Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-07-19
DREAD OF AN EVIL EYE.
1T LEADS TO THE REMOVAL
OF THE OPTICAL ORGAN.
An Absurd Superstition Through Which
Woman Is Caused to suffer Torture
Singular Notions which Obtain Among
Western Pennsyivania Folk.

IL the story tOld IN tne OHce oI III
attorney in Cleveland may be rolled
upon Mary Dietz, on account OF an
absurd superstition. recently suffered
the torture OF having one OF her eyes
gouged out by an alleged doctor
from Pennsylvania, The story
was told in, the law office
Of Levi Bauder by james Bar
row. an ex-soldier who served in
the same regiment with Bauder dur
ing the war. says tho Chicago Times.
The superstition in question is the
old one about the evil eye. and the
woman who was MANNED was sup
posed to possess it. The old belief
about the evil eye was that it with
cred and turned to decay every liv-
Ing thing on which it rested. To be
In the presence Of an evil eye was
to be siezed with a lingering illness.
followed by death and the grave. II
the possessor OF such an eye lived on
0 farm the horses, COWS, sheep.
chickens and swine were seized with q
mysterious disease and died. In any
locality it was fatal to the inhabit-
ants thereof They lost their apps
tites. became pale and thin. and
finally death claimed them. Under
the gaze OF such IN eye the farmers
crops of grain stopped growing as
though a W orm gnawed at their roots.
In some parts of Pennsylvania this
superstition still exists, and all those
connected with the horrible occur
renee are from that partof the
country.
MIR. Bauder retold the story re-
lated to him by his former comrade
as follows: "If remember correct
ly Barrows married his present wife
about three years ago. She is what
we term Pennsylvania Dutch. a class
OF people who are very superstitious
and firm believers in the evil eyo.
Well, he came into my Office few
days ago and for an hour and half
he told Of the experience OF his wife
with woman who had the OWL eye.
For long time, he said. he had no.
ticed that his wife acted in q strange
manner. When he asked her about
1t she told him that she believed she
had been .hoodooed' By some person
with an evil eye. His story was that
she would lie down on the floor and
go through series OF movements
which were alarming. Finally, he
said, she suspected that Mary Dietz,
a neighbor, was possessed OF the
evil eye. l believe he told me that
his wife called at the woman's house
and consulted with her and her hus-
band about her suspicious. At any
rate it was decided that q
| 4 ruho avnarianna1
in the discovery and treat
ment OF eyes OF that description
should be sent for. He said they
located one in Pennsylvania and he
was promptly engaged. In due time
the so-called doctor arrived and
went to the woman's house. My
friend said that his wife was there
and she witnessed all that took
place A bowl OF water was taken
into the room and the woman with
the supposed evil eye was asked to
look into it. AT this point l wanted
to know what the bowl of water had
to do with the matter. He then ex-
planned that it was used to discover
which eye was the evil one. II
either were an evil eye its reflection
could be seen in the water. Then
he went on and told me the story
OF the destruction OF the woman's s
eye. While she was looking into
the water. he said. the doctor saw
In tho bowl the reflection Of the evil
eye. He looked again to make sure
which eye it was. Then he made a
quick movement withphis right hand
which grasped some kind Of an
instrument
Mrs Dietz uttered an agonizinR
cry, and there were blood marks on
her face. which were hidden VIII en-
she covered her eve with her hands.
and then she was carried into q
room and laid on bed. The
doctor remained and treated the
woman until she recovered from the
shock. My friend told me that tho
woman's eye soon healed. that his
wife became her former self again.
and that she firmly believed that the
destruction OF the evil eye had saved
her life. Barrows sail that such an
eye prevented prosperity in any
neigh borhood where it existed.
Frequently. he stated. in communities
where there are many believers in
evil eyes, they gather at some house
| u.u.l;nr a,1npI lurDn h0w