The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-08
WlTCHCRkFT UP-TO-DATE.
TWENTIETH CENTURY BREWERS
OF MYSTIC PoTIONs AND
wEAVERS OF SPELLS.

the Man Who Didn't Take Any
stock in Witches"-The Modern
Wftch-Doctor and His Methods.
Raleigh N. c.. July 5.-To speak Of
witchcraft in this twentieth century
seems a mingling of irreconcilable terms
Yet to-day in the mountains of North
Carolina there is a district peo2led eN-
clusively by native Americans which is
as witch-ridden as was New England be-
fore the Salem hangings There aged
hays, who have fostered for themselves
a repute of mystery and terror, hold en-
tire communities in subsection, weaving
spells and charms, blighting with the evil
eye and compromising potions of strange
4ingredients:
"FiMet of a fenny snake,
Eye of newt and toe of frog.
Wool of bat and tongue Of dog,
Adder's fork and blnd-worms sting,
Lizards leg and howlet's wing
The black art in Macbeth may well be
the prototype of this mountain withchraft
for there is a strong current of Scotch
blood in this part of North Carolina, and
known to be part Scotch and part Chero-
kee. The best known of these is called
Old Nance--but only in whispers, and ii
is by no means certain to the country
side that she does not hear these whis-
pers, so most people prefer the safe side
and refer to her as Mother Nance. Five
thousand feet high in the mountains of
Macon county, amongst the roosts of the
foul buzzards. her cabin clings to wind
beaten ledge of rock, over-hanging an
abys No road leads thther.
Fer a stranger to make his way there
is a matter of no little difficulty. First
of all, he must find out where Old Nance
lives which isn't as easy as 1t might APP
pear. No native win guide him. 1t is
difficulty to find any one who will even
tell where the place is.
After considerable effort the writer
found a young woodsman who agreed to
accompany him on the road to Old
Nances, but after some six miles of the
hardest kind of tramping, from the near
est point of the roadway, the youth lost
his courage and refused to go any fur
ther.
You can't miss it now" he said, glanc-
ing fearfully up the mountain side. 1T
amt more'n half a mile. There's the
laidge O. rock. if yer sure you want to go.
Don't blame me If your friends don't rec
o-nize yer when you come back-ef you
ever do git back" he concluded, with
startling earnestness.
Superstition is one of the most conta =
Eious of ailments. 1t was with a some
what daunted spirit that the writer pro-
ceeded and presently came abruptly upon
small, one-roomed log shack without
window or chimney. outside a 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 were bright and
evil. At the sound of a strangers foot
step she whirled around with a swiftnesS
that was uncannily out of keeping with
her apparent decrepitude. and after a mo-
ment's study of the writer's face, spoke
in so cracked an accent and barbarous a
dialect that it was hard to make out her
meaning.
Yer kin some'it"
Assuming the meaning of this to be
You know something that has brought
you up here" the writer replied:
No, Mother, ! came to hear something
that you know" at the same time pro.
ducing silver dollar.
With the swiftness of a snake she dart.
ed forward, snatched the coin and hij
it in her bosom.
Yer KUN hur fer wot?" she snarled
10 1nd out If you haven't something
10 tell me; something about the DAYS thai
are coming
She squinted cunningly over the edge OF
the rock into the abyss. yer come fun
below" she said. 'Yer'n go back ter be
low"
Isn't there some charm You could civ,
me to make it pleasanter down below?"
At this malignant grin distorted tn,
deep lines about her mouth With a swif
movement she disappeared into the cabin
returning with a bowl of LIQUID. which
steamed and exuded a spicy odor Thi
she profered. Now there are certai,
tales of people who went to see Old Name
and never were heard of afterward rhi
might be explained by the fact that the,
drank steaming liquid out OF a bowl Their
are many poisonous plants in the Nortl
carolina mountains. and IT seemed hes
to avoid the drink
1t isn't considered polite to drinl
alone, said tie writer to the witch. ar
ter you"
With snarl of rage she dashed tn
bowl to the ground. darted into her cah,
and barred the door. This seemed 10 In
dictate that the audience was over. Tn
writer returned to the village whence h
mao started and was welcomed as on
from the dead. Also he learned man
tales of the witch. some of which wer
so specifically corroborated by witnesse
TO the fact that 1t was difficult not TO be
heve them and impossible to believe tina
the natives had anything but the fulles
faith in them. Here is one: A woma
mad daughter who was in love with
south Carolina youth whom the mothe
mated because he came from anothe
state, quite sufficient reason in tina
region. AS the girl threatened 10 elop.
the mother took her to Old Nance. Nov
Tor some reason, possibly connected wit
an evil or unfortunate past, the wife
mates all marriages, and will do onythin
to thwart one By her orders the tren
bling girl was left with her The witcl
according to the story told afterward b
the girl, scraped a turnip which she CAV
to the girl TO eat. Hardly had the 81
tasted IL when her nose began TO pai
her. and soon II had grown far aroun
upon her cheek, almost to her ear 81
was taken home, and now comes n
strange part. for there are scores of pee
pie In the town who are ready TO sweg
that they saw the hideously distorted o.
gan. Her lover deserted her. betwee
disgust, ridicule and horror. Again 81
was taken 10 the witch. and this tin
ate willingly OF the scraped turnip wher
upon her nose returned to its norm
state and position. But the witch war;
ed her that n she ever tried to mari
the same mishap would befall her agai
Similarly well authenticated In the ca
OF Carr McCordle's bull. On the o
casion OF one Of the witohs rare visi