The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-21
STILL BELIEVE I'M wlTCNCRRFT

woman had daughter who was Fl, low,
with a South Carolina youth whom, tba
mother hated because he came from m
olher state, quite sufficient reason fl,
that region AS the girl threatened ~
elope, the mother took her. to Old Name
NOW Tor some reason. possibly connected
vain an evil or unfortunate past. the
wltch mates all marriages, and win do
anything 10 thWart one Bv her orders
Ihe trembling girl was left with her.
Ihe witch, according to the story tor5
dIIerWard by the girl. scraped a turniD
whlch she gave to the girl to eat Hard
~ had the girl tasted it when her nose
began TO pain her, and soon ii had grown
Tar around upon her cheek. almost 10
her ear she was taken home and now
comes the strange part, for there ara
scores of people in the town who an.
ready TO swear that they saw the hid
eousIy distorted organ. Her lover de-
serted her, between disgust. rfiIcuIe ana
+9t III AGAIN she was taken to the
witch, and this time ate Willingly Of tbo
scraped turnip whereupon her nose re-
turned TO Its normal shape and pos
tlon. But the witch warned her that
II she ever tried to marry the same mis-
hap would befau her again.
similarly well authenticated is Tho GAS.
OF Carr McCordles bull On tha occa-
sion of one Of the wltch's rare vfs.f,
to the town the bull undertook TO cbaa,
her She turned upon the animal ami
looked 1t in the eye with Sd dfrca
glare that IL turned tail That lrgnr
1t went mad and rushed believing about
tine pasture plunging into rocks AMI
pushes until it finally wedged itself s.,
ushtly between two trees that the utmo
eIIorts OF McCoTdle and his friends 10 ct
II out were unavailing. What is more
ITS bones are stu there between tine two
trees. Nobody has dared TO touch them.
Even more dreaded than Old Nance fq
the nameless witch of Roach mountain .
specific instances Of her power are nor
so plentiful, but there hangs about her
more Of the terror of mystery. What
her name originally was is either forgot
ten or forbidden. She is known onlv as
the Witch" or the Witch of Roam
Mountain" For many miles around if
Is believed that the mention Of her brings
the speaker in peril of death. by dool.
landslide and Lightning, her allies I'm an
unholy pact. Old Man CrOWse who lives
few miles from the cave where sh.
spends her summers, once remarked air
lily, under the influence of moonshine
whisky that he didn't take any stock
in the Witch, and didn't darn keer whut
| she could do anyways" Though the
matter could have come to her ears
| through no human agency within am
hour she "witched him clean crazy
with a spell that lasted for seven years.
For days at time he would be speech
less then again, sunk in melancholy
changing to violent mania when he
would rush forth into the stormy fight,
running until he fell from exhaustion
On such occasions as the Roam Noun
tain Witch chooses to make visits she
lives on the cream Of the land Nobody
would dare refuse her hospitality The
terrified people bow down obsoqu.0usly
before her when she comes to their
houses and set out their best food too
gether with presents to prOpltiate her.
This Is the procedure when she comes
on any day Of the week except Friday.
But If she appears on that day of iIl
omen the people desert their homes and
fly to the woods and mountains for then
she is filed with all purposes of evil,
and viii blast with madness or defOrmity
any on whom she sets eyes. Her advent
on a Friday last summer turned a couu-
try picnic into rout; even the horses, it
is said, stampeded.
But the mountaineers are not left en-
tirely defenseless to the wiles Of the
witches. There lives among them
witch doctor, an old, keen-eyed, bent
man, who, for a consideration, viii re-
move any curse that a witch may cast
First he must catch his witch, a feat
which necessitates his travelling long dis
in the most inaccessible places they can
find. By spells of his own ne defends
himself from the black art Of the witch
while he draws her picture on a paper
pad, which he always takes with him.
With mis- prize he returns to the person
bewitched, who Is often taken with
spasms at the sight Of the picture This
is proof that the right witch has been
found. The witch doctor pins the picture
to a tree and shoots 1t with a silver bull
let thereby dispelling the curse 1t IS
related that once a travelling pho
tographer encountered one of these
witches, and, against her remonstrauces.
took her picture. This the witch doctor
subsequently saw and bought Shortly
after he was called upon 10 remove a
spell cast by this witch, and produced
the photograph, to the great marvel Of
all those present who had gathered TO
see the shooting. His shot crumpled the
counterfeit presentment up, striking fair
ly in the middle. On the following day
some berry pickers found the witch lying
dead outside her cabin.