Arizona republican., 1914-06-15
Trial for Witchcraft in Ireland

Strange as it may appear the coun- tries most susceptible to the witchcraft fallacy were those of the higher type of civilization, and especially the Eng fish speaking races, England, Scotland and America believed in Witchery al- most up to the beginning of the eighteenth century, but finally discard ed this belief. Ireland was the last to follow the lead of other English speak ing countries, and it was not until March 1, I'll, that they were able to banish entirely the trial of witches. The last trial in Ireland was that oi Janet Mean, and six others, whose home was on Braid Island. Their trial was held in the county of Antrim court. Their alleged crime was tormenting q young woman, by the name of Mary Dunbar, who was about eighteen years of age, and who lived at the home of James Hartridge.
 In the month of February, I'll, it was believed that the house of Mr Hartridge was haunted by evil spirits One day an apron was found on the parlor floor, which had been missing for some time. It was tied with five strong knots which Janet Mean loos- ened. On the following day it was claimed that she was seized with vio- lent pain in her thigh and afterwards fell into fits and rawlings, and on re- | covering said she was tormented by several women whose dress and per sonal appearance she minutely des- cribed. Shortly after that she was | seized again with like fits, and on re- covering she accused five other women | of tormenting her. describing them also. The accused persons were iden- tified and as thew were brought from different parts of the country the young woman appeared to suffer extreme fear and additional torture as they ap- preached the house.
 1 It was also deposed that strange noises, as of whistling. scratching, etc.
 were heard in the Hartrdge house and
 that sulphur smell was observed in
 the rooms, and that stones, turf and
 the like were scattered about the house
 and that the coverlets were frequently taken off the beds and made up in the | shape Of a corpse, and that bolster
 once walked out of the room into the
 kitchen with a nightgown about it. It was also presented in the evidence
 that in some of her fits three strong
 men were scarcely able to hold the
 Mean girl in bed: that at times she grew deathly sick and that on one oc- casion she slipped off of the bed and
 was laid on the floor as if supported
 and drawn by an invisible power
 The afflicted person was unable to give any evidence at the trial. In the
 defense of the prisoners it was shown
 that most of the accused were sobec | industrious people, who attended pub lie worship, could repeat the Lords
 Prayer and had been known to pray
 both in public and private, and that
 some of them had lately received the
 communion
 Judge Upton, in charging the jury
 noted the regular attendance of the ac-
 cused on public worship, saying that
 he thought it improbable that req
 witches would so far retain the form oi
 religion as to frequent the houses O.
 religious worship, both publicly and
 privatly, which had been proved in flaw
 or of the accused. He concluded by
 giving his opinion that the jury should
 not bring them in guilty upon the sole
 ionary images
 Judge Upton was followed by Justice
 Mccartney, who differed from him il