The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-05
WITCHCRAFT STORY.
a MAN WHO BELIEVES HE WAS UNDER
A HEx'S SPELL IN INFANCY.
"a Ridiculous Story of the Power of n
Pennsylvania witch = The Doctor WIN
Got Rich Treating the CretiuIous and
superstitious Dutohmen.

speaking of belief i'm witchcraft. " said
n railroad official, "there Is an emplovee
of our company in this city, holding n
very responsible place, who insists that
whom he was an infant he was bewitehed
He is the son of an old Pennsylvania Ger
man family of Berks county, Pa He re-
members nothing of the matter personally
but has the narrative of it from his parents
and other members of his family.
The hexes or witches, the belief i'm
whom Is so strong to this day I'm Berks
and adjacent Pennsylvania Dutch coun
ties, are always women advanced in years.
who seem to have no othor mission in life
than TO bewitch their neighbors. their
neighhors' children, their horses, cows and
live stock generally. Then as a counter
balance 60 the hexes, there are many witch
DOCTORS both men and women who have
the power to rout the evil spirits and Law
the torturing spells for which the heXes
nre responsible. Directly opposite the par
ents of the man of whom am speaking
lived witch woman at the time he was
born Until ne was 3 months old BIO was
the best and healthiest baby in tho local
ity This did not seem to be Co the liking
of the hex, and one day during one of her
calls at the baby home--for these witch
women call where and when they like
their neighbors Offering no objection for
fear of offending them-she took the child
in her arms, Rugged him and kissed him,
all tho time muttering in the unknown
language which the race of hexes is sup
posed TO understand, tho same language ms
the simple German farmer folk of Penn
sylvania believe was used by tho witches
of the dark ages
Tho mother of the child was in mortal
terror of the result OF tho witch's suspi-
cious fondnoss for the babe, and when the
hex went away the mother found that her
fears were well grounded The baby in
stnntly began to cry as if in the most in
tense pain. His body had become covered
from head to foot with angry spots as
thick as those on leopard The only rest
and ease the child got was at certain hours
of the night when it was supposed the
hex herself was asleep. The baby could
not eat, and he rapidly wasted away in
flesh, although it seemed that the power
of the hex maintained the little sufferers
physical strength so that his agonies were
prolonged and intensified.
Several witch doctors were called and
they tried their skill against the power
possessed by the hex, but all failed Then
the family employed witch doctor who
had wide reputation, and who still lives
at Reading, enjoying a fortune made off
the credulity and superstition of Berks
and Lebanon county people. Before he
made his call at the hex afflicted house he
sent the family note warning them that
they must not speak word to him when
he arrived at the house, and must have
nothing in the room where the child was
when he entered except the family Bible.
He attended the child, who was apparent
ly suffering more than at any time since
he passed under the evil spell of the hex.
That was because the witch, having seen
the famed doctor enter the house, was ex-
ercising more of her power to defeat him
In his efforts to rescue the baby from the
spell.
1.-The doctors treatment of the case was
very simple, according to the family ac-
count of It, He cut from the Bible the
leaf on which the child's birth was record
ed and wrote upon it some words in the
language of the witches, closed it up be-
tween the Bibles leaves and placed the
book under tho baby's pillow. He then
sprinkled over the baby powder which
he made by burning on silver plate a
bunch Of pure white horse hair. After
this he warned the mother of the child
that the first thing the next morning
this was at midnight-the hex would In
all probability send over or come over her.
self and ask to borrow drawing of tea
The favor must be refused, for If she sue
ceeded in getting the tea or In borrowing
1atiron her spell would still remain on
the child. If she was sent away without
getting the tea or the flatirons, her power
would be broken and the child would get
well unless the hex managed to have COM
munication with him in some way.
"Sure enough, the next morning the hex
came over, opened the kitchen door with
out knocking and asked for some tea and
a fGtiron. The child's mother was In NOR
tai terror of the witch, bu5 overcame it
sufficiently to refuse the request. The hex
went away. The doctor had said that II
the witch could be kept away three days
and three nights she would be powerless
to do the child further harm. The baby
grew better rapidly, but on the third night
no again began to suffer, and the spots,
which had nearly disappeared, became yisi-
BILE again, but were not so distinct as they
had been. The parents were once more In
despair.
"The pet cat of this family had habit,
when out of doors, of jumping up on the
window sill and scratching on the glass to
be let In, and some one Of the family
would let her in. About 10 O'Clock on tho
critical third night scratching was heard
at the window, and there on the sill was a
cat The baby's mother was about to let
10 In, supposing it was the family cat,
when her husband seized her by the arm,
dragged her back, and at the same moment |
hurled one of his heavy cowhide boots
through the window. The boot struck the |
cat and knocked 1t, yelling frightfully. to
the ground.
That wasn't our cat, he exclaimed to |
his astounded wife. THAT was the old hex |
herself, trying to get In here rs a catP
Almost instantly the baby became
quiet. The spots faded away, and the
child went to sleep and slept soundly the
rest Of the night. The next morning he
was as we'll as he had ever been, but the
hex came around, looking pale and bag.
gard and limping badly. She said she had
fallen down stairs during the night, but
everybody knew, upon hearing about the
cat and the cowhide boot, that she had not
fallen down stairs at all, but was suffering
s. - has, ar