The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-01-15
A Night Ride
with Witches

rHERE was lull in the converse
tion. and then the thin man who
was afraid to go home at night after
certain hour said:
II see by the papers that they be-
,;eve in witches down in West Vlr-
ginia."
"That's nothing" abruptly declared
the Missouri colonel; 80 do II
"Straight?" said the man who lived
ot the club. "Get out!"
The thin man shivered and the others
laughed.
.Straight," said the colonel, "that's
4be word for it, If any man on earth
has right to believe in witches l
have"
"Did YOU ever see witch?" inter-
rooated the little fat stock broker.
"Did ever see witch ?" replied the
colonel, disdainfully. dozens of them.
That's not all; I've kept company with
them"
.Here, here!" broke in the clubman.
.Why," continued the colonel, when
Twas a lad on my daddy's farm witches
were thick everywhere. They were in
the house nearly every night, especial
" if the night was windy and dark,
and sometimes they cut up high jinks.
We boys often woke up on cold nights
shivering and sneezing to find every
last thread of the cover off on the
floor. Many time the witches ate
every pie in the cupboard and all the
cake and jelly. l remember once l
ont A pair of new trousers and l was so
proud | couldn't stand still in them.
Well, sir, l wore them one day, and
when I took them off that night
carefully hung them on the back OF
a chair by my bed. When I went to
put them on the next morning they
were snagged and ripped. Awitch had
worn them.
.sThe witches would ride the horses
and cows and even the hogs. 1t was 9
common thing to get up in the morn
ing and find the horses tired and hun
gry and their tails muddy. We could
tell when they'd been ridden from the
witch stirrups in their name. Ere
quently the cows would be so tiret
they couldn't give milk, and more thar
once was kept awake all night by th
hogs squealing and trying to get ava.
from the witches.
"At last they got so bothersome
had to turn detective and make stud,
of them. Once our cows stopped Civ
ing milk. We turned them in tn.
cfover field and fed them bran and re
sorted to all known tricks to keep
milch cow in good humor, but not
drop could we get. They were be
witched.
"One day followed the cows to tn
pasture and it turned out just as
expected. Directly an old woma
came along, and as soon as saw her
darted behind tree. She stopped i
front of the cows and, taking out
piece of broken blue bottle glas.
looked at them through it, all the tim
mumbling to herself.
81 followed the old hag home, ant
waiting for good chance, slipped
on her unexpectedly and made the sig
of the cross, which renders witc
powerless while you are in it's pre-.
ence. hit the nail on the head tina
time. In the corner of her rickety ol
shanty hung long towel from whic
milk was dripping, dripping constant
into big churn beneath. That wa
where our milk was going.
"I rushed at the old woman an
marked cross on her with the for
finger of my left hand. which brol
the spell on our cows. Then ran o,
of the door and up the road Lookin
back / saw her pulling her hair an
jumping up and down in a rage. TIL,
night our cows gave nearly two ga
Ions of milk EACH"
The colonel's either had too mut
or not enough" interrupted the stoe
broker.
That's nothing" resumed the col
mel; "once l was in love with a gi
who was a. witch. She was as pret
as peach-soft brown eyes, dimple
budding lips, and all that. I was o.
hunting one day and spied pret
young fawn with horns that look'
IKE gold. shot at it and shot at it al
snot at it, and each time it would le;
away and then look at me as thou.
laughing. | knew it was witch, sc
went home and nodded silver bull
tout OF silver dollar I took fro
mothers wallet), the only kind of
bullet that will kill a witch. WheI
returned the fawn was gone. TIL
evening | went to spark the little G
with the brown eyes; what do y