The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-04-25
TUESDAY. APRIL as 1916
Trial for Witchcrafr at Noun
Holly In 1870.

Holly In 1880.
The Moorestown Chronicle publishes
the following extract from letter writ
ten by Ralph Linton, of Moorestown,
who il in Urbana, ILL.,, doing ethno-
logical work for the State Historical
Society.
In my work came across this ac-
count Of trial for witchcraft In Mount
Holly, New Jersey, which think you
may be interested in. 1t was probably
written by Benjamin Franklin. who was
at this time the sole proprietor Of 1.-THE
Pennsylvania Gazette" in the issue OF
which from October 10th to October 22d.
17So. this article appeared. The date OF
the trial seems to have been October
18th, 1870.
Saturday last ct Mount Holly, nsar
900 people were gathered together to see
an experiment or two tried on some per-
sons accused OF witchcraft. 1t seems
the accused had been charged with
making their neighbours sheep dance in
an uncommon manner, and with caus-
ing hogs to speak and sing psalms, etc.,
to the great terror and amazemsnt of
the Kings good and psaceabls subjects
In this province. and the accusers being
very positive that II the accused were
weighed in scales against Bible, the
Bible would prove too heavy for them;
or II they were bound and put into the
water they would swim. The said &C.
cused, DESTROYS TO make their innocence
appear, voluntarily offered to undergo
the said trials. If two Of the most violent
of their accusers would be tried with
them.
Accordingly the time and place was
agreed on, and advertised about the coun-
try. The aceusers were one man and
one woman, and the accused the same.
The parties being met and the people
got together. grand consultation was
held before they proceeded to trial; in
which 1t was agreed to use the scales first
and committee of men were appointed
70 search the men, and committee Of
women to search the women. TO nee il
they had anything Of weight about
them. particularly pins.
After the scrutiny was over, huge
great Bible, belonging to the Justice o.
the place, Was provided. and a LIANT
through the populace was made from
the Justices house to the scales, which
were f1xed on q gallows erected for thai
purpose opposite the house, that tbs
Justices wife and the rest of the ladie.
might see the trial without comine
among the mob; and after the manneI
OF Moorflelds. large ring was made
Then came out Of the house . grave
tall man carrying the Holy Writ before
the supposed Wizard, las solemnly Of
the sword-bearer Of London before the
Lord Mayor.)
The Wizard was first put In the scale
and over him was read chapter out Of
the Book Of Moses, and then the Bible
was put in the other scale, (which being
kept down before) was Immediately let
60. But to the great surprise Of the
spectators, flesh and blood came down
plump snd outweighed that great book
by abundance. After like manner the
others were served. and their Jumps of
mortality were seyerally too heavy for
Moses and all the Prophets and Apostles.
This being ovsr, the accusers and the
rest Of the mob. not satisfied with this
experiment., would have the trial by
water.
Accordingly most solemn process
sion was made to the mill-pond, where
both accused and accusers being strip
PED Saving only to the women their
shifts were bound hand and foot and
severally placed in the water, length
ways. from the side of q barge or fiat,
having for security only rope about
the middle Of each, which was held by
some one in the fiat.
The accused man, being thin and
spare, with some difficulty began to
sink at last, but the rest, every one of
them, swan very light upon the water.
"A sailor In the fiat jumped upon the
back of the man accused, thinking to
drive him down to the bottom, but the
person bound, without any help, came
up some time before the other. The
woman accused, being told she did not
sink. would be ducksd second time,
when she sank again as light a. before.
Upon which she declared that she be-
iieved the accused had bewitched her to
make her so light, and that she would
be ducksd again hundred times, but
that she would duck the devil out OF
her.
THE accused man being surprised at
his own swimming, was not SO confident
OF his innocence az before, but said: If
am O witch. it In more than know
The more thinking part of the spectators
were of the opinion that any person SO
bound and placed in the water unless
they were skin and bons) would swim
until their breath was gone and their
lungs filed with water. But it being
the general belief of the populace that
the woman's shifts, and the carriers with
which they were bound, helped to sup
port them, and it is said they are to be
tried again the next warm weather,
nakedn