I went into the kitchen and raised the lid OF
| the stove; and there lay the bottle, just as
had put ii in. But when / lifted it up II
| ran from my hands like molasses candy.
The Witch Doctors Explanation.
"Of course 1 went to see the witch doctor
| and told her about It, and she said the old
| man had come. but he was stubborn and
| we'd have to try 1t all over again, and she
must have another five dollars and another
L
| didn't have the S handy just then. and
promised to give 1t to her If l saw the child
| got any better. The whole thing was done
over again, and this time the bottle burst
| almost soon as 1 put 1t on the stove
! but no old man came and Joey didn't get
| no better. The witch doctor came for her
| money and when ] wouldn't give 1t TO her
she threw spell on him so he couldn't
raise his hands to feed himself. We've tried
another witch doctor since then. hut he
couldn't lift the spell OFF AMI guess it's
1 rYr1 tn hal
| him"
Another woman who was present during
| the recital said that 1t wasn't any use say
ing there weren't witches nowadays. fol-
her own grandfather had been able to cast
spells" on people.
HE moved on farm near my mothers
place when / was about Twelve years Old y
| she said. land he didn't like my mother
and so he put a spell on her churn. From
the time grandfather came mother couldn't
| q clevis red hot and throw 1t into TIE
churn. That always broke the spell"
| - woman living in this pennsylyanja
down on her cheeks and bought bottle
OF liquid warranted to remove superhuous
hair within fortnight. She hastened to
efficacy. But Immediately her face began
to burn. the pain growing so intense as &c
force tears from her eyes. In vain. she
| and famed 1t assiduously-it continued tc
\ burn. At last she rushed to the house Of a
neighbor. who advised her to allow the sex
| ton Of a neighboring church to blow on It
He was sent for. and she declared that as
| soon as he blew on her face all pain lef,
her instantly. The man has been accreiit
| ed since his boyhood with the power to
| blow fire." as he calls It, and also to stor
| the flow Of blood from a wound by the rep.
etition Of some verse from the Bible
F. r. q;
HerOism ON the Stage.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
| IF you knew what agony ballet girls suf-
! fer on account Of their feet You would won.
der how they are ever able to smile at an