The Silver Bullet, and Other American Witch Stories

119 Pages·1975·14.218 MB·English

by  Hubert J. Davis

The Silver Bullet
and other
American Witch Stories
Edited by
Hubert J. Davis
JONATHAN DAVID PUBLISHERS, INC.
MIDDLE VILLAGE, N. Y. 11379
THE SILVER BUtLET iAND
OTHEli AMERICAN^ WITCH STORIES
Copyright ® 1975
by
HUBERT J. DA’^hS TABLE OF CONTENTS
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without
Introduction ................................................................................. 1
'written pehnission frohi the publishers. Address all inquiries to:
PART ONE—HOW TO BECOME A WITCH
Jonathan David Publishers Introduction ................................................................................. 7
68-22 EHot Avenue Conjure Bones and Bloody Sunrise .................................... 9
Aunt Nancy Bobbit of Witch Mountain ............................ 13
Middle Village, New York 11379
The Devil, a Beetle and a Bleeding Toe ............................ 16
I Delivered up to the Devil..................................................... 20
.PART TWÓ—HOW WITCHES WORK
Introduction .............................................................................. 29
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
How Witchballs Are Made .................................................... 31
No Milk on Saturday ................... 35
Davis, Hubert J
Finding Things through Clairvoyance .............................. 37
The silver bullet, and other American Witch stories.
Witches! That's Tomfoolery .................................................. 40
The Strange Chestnut Tree.................................................... 42
1. Folk-lore—United States. 2. Witchcraft—
Thè .Big Brass Pin .................................................................... 44
United States. I. Title.
'' Captain Sylvatus and the Witch of Truro .......................... 46
GR105.D33' 398.2'2'0973 75-11953
The Jack-Ma-Lanterns .............................................................. 48
ISBN 0-8246-0199-8
'pie Bewitched Musket .......................................................... 49
VVitchcraft and Charms .......................................................... 51
The Devil Gets into a Heifer ................................................ 54
The Quaker Doctor and His Magic Bottle ........................ 56
The Pellar and the Gold Watch ............................................ 59
03 ^ 0 V > 7
The Brass Screw ........................................................................ 51
A Ball of Fire .............................................................................. 53
Grandpappy Wuz a Witch .................................................... 65
The Horse That Wouldn't Cross the Stream .................... 67
Library « tì^ll of Fire and Empty Rocker.............................................. 70
Central Washingto»
The Bewitched Boat ................................................................ 72
FIT L College Tlie Indian Warlocks from Acoma ........................................ 74
i3Jenshurg,Washingtoi|
A Man Rides a Witch .............................................................. 79
Why Jubal Didn't Grow .......................................................... 82
Printed in the United States of America The Invisible Witch .................................................................. 84
PART THREE—HOW TO COUNTERACT WITCHCRAFT The Thunderstorm Brings aW itch.........................................199
Introduction .............................................................................. 89
The Finder and the Charm Doctor ......................................201
The Bell Witch of Tennessee ................................................ 92 The Witch and the Overseer ..................................................204
The Old Man and His Toad.................................................. 97 Cured from a Distance ............................................................209
The Lame Horse and the Lame Witch..................................102 The Burning Mill ......................................................................211
The Witch-Cat ............................................................................104
Mont and Duck ..........................................................................214
Brother, He Left It All ..............................................................107 Witches with Stingers ..............................................................216
The Cat Wife ..............................................................................109 Can't Steal ..................................................................................218
Betsy, Beans and Pitchforks....................................................113 The Witch of Las Norias..........................................................220
Roasted Mutton........................................... 116 The Disappearing Witch..........................................................222
Lige Hall's Bewitched Rifle-Gun ..........................................118 Izzy Snipes' Soul Is Delivered to the Devil ........................225
The Wedding Pictme and the Conjure Man ....................121 Pierre and the Devil..................................................................227
Old Sutton's Hidden Treasure ..............................................123
The Silver Bullet ........................................................................126
The Scissors, Table Fork and Sifter ......................................132
The Hunter's Witch ..................................................................134
Pothooks and Terbacker Seeds ..............................................136
Butter, Witches and Thoms ....................................................138
The Beggar-Thief ......................................................................142
The Witch Gets Scorched ........................................................144
A Doll and a Bag of Money ..................................................145
Old Bowdy..................................................................................147
Divination by Cards..................................................................149
The Black Woodsman ..............................................................151
He Gave Her the Mitten ..........................................................153
PART FOUR—WITCHCRAFT FOR MONEY AND MISCHIEF
Introduction ................................................................................159
A Lizard in the Leg ..................................................................161
The Devil Wouldn't Have Him ..............................................163
A Compone and a Witchball..................................................167
The Witch and the Plow Point .............. 170
A Witch and Her Dwarf Daughters .... 1..........................172
Morning Sickness and Pickled Beans ., i............................175
Coffin Nails ................................................j..............................178
Matilda Refuses the Knife ......................i..............................180
Who Shot Mize Thorpe............................!..............................183
The Witch of Cenecu ................................... 185
A Conjure Bottle in the Chimney..........j.............................189
The Apple Peeling ..................................i..............................191
The Chained Dragon ................................................................193
Vermin and Hagged Footprints ............................................197
INTRODUCTION
Among the more interesting jobs created by the W.P.A.
