The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-23
A VIRGINIA WITCH
TALE OF GRACE SHERWOOD. A RE-
 WITCHING BEAUTY,
She Was Ducked nnd Imprisoned 200 Years Ago and Now Make.
 Copy for the Jamestown
(By WIIIard Homnnl

l Norfolk, Va. Aug. 22-(Special ,- Nowadays the only witchcraft charq l ed against women who are young ans
 beautiful and of sympathetic heart. i,
 the subtle witchery of their loyeliness
 Two centuries ago. however, the goot
 farmer folk of Princess Anne County | Va, thought differently In l705. Ion
 after Salem Witchcraft and Witch's Hall had passed into history, they inn prisoned Grace Sherwood on a charge | of w1tchcraft and subpected her for many months to indignities of every sort. Many of the descendants of the people living in Princess Anne County at that time who are now living on the same spot. believe her to have been guilty of witchcraft
 Surviving the lapse of two centuries though somewhat faded. we stfll have the pen portrait of Grace Sherwood as she was at that time. The old chron- icles tell of her as having been a tall and stately woman with dark hair and a face so beautiful that 1t was consti- tuted one of the counts in the indict- nlent against her at the trial The wo- men said no mere mortal could be so beautiful. They said their husbands praised her too much and she had turn ed their heads with her witehcraft
 They acknowledged, however, that the brown eyes of Grace Sherwood gleamed upon them with tenderest sym pathy whenever they were sick or in trouble. Yet still they declared that this was dsne only in order to harm them.
 Grace Sherwood was tried on charges brought by her, neighbors, Luke Hill and wife. They charged that she had brought through soreery d cistemper upon their cattle. She was arrested and confined in the old 3ait of Prin- cess Anne County. which Is still stand ing The Justices of the court which tried her were Colonel Moseiey, Beu- tenant Colonel Thorrowgood John Richason, John Cornick, captiin Chap man and Captain Hancock. She was arrested on January 3, i705. After a month of discussion the court ordered that Luke Hill should pay thefcosts of the trail and that Grace Sherwood should be tried by jury of women. Eliza Barnes was forewomant of this jury. Other members of the Jury were Sarah Norris. Margaret watkinsl Hannah Dimis, Sarah Goodaerd. Mary Burgess. Sarah Sergeant, Winifred DavA, ursu- h HenIy, Anna Brights. ExabB Wap- lies and Mary Cotle. They promptly decided that she was a witch.
 The case dragged along until July, when the court rendered the following TGmaTKaDiC QeCfSlObs " ttNi reFf fASt this several Courts ye business hetween Luke Hin anE Grace Sherwood or sus- picion of witchcraft have been fos sev- eral things omitted. particularlS for wanted of a Jury to search hes ye court being doubtful that they slpuld not get one to search her & ye Durt being willing to have all means ried to either acauiti her or give nore strength to ye suspicion vt she night be dealt with as deserved, thereforA it was ordered ye day by her own ,en- sent to be tryed in ye water by dlek- ing. But we weather being soc lad and rainy vt possibly 1t might endanger her health It is therefore order. vt ye Sheriff be requested to secure ye body of ye said Grace till ye time be forthcoming for her to be dealth wit4"
 Nearly a year later Grace Sherwood the weather being clear, was taken 10 John Harper's plantation on the bark of the Lynnhaven River. People welt in great numbers from Nprfoik, froen the plantations on Sewell's Point neaf- by, where will be held next year tie Jamestown Ter Centennial Exposition. from Old Point and from Newpott News. E
 In the presence of this multitude, the sheriff, the justices of the court and the jury of women, Grace Sherwood still stately, still beautiful despitd all her sufferings, was repeatedly duclSed. The spot is to this day known as ''Witchs Duck" After this she was taken back to prison and kept there for many months Finally she was re- leased.
 The legends of Princess Anne County recite impossible stories of Grace sher- woods life These legends set forth that she was thrown into Lynnhaven River, near the present site of the Jamestown Exposition. On this occa- sion, it Is said, her hands were tied and a millstone was fastened about her neck Almost instantly, legends tell. she came up to the surface with the millstone still about her neck. but with her hands free With the stone still fast to her neck, she reached the other shore none the worse for her terrible experience. This is cited as conclu- sive proof of her having been witch.
 On another occasion. she is said to have visited brig which was lying in Hampton Roads with only the cook on board She ordered this person to take her to England. saying she had been treated cruelty in this country and wished to leave. He replied that he speak of other details of navigation. At this, according to the story. the cook has handed down to posterity, she or dered him to go into the cabin. When she ordered him on deck again a few hours later, the ship was entering Portsmouth harbor in England. The sails moved in obedience to her com mand without the medium of brawny arms to pull on brace or sheet
 Indeed, after her death, there was scarcely anything too marvellous 10 att tribute to Grace Sherwood, the be- witching beauty of Princess Anne County, of whom no doubt the colonial danes of the neighborhood were in-