The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-01-15
BENTON, LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, JANUARY Is, 1903

|
well, l kept studying the witches
and finding out more about them until
| was sure anyone could be a witch and
do the things they did if he only had
witch wisdom. One day mother came
home from visiting widow woman
who was neighbor, and said that the
widow had vowed her poor husband
came to his death by pneumonia
brought on by cold caused by expo
sure while being ridden by witches.
According to the widow the witches
rode him about every other night,
sometimes leaving him in the doorway |
where she would find him in the morn |
ing, almost unconscious, and some |
times in the stable with the horses. !
She declared that every time her hus-
band went out at night they caught
him and rode him about over the coun-
try. One cold, snowy morning she
found him in the wagon shed all but
frozen solid, and he was witches
mount, in the flesh, at least, no more.
He had bottle in his pocket which
had contained rock candy and whisky,
Out ~ was SupPOsNu tudt VIC ~ uSA
witches deprived him of its warming
powers.
THAT tale made a terrible impress
sion on me, and resolved to be pres
ent at a witches conclaye that very
night. had learned that before go
ing out for time of it the witches
always gathered at an appointed
I
had long suspected that our smoke
house was one of those meeting
| places, and that evening after dinner
I got away from the other boys and
stole quietly into it and secreted my
self behind hogshead. waited aud
waited, and was just falling fast
asleep. when I heard some one say:
'What'll it be to-night?'
IA ride! A ride!' was the weird
answer from several voices.
peeped out and saw 13 witches stand
ing around the big kettle of lye in
the middle of the floor, each holding a
candle in his or her hand. They were
so disguised with black wells |
couldn't tell if I knew any of them,
but there was one just the size of
the brown-eyed girl, and I'm sure it
was she. I could tell they were
women, because their hair was loose
and hanging down their backs.
"a ride it shall bel exclaimed the
leader. This shall be the rigmarole
for tonight. Each witch shall first
touch the nose on the right side with
the forefnger of the right hand;
then stick the finger in the lye up
to the first joint; draw it out and
make circle with it three times say.
ing: "Around and around and around
and out / go!" Blow out the candle
by sneezing, and then you will arise
! and pass out the flue hole and alight
on some object to ride. / go frst'
1.-THE leader went through the rig
. marole, sneezed out the candle, anG
I shot up through the fue hole. On;
, after the other went out that way un
| til all were gone and the smokehoust
, was left in darkness. | jumped fron
my hiding place and struck match
they had taken the candles will
E them. l wanted to try the rigmarole
SO began striking matches and look
ing for a candle. l found a piece o
one on the salt barrel, lit it, an,
, took my place by the kettle of lye.
, .''I touched the right side of m.
nose with the forefnger of my righ
I hand, and stuck the finger into the ly
/ up to the first joint, drew it out, an.
h described a circle, repeating tn
: words of the rigmarole: Around an
: around and around and out / go!
Before | could wink / sneezed, tn
;, candle went out, and / felt mysel
: rise
q sI passed out the fue hole an
I alighted astride one of my daddy
o yearling calves. 1t jumped up wit
d bawl and away we went across tn
I meadow after the other witches. U
/ the hill we went, and down the hi
we went by the dark woods to th
h creek. At that place the creek wa
L fully 40 yards wide, but the mount
of the witches cleared it easily. Som
of the witches were on horses an
:, mules, some on cows and calves, an
= others on hogs. When exercising tt
: witches incarnation you must NJ
! even whisper sacred name; if yc
:. do the spell is off at once. When n
: little calf sailed over the creek lii
= bird. I forgot and exclaimed:
nj "'Lord, but that was great jump
h "Instantly the calf shot from u
I der me and found myself sitting {
It the ground feeling shaky. L"
m But the colonel got no furthe
a The crowd positively refused
/ stand for it any longer, and after Il
1t Jolly was handed around the clu
ri man suggested that they smoke u
~ N. Y. Times.
Va1me Fixed.