Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-04-23
Of Che li.tle child into trembling, re-


pose, and meeting her on the road
in certain places and at certain
times, portended dire calamities.
The cry of the Banshee, the falling
of tree at lockwood or the ghost
ly walk of the White Lady were
no more certain omens of evil.
The story runs. that Moll Dyer
lived for many years in her old hut
and although q great portion Of the
community were anxious to get clear
of her, she continued, however, to
live there in spite of all protests.
When winch is about, any indi-
vidual mishap, any storm-swept
crops or any blighted harvest is laid
at her door, aad Poor Moll must
have been accountable for many
sins of which she was never guilty,
but. at last, there came a great af-
Fiction upon all the people, and by
universal opinion the plague was
attributed to her evil influences.
What this calamity was the story
does not relate. Maybe some terri
BILE epidemic of disease or some
great loss of lives or property by
storm and food. Anyhow, it was
enough to arouse the whole COM
munity and the people determined
to rid themselves of Moll Dyer and
her blighting witchcraft. But how
could this be done without failure
and without bringing down upon
them greater evils?
After long consultation it was
agreed to destroy Moll Dyer's hut
by fire and force her to seek shelter
in another place. 1t was mid-Win-
ter and such Winter as the old
times knew. II is related that on
dark, stormy and freezing night
her hut was surrounded and fired
by the avenging people. With bare
ly time to save herself, she escaped
from the flames and fled to the
woods.
She was not pursued, and the peo-
pie returned to their homes hoping
that they would be plagued no long
er by the dark arts of the witch.
Nothing was heard of her for sev-
eral days, until a boy hunting for
his cattle in the woods espied her
kneeling on a stone with one hand
resting thereon and the other raised
As il in prayer. Her life had gone
out in the dark, cold night, and she
still rested in her suppliant position,
frozed stiff with the Winters cold.
The story runs that she offered n
prayer to be avenged on her perse-
cutors and that a curse be put upon
them and their lands.
Years have passed since then, the
march of civilization have gone on,
the light of religion and science
have swept away many of the su-
perstitions of our forefathers, the
occult art has lived its life and rests
in the shades of the past, TO serve
for time to heighten the interest
of a novel or create a witch of
Prague" but there are those who
firmly believe in the old tradition
herein related, and such belief has
come down to US in everlasting re-
cords, as the stream nearby the hut
is known to this day as Moll Dyer's
Run, and the stone but a short dis
tance away, upon which she knelt il
now pointed out to the curious,
bearing upon its face the clear i'm.
preston of her knees and hands.
Many times have belated traveller,
on this road seen the ghost of Mol
Dyer making her midnight vista
tions to her accustomed haunts. II
is told by those who have the cour
age and endurance to watch, tha
once in each year, on the coldest
night of Winter, she may be seer
vending her ghostly way from /.
point South of the Run. where tn,
remains of the hut can yet be faint
ly seen, to where the stone is. ant
kneeling i'm the same attitude as OF
the fatal night, as if praying tina
her curse may be continued.
There aie those who think tha
her prayer was heard when she ask
ed that the lands be made barrel
and the flocks decimated, az tn
country for several miles around th'
location of the hut is, to this day
! with few exceptions, desolate an,
unproductive.