The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-17
BABIES ALL BEwITCHEDf
THE GARLs LOsT ELEVEN AND POW
WOW DOCTORS SAVED FOUR.
All the babies Died before They Were Four
Months Oid-The 1nscrlption ana Perrornn-
nnce the Powwow Man Went Through
TO snHe the TNNelrth child from Dentl.

All the Babics Died nersre they Were Four
Months Oid-The Inscription ana Perrernn-
anco the Fowwo Man Went Through
to save the Twelfth Child from Death.
READING, Pa, Jan. l6.-Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Carl of this city have had fifteen children born
unto them, of whom only the last four are liv-
ing. The others died, one after the other, soon
after birth. Mr.. and Mrs. Carl say that all the
fifteen were bewitched, that eleven died through
the witchcry, and that tho lives of tho four were
saved because powwow doctors broke the spell
about them.
The story of tho witchcry was brought to tho
police, and q Sun representative calico person.
ally Mt tho Carl home. 613 North Thirteenth
street, TO investigate the matter. Mr.. and Mrs.
Carl were born In Reading. and were married
twenty .ono years ago. The husband is now AZ
and tho wife 39. Both are intelligent and in
excellent health. Mr.. Carl is employed at a
sand works, and works every day. Tho parents
told TIE SUN correspondent that all of their
fifteen children were vigorous, beautiful. and
apparently healthy at birth. Shortly thereafter
each wasted away to a skeleton. Mrs. Carl said:
My babes at first were all very healthy, but
in a short time they became nothing but skin
and bone. Their a~ppetites were good to the
last. Three lived only a week. The others
reached different ages. but not one ever be-
came more than four months old. except those
who are still living. Those that died had good
appetites and clear eyes and apparently were
not I'll; Their flesh simply disappeared and they
We had good doctors, They prescribed no
of "SSyhen the 81 ea1a'S died lee 'n We despaired Of
ever raising one. We had a number OF visitors,
and finally @ friend said to us that. while he did
not believe in Witchcraft and did not attach any
that our Children might be suffering Under
sStdS w siteRsD ips either. We We n are V chriseia an p SRs
pie. No matter Ii it was against our belief, we
S %s5G wsl''P W. 20 we're teF ap iS / oi two 10 fi eeal I pow nsolS
doctors. strong men. and we sent for them one
A. Ho E ,i noSu1 Dhe So Listened s,B patiently tSni 4 to ss the insO ri
woman was taking the lives of our babes by a
spell, but they, mentioned no name.
could help, us to let him go ahead, when our
twelfth child was born. and seemed to be going
the very Same way that the .other, eleven had;
q needle with thread. He had what he said was
;hs 's Sc i : B Ss ths of .i Mos ss'i,d q BPfs PEN and red ed
shrunken arms and limbs with his breath,
waved his arms over it. said q prayer 70 him.
"'Trotter head, / forbid thee my house and
Bic. i forbid thee my bedstead. that thou
mayest not breathe upon me. Breathe into
every hill H. until thou hast counted every fence
post, and until thou hast crossed every water.
and thus dear day may come again into my
house. In the name of God the Father, tho Son,
and the Holy Ghost. Amen
He put this writing into u small muslin bag
which he made with his own hands and hung it
at the head of the cradle, and from that very
moment the child began to improve. know
many will say Nonsense May he I would,
too. But let them. What / $ is Gospel truth.
Our little Mabel is now ) years old. She is u
bright, happy child. After the ow.wo man
had left her cradle her cough went away; her
food did her good; she slept bettcr. and in three
weeks we saw the greatest difference.
Our thirteenth child took sick in the same
way, but the man who attended TO Mabei's case
was gone. We were told we could not practise
on her ourselves. so we had to find another man
who had the power. We had three for our four
children who still live. Strange to say, every
one told us we should accept no gift from any
one nor give anything to any one for n period OF
nine days. and of course we obeyed instructions
to the letter. Our four children did not die like
the other eleven. and yet they had the same
affection after n week or a month OF most excel
lent health. Now, what saved our four childreni
1t was not medicine, for we gave them none.
Was 1t special prayersi Was IL supernatural !
Was q witch defeated or n spell removed from
our house do not know. l hope 1t was our
earnest prayers"
The children now living are Frederick, Laura,
Katie. and Mabel. the pictures of health. The
dead children are Emma. aged ) months: Lille,
10 days: Ida. 4 months: Clara. Il days; Willie,
4 months; Annie. 7 days: Mamie, : weeks;
Rosa. = months; Jennie, 3 months: Harry, 3
months, and Florence, 3 months and % days.