The sun., 1898-01-23
A PENNsYLvANIA WITCH sroRF.
A Railroad Man who Relieves That Ho was
Under n Hcx's spell I'm Infancy.

Under n Hcx's Spell In Infancy.
Speaking OF belief In witchcraft," said rail.
road official referring to story published in
THE SUN recently from Reading, Pa, there is
an employee Of our company in this city, hold
ing q very responsible place. who insists that
when he was an infant he was bewitched. He
is the son of an old Pennsylvania German fam
lily Of Berks county, Pa. He remembers 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 in whom 10
SO strong to this day in Berks and adjacent
Pennsylvania Dutch counties, arc always women
| advanced in years, who seem to have no other
mission in life than to bewitch their neighbors.
their neighbors' children. their horses, cows,
and live stock generally. Then. as a counter
balance to the hexes. there are many witch
doctors. both men and women. who have the
power to rout the evil spirits and lay the tor
turing spells for which tho hexes are responsi.
BILE. Directly opposite the parents of the man Of
whom am speaking lived a witch woman at
the time he was born. Until he was tAcee
months old he was the best and healthesJ baby
in the locality. This did not seem to be to tho
liking OF the hex; and one day during one OF her
call wbere Is ae and wben thev Ike their nei~Sbors
offering no objection for fear of offending them
she took the child in her arms hugged him and
known language which the race of hexes is sup
posed to understand. the same language rs the
simple German farmer folk Of Pennsylvania be-
lieve that was used by the witches Of the dark
ages. The mother of the child was In mortal
Of the of th
away the mother found that her fears were well
grounded. The baby instantly began to cry, as
come covered % from head to foot with angry spots
as thick as those on a leopard. The only rest
the night, when it was supposed the hex herself
| was asleep. The baby could not eat, and he rap
Sy sS s9 1t tbs
| sufferers physical strength 80 that his agonies
| were prolonged and intensified.
the hex, ' but all failed. Then the family en-. M
ton. and who still lives at Reading, enjoying a
fortune made off the credulity and superstition
Baa s ca a
ns must @ not speak word 70 him when ho s arrived
at tho house, and must have nothing in the
oept sept the family Bible. He attended the C child.
under he sp
hex. That was because the witch, having seen
ing more Of G her power vert him in his eorts
to rescue the baby from the spell.
"The doctors treatment OF the case was very
He cut from the B Bible the leaf on Which the he
chld's birth was recorded and wrote upon it
closed it up between the Bibles leaves, and
placed the book under the babys pillow. He
then sprinkled over the baby powder which he
nude By burning on silver plate bunch Of
pure white horse hair. After this he warned tho
mother Of the child that the first thing the next
morning-this was at midnight-the hex would
in all probability send over or como over herself
and ask to borrow drawing of tea. The favor
must be refused, for II she succeeded In getting
still remain on the child. II she was sent away
power would be- broken and the child would get
well unless the hex managed to have communi-
cation S with him IN rs some % way; .,o.
over. opened the kitchen door without knock
ing, and asked for some tea and O fiatiron. The
witch. but oyercame it sufficiently to refuse
the request. The hex went away. The doctor
three days and three nights she would be power
less TO do the child further harm; The baby
better rapidly but % on I'M The third night he
nearly disappeared. became visible again, but
were not 80 distinct as they had been. The
"The, pet cat of this family had habit. when
out of doors, OF jumping up on the % window III, sill
some one OF the family would let her In. About
10 o'clock on this critical third night scratch.
ea The oSer
let it in. sunposng It was the family cat, when
her husband seized her by the arm, dragged her
heavy cowhide boots through the window. The
boot struck the cat and knocked it, yelling
''That wasn't our cat he exclaimed to his
astounded wife, That was the old hex herself,
trying to get in here as II cat!'
Almost Instantly the baby became quiet.
The spots faded away, and the child went TO
sleep and slept, sopndly the rest of the night.
The next morning he was as well as he had ever
been. but the hex. came around, looking pale
and haggard and limping badly. She said she
had fallen down stairs during the night. but
everybo knew, upon hearing about the cat
and the cowhide boot, that she had not fallen
unsuccessful result of her supreme effort ia
keep the baby under her spell. The child was
never bothered by the hex again. but is Lying
to-day, and believes firmly in this ridiculous
story of Pennsylvania Dutch witchcraft."