The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-11
wITcHcRAFr lNTHE SOUTH.

| tive Americans which Is as wirchridden
| as was New England before the Salem
! hangings- Three aged hays. who have
| fostered for themselves repute OF mys-
! terry and terror hold entire communities
| IN subsection, weaving spells and charms.
| blighting with evil eve and compromising
potions Of strange ingredients.
| The best known OF these is called Old
| Nance-but only in whispers. and il is by
! no means certain TO the countryside that
she does net hear the whispers. SO most
/ people prefer the safe side and refer TO
her as Mother Nance. Five thousand
| feet high in the mountains OF Macon
| county among the rOOsts CT foul buzzards.
| her cabin clings 10 q wind-beaten ledge
| OF rock, overhanging an abyss. No road
| leads thither
After considerable effort the writer
found q young woodsman who agreed to
accompany him on the road TO Old
/ Nance's. bur after six miles of the hard
/ est kind OF tramping. The youth lost his
| courage and refused 10 so any further.
You can't miss it now he said.
| glancing fearfully up the mountsinside.
1T amt NOR half mile There's the
] laidge Of rock, If yer sure you want 10
! go. Don't blame me if your friends don't
! reco nize yer when you come back-ef
/ you ever do get back. he concluded with
! startling earnestness.
| II was with somewhat daunted spirit
| that the writer proceeded. and pres
emily came abruptly upon small. one
roomed log shack without a window or
I chimney. Outside very old woman was
| stirring something in an iron POT hung
| over a fire. She was bowed down with
| age and hideOus with wrinkles and CRIME
and her little eyes We're bright and evil.
AT the sound of q strangers footsteps
| she whirled around with a swiftuess that
was uncannily out Of keeping with her
I ~ ar1efr~ ONT a a~f-
ments study Of the writer's face, spoke
in SO cracked an accent and barbarous q
dialect that it was hard 10 make ont her
meaning
You kin someit
Assuming the meaning Of this to be;
You know something that has brought
you up here the writer replied:
NO. mother I came 70 hear some
thing that you know" at the same time
producing silver dollar.
With the switfness of a snake, she
darted forward. snatched the coin and
hid il in her bosom.
Yer KUN hur fer wot?" she snarlc6.
ITO find out if you haven't something
to tell me; something about the days
that are coming.
She squinted cunningly over the edge
of the rock into the abyss Yer come
fun below" she said. yen go back
ter below"
Isn't there some charm YOU could give
me to make it pleasanter down below
At this malignant grin distorted the
deep lines about her mouth. With
swift movement she disappeared into the
cabin. returning with a bowl Of liquid.
which steamed and exuded a spicy cdor.
This she proneTed. Now there are GER
tain tales of people who went TO see Old
Nance and never were heard of after
ward. This might be explained by the
fact that they drank steaming liquid out
of a bowl. There are many poisonous
plants in the mountains. and il seemed
best 20 evade the drink.
1T isn't polite to drink alone said the
writer TO the witch
After you"
With a snarl of rage She dashed the
bowl to the ground. darted into her cabin
and barred the door. This seemed to in
dictate that the audience was over. The
writer returned to the village whence he
had started and was welcomed as one
from the dead. Also he learned many
tales of the witch, some of which were
so specifically corroborated by witnesses ]
10 the fact that it was difficult 10 be-
lieve them and impossible 10 believe that |
the natives had anything but the fullest /
faith in them. Here is one:
A woman had a daughter who was in }
love with a South Carolina youth whom 4
the mother hated because he came from !!
another state, quite sufficient reason /
in that region. As the girl threatened 10 |
elope, the mother took her to Old Nance. /
Now for some reason possibly connected /
with an evil or unfortunate past the {
witch hates al marriages, and will DO /
anything TO thwart one. BY her orders /
the trembling girl was left with her. The /
witch, according to the story told after /
ward by the girl. scraped a tUrnip which I
she gave To the girl to eat. Hardly had /
the girl tasted il when her nose began 4
to pain her. and soon il had grown FAR /
around upon her cheek. almost 10 her ear.
She was taken home and now comes the /
strange part. for there are scores Of peO-
pie that saw the hideous distorted organ.
Her lover deserted her, between disgust,
ridicule and horror. Again she was taken
to the witch and this time ate willingly
of the scraped turnip, whereup0n her
nose returned to its normal shape and po-
sition. But the witch warned her that
If she ever tried 10 marry the same mis-
hap would befal her gain.
Similarly wei authenticated IS the case
OF Carr McCordle's bull. on the occasion
Of one of the witchs rare visits 10 the
town the bull undertook to chase her
She turned upon the animal and looked
II In the eye with so fierce a glare that Do
turned tail That night it went mad and
rushed believing about the pasture. !
plunging into rocks ana bushes until 10
finally wedged itself so tightly between
two trees that the utmost efforts Of SIC
Cordle ard his friends TO get il out were
unavailing. What is more. its bones are
stil there between the two trees so
body has dared 20 touch them.
Even more dreadful than Old Nance SIS
the nameless witch Of Roam Mountain.
Specific instances OF her power are not
so plentiful. bat there hangs about her
more Of the terror Of mystery. What
her name originally was is either for
gotten or forbidden. She IS known only
as the Witch or the Witch - Roam
Mountain For many miles around it Is {
believed that the mention q her brings
the speaker IN peril OF death tv food
landslide and lightning her allies f1 an I
1nholy pact. Ola man Crowse whu lives
few miles from where she spends her
summers. once remarked. airiy. -afer tho
influence OF woonshiue whisky. that Doe
iidn't take any stock in The witch and
didn't darn kecr what she could do
.nyways Though the matter could have
,ome 20 her ears through no human
agency. within an hour she Wltched him
'leau crazy with a spell thar lasted for
seven years. For days at q time BE- would
le speechiess. then. again sunk i1 mel
.nch0iy. changing 10 violent mania. when
20 would rush forth into the stormy .
light running until he feii from exhaus-
Jon.
on such occasions as ere Roam Noun
ain witch chooses fe m8fe VISITS ane
ives on the cream - The land Sobe1r (
would dare refuse heg nosglta sL-- Ihr
eTrifad people bow down of-se..l..rlz s.
.efore her when she comes te thefr
louses ard seq orr theLr best fe11. to-
.etafr with presents - pro7itlate hsr e