The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-06

unto rhis city takes pride in consider
..- i+-elf progressive, up-to-date com
,,t, right in the front rank of Western
-',.,.,ation. some events have occurred
l,r,ng the past few weeks that have caus-
~, The old-timers to scratch their heads
5.1.oYslv and to wonder whether the town
h.. NOT drifting back TO the old witch-burn-
..- ara of New England. For Leadville
t,- evnerienced a shock in the shape of
, witch trial in one of the legally consti-
,ntsd courts of the county, and the result
mas judicial declaration that one-thirI
If the community believed in witchcraft,
ard that evidence relating to these sub
iects was perfectly admissible. This as
ssrtion may be doubted, but it was pretty
,5oroueblv demonstrated that a belief in
rho rawer of witches, the virtues of pow
5srs burned at the dread midnight hour,
ord other spells and incantations is still
nrevalant in this bounding and untram-
meled West
Some months ago there came to this city
a Jewish family, a man and wife and child.
The woman was of the beautiful Jewish
,vpe. with a certain air of Oriental mys-
tfplSm tn9i caused ilGI llLNoClAOC III tL4C VI
"a he widely discussed. The husband was
a commonplace tailor, but the mysterious
wife soon became quite the rage in little
circle of occutisus, most of whom asserted
that they were on speaking terms with
the SPIRITS of the departed. Mrs Rothen-
berg was credited with possessing a con
trol" of no less Importance than the shade
Of an Arabian sage, and the local Spirit
ualists were in high feather at having
such valuable addition to their ranks
and pointed al many marvellous tests per-
. formed by the Syrian JeWess 90 cOniOund
the uubelievers and skepdcs.
One morning the whole community was
startled by the report of a brutal assault,
the victim being the beautiful Jewess.
During the absence of her husband some
one had entered the house and had cruel
" beaten and bruised her, so that her life
was despared of. The police were not
long in discovering the assailant. He
was Martin Roberts, and he boldly admit
ted having committed the deed, but put
i'm a defense which is one of the most
unique and remarkable in the history of
criminal jurisprudence. In brief, Roberts
said he was bewtched. not in the sensi-
mental sense, but under the malignant
spell of a witch, who was, he asserted,
Catherine Rothenberg.
Under the circumstances a commission
de lunatico inquireudo might have been
the proper thing. But some how, no one
appeared to look at The case in that light,
Roberts is a well known mining man, and
when his wife, his partner in some of his
enterprises and number of neighbors all
insisted that he was under the influence
of witchs spell, and when this was
backed up by one of the leading lawyers
of the city. who undertook the mans de-
Tense, the community was naturally
startled and astonished.
The trial proved 10 be one of the most
remarkable on record. Roberts, the de-
PENDANT, is a man about SO years of age,
who talked and acted as nationally as the
sanest man in the court room. In fact,
the proceedings were conducted on the
theory that the man was perfectly rational
and that all the strange occurrences were
the result of some sort of unhallowed
sorcery practiced by the mysterious Syrian
woman. Roberts had always disclaimed
belief in the occult, but had been in
duced 10 call on the Rothenberg woman,
who had given him some information
about a mine in which he was interested.
He made her a wager of 500 that he
could not give him certain information
concerning another property, but, much 10
the surprise of the man, she told him
what proved to be the exact truth.
The trouble began, according 10 Roberts,
when the woman asked him to place some
powder on the dooisteps of person, who,
she said, had wronged her The powler
vas prepared according to the most hp-
proved formula, and warranted to bring
all sorts of misfortune sickness and uou-
BILE on the heads of those against whom
1t was usea. Roberts refused TO have any
thing to do with the woman's revenge,
AID, he says, brought her wrath down on
Lis own head.
Roberts wife was not partial to tie
bea Jtiful Jewess, either. The conscious
ness that her husband called at the Roth
en5e~e house, and was subj TO The
wilohtry of those wonderful black eyes,
TO say nothing of any more occult power,
wa rardly calculated 10 insure the good
Voinan's peace of mind. One day she call
81 at the Rothenberg house ana told Mrs.
F0lhenberg she didn't believe in her
power
You dont?" the woman IS alleged to
have said. TN show you. I shai Grippe
your children, paralyze your husband and
make YOU so that you shall beg your
bread
Then the strange thing happened. Rob
erts did become i'll. He was unable TO
sleep at night His actions in the mine
We're so strange that the men refused TO
work where he was, fearing for their
safety. Roberts described the pains in
bis head as terrible. 1T seemed as II
there was a buzz saw ripping through my
were boring in my eyes" There is no
doubt that his condition a the time was
very serious. Physicians and friends all
agreed at the trial that for several months
'Ae man was in mental and bodily dis
lrtss and both husband and wife were
Hrmiy convinced that the cause was the
power of Catherin Rothenberg.
How to break the spell was problem
mat long troubled Roberts. Finally, how
ever. he remembered that the woman had
once told him that if the person on whom
we spell was cast drew blood from her
mouth. at the same time repeating a mys-
Nc formula, the charm would be broken.
ms course Roberts resolved to pursue
Hls only difficulty was in remembering
we caoalistic words. However, he went
TO me womans home, and there found her
9th!Ag a baby TO sleep. Roberts seized
u7f oy the throat and then ensued strug-
So in which sufficient blood was spilled
d" pIeak dozen charms. But Roberts
S5ld be realized that the blood-etung was
~ 10 avail without the mystic formula.
'H spite of the torture to which she was
suVected the woman refused to reveal the
words, but finally on threat of instant