(Wo^ks Progress Administration) during the depression years of
the 1930s was thp Virginia W.P.A. Writers Project. The idea was to
have a group of collectors fan out among the coves and hollows of
ACKNOWLEDGEMErh-S
the Appalachian Mountains and record the beliefs, superstitions,
and’lraditions of the mountain folk. These stories were then tran­
I am deeply indebted to Michael Plunkett and his staff in the scribed and sent to Richmond with the intention of publishing a
Manuscript Department of the Alderman Library of the University book on Virginia folklore. This ultimate goal was never accom­
of Virginia for making the manuscripts in their folklore collection of plished, and the hundreds of stories collected were eventually pla-
the W.P.A. Virginia Writers Project available to me, and to the ced’ifi the archives of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville.
Aldetman Library, and the Virginia State Library for permission to TThis book draws heavily on the Virginia Project. But it pro­
use these materials. ceeds from the assumption—borne out by investigation—that the
My profound thanks is extended to the following organizations foil; tales of the mountain folk were heavily influenced by the
for permission to use materials from their publications: The Ameri­ experiences of their ancestors many of whom were of Scottish, Irish
can Folklore Society, The Hoosier Folklore Society, The North or German origin and who settled in Virginia, Texas, New York,
Carolina Folklore Society, The Southern Folklore Society, The Ten­ Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina and
nessee Folklore Society, The Tekas Folklore Society, and the Uni­ ^kansas. It also includes tales about Cajuns, Indians and people of
versity of North Carolina Press. Spanish backgrounds.
Far too many people have been involved in this project as More than five hundred stories were studied and considered,
sources of information and contributors to be listed individually, and what emerges i^ pattern in which belief in witches plays a
but I am grateful to each of them. I owe special thanks to my wife significant role. The belief in witches, which these mountaineers
who served as critic, editor and typist. had iri common, stems from the views—often stretching back to the
Bible—held by their ancestors in Europe.
It is not sheer accidept that certain themes recur so often in the
HUBERT J. DAVIS
folklore of these mountain folks. Certain beliefs were basic to their
Portsmouth, Virginia way of life, the most important one being that when something
1975 went wong, more likely than not, a witch was involved.
The physical setting of the mountains themselves provided
■ideal settings for witches to work, and for stories about them to
develop. The hills and valleyS were sparsely populated and were
covered with forests, vines and bushes which made many spots
dark and foreboding. One such area was in Carroll County, Vir­
ginia, described in “Aunt Nancy Bobbit and Witch Mountain."
Witch Mountain was a high, rugged mountain with several cliffs
that cast weird shadows. The sun was rarely visible and most of the
time the peak was shrouded in mist.
' Xhe type of houses in which these moxmtaineers lived gave rise
1
2 • THE SILVER BULLET AND...
