New-York tribune., 1901-02-17

the stories OF the few dweil-rs the hillside.
this being was neither man nor woman. neither
brute nor human. BY and by II came 20 be be
Iieved that the silent denizen OF the woods 1as
a freak OF nature. a nondescript specimen of
wild wornanhood Now she was in the
treetops. fitting hither and thither; now
squatting amid the Roman ruins and now
riding like mad a white horse.
After a long period Of seclusiOn and lonel-
ness. the forlorn woman yentured 10 leave the
woods She wandered away Till she came 70
farmhouse the tenant 81 which Was not afraid
OF her and knew nothing Of her history. When
she asked for something To do he set her TO the
work OF cutting whins. wedding the fields, rails
ing dikes and the like, whereby she earned the
pOrridge Of her daily life. Descriptions OF her
appearance this time have been given by
Professor Carrick and others. Her visage
strongly masculine and was adorned with a
natural beard. Her headdress rough
woOllen cowl, tied under her chin with leather
thongs. and she wore a mans coat. wolfskin
ieggings. a military cloak and antiquated
pair OF Wellington boots. No one could tell
where she got these things She bore traces
of her early beauty, but want, grief. fright hard
experiences and blood guilt had made her SO
weakened and queer that she looked like
unearthly creature. No Witchlike figure
ever was seen IN Scotland even among thos-
uncanny witches who. after the devil had
preached a sermon 10 them. mounted their
brOomsticks and fed Yet there is plenty OF
local testimony that while peculiar and
centric, Camp Meg was a shrewd. clever. handy
woman. and that both I'm speech and behavior
she showed the marks Of high breeding.
She soon went back 10 the camp and 10 her
hut Her stool there the stump OF a tree;
her table was big stone, her bed consisted of
the branches Of young FIR trees. the curtains
OF IL were old sacks She had gun. a bayOnet.
a scythe poker. and also hunters horn.
which she would blow "a blast scare off
stragglers. AS time on she got a few hens
which gave her eg6s; she raised few yegeta-
bies on patch OF land. Somehow she got a
fat pig, upon which she dotted for a time. She
kept a fierce bulldog. for the edifcation OF
wayrarerS, and when "A certain white
came a hopeless cripple the sent IL 20
her 10 Kill or cure II was quickly mended by
what was supposed 10 be witChery and she
rode II astTide as racer I'm her equestrian
feats- She became known as a horse
doctor. and she extended her hut to make
room Tor stable, which was always fun OF
tOtterfng steeds waiting for regeneration by her
power. II was said that her white nag toddcd
three legs, but NJ galloped on all fouTs
when she dOnned her martial cloak and mount
ed him. on one occasion she took him to the
races and put an urchin astride. while she ran
the prize. after which she rode the beast bare
back 10 her solitary camp At the start she
raised the witch cry. "Talla ITALIA. tall, ada,
daum. daai' and sang
There's flint in his nose.
There's fire in his tail.
His back Is all whalebOne.
His legs are Of steel
Her renown as a witch. as healer and as a
eharmer OF beasts spread further and far
away. till everybody wondered but never could
she be induced TO fOrsake her place of seclu-
sion among the oak trees at the top Of the
Roman Camp where her Bible. which she knew
thoroughly, her perpetual companion and
solace-along with whiskey-
Professor Carrick tells many OF the stories
current about Camp Meg. some OF which are
true and others apOcryphal- In one of her
terviews with Satan. who looked old as the
hills and had horns, she noticed his garb. which
consisted OF red hat and a pair OF CATERS.
After while she said 10 him: "Ye are the
ugliest beast / saw In the Camp and he
fed. Among the true stories about her Is
the following: One day. in answer TO a rap she
opened her door and fine looking man,
who asked II Margaret Hawthorn lived there
had travelled far 10 find her and would like to
her She questioned him closely as TO why
ne sought TO her. Because" ne replied 81
am her son. She left me when / was a
child." Meg turned upon him a strange
Cnearthy face, scanned his features ferceIy
detected the lineaments of his dead father,
cried Then am your mother"' and fell into
swoon, while he shed tears. For days he
gentle son nursed his long lost mother in the
hut He begged her to go 10 his home but 4
was her will 10 die where she had lived. He
wentsaway with a broken heart: they never saw
each other again. She beyond threescOre
years old
IL her life weird her death was doubIy
so There is an old Scotch superstition that
fearful hurricane in a snowstorm at night
marks the passing OF a witch's spirit on the
winter night OF Meg's death a terrific and dis
nal snowstorm came up. and so tremendous
was the drift that the snow piled twenty
feet above the Roman Camp Soon afterward
the body OF old Meg was found lying at her own
door. covered with snow. There she had per-
ished In the drift. The heavy bells in the
requiem but for years afterward the wrath
of the murder haunted witch said 20 be
seen astride white horse. haunting the old
Roman Camp