Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-16
BELIEVE In WITCHES
CURIOUS SUGGESTIONS THAT
SURVIVE IN ENGLAND.
Two Kinds Of Witches in Devonshire-
Remedies for the Cure Of Fits
and Warts.

From the London Daily Express
The belief In the power of witches does
not disappear easily before the advance OF
civilization. In parts of England, particu-
larry in the west, there are numbers OF
people who believe. even to the giving of
considerable money. as their forefathers
did. that
BY force Of potent SPELL OF horfid characters,
And COMPUTATIONS, horrible to hear.
Call nends and specters from the yawnins deep.
And set the ministers OF hell at work.
Although more than century has passed
since the last trial for witohcraft, in the
secluded parts OF Devonshire belief In the
power of charms. the EVIL eye" and other
similar superstitions still exists. The be-
lief being there. it is natural that the SUI
perstitious easily find sympathetic ear
into which they can pour their troubles
and learn of weird and mystic remedies:
The Devonsidre witches are still divided
into two knds-black and white. The
black witches will for pecuniary consid-
Grafton condemn a man or a woman to ex-
or iciating torture The white witches, on
the other hand. will. provided they are
properly ''palmed" undertake to see that
no harm comes to their clients OF the
two the white witches are the more nu-
m,.rous nowadays, and some of them make
comfortable income in forecastng the
future for credulous clients.
In no part of Devonshire Is witchcraft
so much believed in as in the Culm valley.
There is a local saying that there are
enough witches In the valley to roll a hogs
head of cider UP prectpitous Hill. and 1t
is certain that there are several people
living within sight of the hill who profess
to possess supernatural powers. In most
cases they are the descendants of persons
who INDUCED in similar practices. Witch
craft is an hereditary possession.
Casting a Spell.
1t is not often that particulars become
known Of visits paid to witches, who nat
uraliy prefer everything to be kept quiet
as possible. A typical case was that of a
young girl who, when going to marry some
one else, thought she would like spell
cast over him. She consulted her mother.
a woman just over forty. and together they
went to the house of reputed witch.
The interview was apparently very sue
cessful until the amount to be charged for
the witching was mentioned. This was re-
garded by the visitors as prohibitive, and
the young man was accordingly spared
The witch mentioned in this case Is the
daughter of a woman who had a large and
distinguished clientele, some OF whom used
to go to her in their carriages. She is a
woman of middle age, and 1t Is said she
processes to be able not only to cast spell,
but to cure various infirmities
A man-who believed that his pigs had
been bewitched was told not long ago to
take the heart of a pig, stick it full of pins
and needles and roast it at the fire. He
was further enjoined that If all the MEM
bers Of his family were seated around the
fire at the time, watching the operation,
the person who had bewitched the animal
would look in upon them
The remedies resorted to by the witches
are exceedingly curious. For fits they have
been known to advise that some one of the
opposite sex should steal piece Of lead
from the window of a church during divine
service and bend 1t into three pieces, so that
it may be worn round the neck by the pa
tient. AS a cure for warts there is, ac-
cording to some witches, nothing like a fat
slug, which has to be placed on the parts
affected.
Toads are included in the pharmacopoeia
of all witches who profess to cure people OF
sores All they do in such cases is to tie a
portion of the toad on the sore. To cure
adder's bite people have been told to
catch an adder. fry it and put it on the af-
fected spot.