The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-14

When Cotton Mather ended his cru
SADIE against witchcraft 1t was sup
posed that my lady of the broom
stick" had been most effectually ban
ished from the New Word: but the fol-
lowing clipping taken from a New York
paper of not so many months ago
proves the contrary. 1t was sent from
a town in Berks county, Pennsylvania,
and read:
David Clay said spirits told him to
kill his mother because she was a
witch. He killed her because he could
not find n black kitten with three white
feet, which he was to skin alive in or
der to break the spell. Clay is about
AZ years old. His mother was So. lie
had accused her several times OF lay
Ing things on him that is to say,
hypnotizing him and causing him to
perform actions against his will"
Berks county, Pennsylvania, where
this tragedy occurred, is situated in
the southeastern part of the state. and
is the land of the hex" and the
"pow-wow." Within its boundaries
superstition has found an abiding place
The settlers of this county are mostly
a sturdy set of thirty Germans who
have inherited their beliefs from their
ancestors and have in turn handed
them down. Hex" meaning a witch,
and "pow-wow," the juggling of words
by which evil is exercised, are as IA
miliar to childish lips as the Lords
Prayer.
There was no concealment OF their
strange ideas until late years, but now
they maintain a marked reticence
whenever reference is made to them In
the presence of strangers. Owing to
this, it is rather a difficult matter for
an outsider to collect reliable informa-
ton on the subject, and IL was only
after living among them and being
thrown in constant and familiar inter
course with them for over two years.
that the writer realized how deep a
hold superstition had upon her neigh
bors.
Every disease-both Of stock and
family-that did not readily yield 10
orthodox treatment was supposed to
originate in the wicked mind of a
hex" a creature entirely under the
dominion of the Evil one, and whose
only desire was to work i'll to those
around her. Incantations from the
"pow-wow" man or woman were the
only means by which the sufferer could
be cured. If he died, after having been
placed in the control of the pow
WOW" there was no room for self-re-
proaches on the part of the afflicted
ones family. Whatever was beyond the
power of the "pow-wow" to heal must
be the will of God.
This remarkable power OF healing is
not gift in the strictest sense of the
word. Like Weltherism. 1t can be
taught, but man can not teach man
nor a woman one of her own sex. There
are certain formulas for different dis
eases and with them all is recited some
verse from the Bible. usually the
Seventh Book of Moses" These for
mulas-or words-as the believers term
them, are repeated while outside appli-
cations as fantastic and curious as the
Chinese Materia Medica, are used,
"pow-wow" does not possess the
power to cure all diseases. They are
Specialists" Some only heal a sore
mouth; others drive away rheumatism:
and this power can only be used from
sunrise to sunset. No price can be set
upon the services of the healer. IT
would take away all the virtue OF the
incarnation, but a gift can be made,
it's value depending upon the wealth
of the patient,
AS already stated, different ailments
have different treatments. For erysip-
elias, a shovel of hot coal is passed
over the affected part while the mys-
FERROUS words are uttered in a low, sig
nificant tone. For rheumatism. red.
wooden string is held in both hands
and gravely passed over the body from
head to feet three times. This is con-
tinued each day until relief comes. In
cases where the patient can not be
treated personally, certain cabalistic