Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-27

rich cream during the rest of the year. An
accommodating old Scotch Vii aSer. who
prepared a number OF small bags OF herbs
to be dropped into cream JUGS for the
same purpose, supplied many OF his
neighbors with such charms. In both
Eng and and Scotland the mountain ASH
furnished potent resistance to the IN
fiuences of the witches. and 50 cow
halters and churn handles were ire
quently made of that wood.
The custom OF mailing a horseshoe over
the door for luck is of primitive origin.
In witch days the horseshoe which was
accidentally found was nailed over the
barn door as protection to horse and
rider against the powers Of the evil ones.
If a sailor found the shoe ii was 1Ned
to the mast OF his ship to insure safety
sessed a charm. for when driven in the
lowest hooks of milk dishes they were
sure TO keep the substance in the milk
for the whole farm.
By using tar on COW sheds and behind
cows ears cattle were protected from
disease. 1t was thought that confessions
could be wrung from the rickety old
hays of evil if the country TO X but put
pins in a pan of milk which they let
boil dry. for that tortured the witches.
but as the people feared the vengeance
of these creatures they refrained from
trying this remedy Often the witches
themselves sold charms which they knew
were useless. for starvation was ever
Many old Finnish and Irish women
made business of selling winds to sail
ors 1t is said that once a fisherman was
stranded a long way from home. While
awaiting favorable winds. he courted
witch's daughter. who told him that her
mother could furnish him with breeze to
an -; ;I- h. to
the old woman a pound Of tobacco for
aiding him on his journey To accomplish
this marvellous feats the old humbug gave
him a string knotted in three places.
When ready for his journey the sailor
united the first. called Come gently" 50
he glided from the shore. When the sec
ond knot. called Come better was
loosed a sitter breeze waited the traveller
in the direction in which he wished to
journey. But this was not don5 We'll
enough for the sailor. who knew that
there was still one more knot which he
might take out. Alas for him. his curios-
ity led him into untying it, and al that
moment such strong blast was sum
moned that the ship was blown away
and the sailor drowned. The treacherous
old woman who had brought destruction
upon him might have destroyed his shiT
1t is said that during her incantations the
dish would have sunk and a. the same
time the craft would have gone under
water.
Halloween, without the suggestion OF
cats, would be unusual In witchcraf
there was a close association with these
feline creatures. Friendless old womer
known as witches usually kept prowl ms
cats as their sole companions The
treacherous and glazing eyes and the
spiteful characteristics of these ha!f-feC
animals matched the dispositions of theil
nistresSeS SO exactly that witch and ca
grew to mean the complement of each
other.
1t was said that no witch would harm
a cat, and so a mariner usually carried
one of these animals in his boat &c
prevent it from sinking. Folk lore
claims that If a sailor wanted GER
tain wind he buried a cat alive placins
the head in the direction from which
he wished the wind to blow. Even mod
ern superstitions of this creature may
be traced to the days of witchcraft
for the beliefs that it was unlucky TO
take cat from an old to A new house,