The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-03-10
Man Gives an Intereeting Ex-
perience of Recent Years.
How They Frightened Away Witch
Down About Paris,
Tenn.
EYEWITNESS DESCRIBE IT.

Paris, Tenn, March 1o.-To the
present generation, taught by the
school histories of the day, which
treat almost exclusively of the deeds
great ana small OF tn, pioneers of
New England, il would appear that
belief in witchcraft was confined en-
tiroly TO that section, but your CORES
pendent has been informed that the
same belief existed among our south
ern people mp to comparatively re.
cent date. Among the most interest
insg reminiscenscencos OF the early
settlement of West Tennessee are the
recollections Of Memucan Hunt How
ard, which have been preserved, but
never printed in full. AIR. Howard
was later Of Nashville and New York,
and with part of his large fortune es-
tsblished library ana school in Nash
vile, which bears his name. He en-
gagged ss Surveyor, locating claims
in the backwoods and remained in this
portion of the state and in the woods
sixteen years, for many years seeing
no newspapers and few books, aud
during this time located $50, 900 acres
of land in many different sections.
He gives the following interesting ac-
count of his experience at the eeanco !;
About 1896 or 1917 reached the
home of Rev. J. W. Wright, just be-
fore night think he was metho-
dist and lived six or seven miles north
east OF Paris in Henry county. l
found there, or he arrived there soon
afterward, Elder Smith of that church
end as we were to spend the night
there we were informed that there
was to be awitch.killing for the relief
of a daughter of Mr.. Wright, who had
been bewitchcd by another woman,
and that all who were TO stay at the
house must b. within before daylight
disappeared and not go out again until
broad Daylight next morning, as doing
so would destroy the efficacy of their
intended operations. We. of course,
remained in. An oven was placed on
the hearth filed with liquid Of some
sort with some of the bewitched wo-
mans hair, trimmings of her nails
etc. The lid was put on and closely
sealed with stiff clay, aud fire put on
and under the oven. The witch in di-
minutive form had by some means
gotten in the oven and when the Ii
quid in it WAS about to give out, the
patient would, by some kind of influ-
ence OF the wi tell, be powerfully i'm
pressed with the desire 10 relieve her
The bewitched woman was placed in
a bed in the center of the room, her
father and husband by 1t. Elder
Smith and l were on bed in the cor
ner, wide awake to witness the scene
When the liquid in the oven was about
to give out and the other things
burned, the patient began to roll back
and forth on tbs bed; sprang out sud
denly to relieve the witch, WAS seized
by her husband and father and they
had it up and down, hip and thigh,
on and over the floor until the woman
was placed forcibly on the bed where
she was confined until daylight, when
the doors were opened and all were
let out. The husband died soon after
and l never heard Of her troubles
again. She may have died, too.
The bewitching, it appeared, had
occurred where they moved from and
Mr.. Wright had been told if he could
draw blood from the witch above her
breath it would cure his daughter
He mad gone to the house of the alleg.
ed witch, seized her, scratched her
forehead wi h something and drew
blood for the assault he was sued snd
we'll nigh OF quite ruined by damages
and costs.