The Cairo bulletin., 1911-08-21
IN THE DAYS or
vHTCHCRhfT
How Anre Ii0IlIweII Was
Saved From the Stake.

an odd story Aly grandfather ease
it TO my falItrr and my father sare
II to me
Anne Holliwcl when she was eight
cen years Oh was accused OF witch
craft Mark Spouner. big. strong fel.
low. wanted to marry her, but ne WIS
wicked one tlley said he had secret
meetings with satan at midnight III
the Woodland Anne would have moth
ing to do With MIN. Moreover she
loved Joel EaiIilt. son OF Deacon Hal
lit, who wenl of with the Roger vii.
liams people Joel was the reverse Of
Spooner beng II small. pate looking
young man hut with a very inteIlec
tual counlpuanre He was not In IA
vor with the congregation. however.
because he openly denied the right Of
the church 10 burn out a woman's
tongue with Iedhot iron. Indeed So
great was he INDIGNATION against his
hereticai protest that joel came near
paying The penalty of his rashness
with his lfe
what ! intend 20 tell You IN give it
as gol il from others and their in-
terpretation. of II II you choose ~
take different views concerning u.
shall have 20 objection.
Anne HoHiwcl was accused, as |
have said. OF witeheraft My grand
father used 10 say that Mark Spoonsr
was at The, bottom OF the accusation I
with a view 10 getting Anne into dis
power. but this WIS not current at tue
time However his be. Anne was
tried and sentenced 20 be burned,
When the fagots were prepared aud
Anne was being bound to the stake a.
tall man stepped out OF wood nearby
and advanced 70 the party. He wore a
purple doubet. hordered with red and
red hose. while on,his head was 4 con-
zeal hat with 4 single feather in 1t,
There was something so singular in his
appearance that The people turned
from Anne Holliwell, the stake and the
fagots to look at him.
"What do you with the wenchT' ask
ed the stranger.
"We're going to burn her She's
witch"
"A witch?" The speaker threw back
| his head and, displaying white, point
ell teeth, gave laugh. At first II was
| q simple ironical ha, ha! Then II had
the ring OF trumpet in it. Then came
back an echo. though there was no EN-
inence or cliff 10 send it.
"Who are you:" asked one of the
pillars OF the church who were con
Quoting the execution. You strange
ly resemble Mark Spooner but you
are not Marx Spooner, for Mark is but
twenty-five, while you-you may be
young or you may be old"
"No matter who | am, / have. come
for the wench
stand OFF, cried several Of the most
| pIous men present. who had no mind
that the Lords will should be inter.
fered with. but the stranger. drawing
his sword stepped up to Anne Holli.
| we'll and, cutting the cords, led her
i
| TINT sparks were seen TO fly from the
point of the sword. some that his face
suddenly from being quite handsome
became so demoniacal that every man
gave way instinctively before him. "A
for Anne. from the first she shrank
away from him, but be took her by
| the wrist aud. though he seemed to
nuke no exertion. he dragged her
away from the fagots, after which she
walked beside him passively, as
though under spell In this way he
took her to the edge Of the wood.
where the two disappeared
| An hour later Anne Holliwell. &C.
companied ny Joel Hallitt. came back
molested by the people. 1t was not
generally known why. though the mas
ter of ceremonies who was to have
presided at her execution after o long
interview with her gave out that she
could not have been witch because
the devil had tried to rescue her and
had failed My grandfather ciaimed
to have got the story of what happen
ed after she disappeared With the
stranger from one Of her children.
Joel Hallitt on the night before the
expected execution. instead of giving
way to his grief, spent the hours on
his knees praying that the peape
might be absolyed from the supersti.
tons of wltchcraft and persecution.
When the hour Of the execution came
he was seized with an impulse TO &"
and save the girl Seeing sword
standing in the corner whose hilt was
shaped like a cross. he seized 1t and
sailed forth. His course lay through
the wood, aud after entering it be met
the stranger leading Aune. Approach
ing them. be asked whittier they were
going. Anne gave her lover an APP
pealing look. and the man glared at
him with such a demonlacal couute-
nance that Joel instinctively held mp
the sword in his hand between hip-
self and the stranger Whether 1t was
the cross on the hilt or an angelic ex.
preston that Anne afterward declared
appeared on Joers countenance the
stranger drew back and, cFouchiug,
slowly shrunk away. Joel. now be
lieving that power had been given him
in answer to his prayer to save Anne.
still holding up the sword, drove the
stranger to the thiclsest part Of the