... OTHER AMERICAN WITCH STORIES • 3
to many witch stories. Their log cabins usually had rock chimneys
powder in order to break the spell.
at one end which emerged from large fireplaces used for cooking,
Mountain people were very dependent upon milk, so their
heating and, to a certain extent, illumination.
cows were extremely important to them. The cows were "belled"
Many occult ideas grew around these chimneys and fireplaces.
and allowed to roam about in the woods and graze. Often, they
It was thought that a witch's spell on a person could be broken by
were bitten by rattlesnakes or copperheads, causing many days of
taking some urine from the bewitched person, putting it in a bottle,
horrible suffering before dying. The cows were often chased or
and hanging it inside the chimney. If the heat broke the bottle and
frightened by bears, panthers or wolves. Some of them ate poison­
evaporated the urine within seven days, the spell would be broken.
ous weeds. If these experiences did not kill them outright, it did
We see this in "The Quaker Doctor and His Magic Bottle," where a
make them behave strangely, and refuse to give milk. In "The Devil
father is directed to take some hair, some nail cuttings, and some
Gets into a Heifer," a witch sprinkles some white stuff on a cow's
urine from his wife, his child and himself, put them in a bottle, and
withers when Bessie Sue won't sell her the cow. That night, when
place the mixture in hot ashes in order to break a witch's speU over
they try to milk the cow, she kicks, snorts, bawls, and cuts all sorts
the child.
of monkey shines—^very unusual behavior for her.
The rough surface of the outside chimney provided an ideal
When a housewife tried to chum her milk and the butter
place for hornets, wasps and mud daubers to build their nests. wouldn't come, some nearby witch would be accused of casting a
Since these insects were a deterrent to anyone who might want to
spell on the milk, the chum, or the cow. Placing a piece of red
approach the chimney, the idea developed that only witches could flannel cloth under the chum, or a silver coin inside the chum, might
hide things between the loose rocks of a chimney. In "A Conjure break the spell. If these remedies failed, the milk was taken out to
Bottle in the Chimney," a witch uses a magic bottle to bewitch a
the bam lot and placed in the hog trough, where it was slowly
young girl. A white witch—a good witch—called in to treat her,
whipped out of the trough with a bundle of thorns.
finds the bottle in a crack on the outside of the chimney. It contains Being isolated, these mountain folks lived social lives that
a small cross, a small ball of hair, the vertebrae of a rat, and several
centered around their own large families. During bad weather, and
herbs. The white witch bums the contents and throws the bottle in
especially during the long winter evenings, families gathered
the river, thus breaking the spell on the girl.
around the fireplace to roast chestnuts, pop com, drink, tell stories,
A popular way of breaking witches' spells was to burn the
solve riddles and sing ballads. These tales, songs and conundrams
forehead of the bewitched person with a branding iron heated in a
were repeated to neighbors whom they met at the grist mill while
fireplace. The idea was that by branding the bewitched person, the waiting for a turn of com to be ground, or at the village store. Before
bewitcher would be incapacitated. Many instances are found
long, one famil/s story became everyone's story.
among these stories in which a bewitched person has a treatment
Many old timers knew a great many witch stories and revelled
applied to a specific part of the body and the sorcerer is subse­ in telling them. Of course, each time a story was told, it gained a
quently incapacitated in that very same spot. 1
little here and lost a little there. Story tellers usually vied with each
The early settlers in America found wild game t^o be the best other to see who could tell the biggest or wildest yam, and this
source for meat. Rich vegetation supported bears, jtvolves, pan­ yielded a wide variety of fantastic and unbelievable tales.
thers, deer, raccoons, buffalo, wild turkeys, pheasants and squir­ Aside from casual social contacts, people got together at what
rels. The pioneers depended upon their tmsty ball-and-cap rifles to were known as "workings." These were community efforts to help
capture this game. Sometimes, wet powder, faulty cabs, dirty guns a-particular family get a job done quickly. They included shuckings,
or other malfunctions caused the hunter to miss his target, leading hog killings, quiltings, bean stringings and log-rollings. Such ac­
him to believe that either the gun or the game was bewitched. In tivities usually ended in drinking, story-telling, dancing and ballad
"Lige Hall's Bewitched Rifle-Gun," Lige twice misses a wildcat at singing.
close range and has to consult two white witches before the spell is
One of the most fascinating things about mountain folks to
removed from his gun. He is instructed to rob an Indian grave, get a
outsiders is their colorful way of speaking. Some of their expres­
jaw-bone, scrape some powder from it, and mix it with his gun
sions are adaptations of archaic English usage. "Poke," originally
4 • THE SILVER BULLET AND...
meaning "pocket," was adapted to mean "sack" or "bag." "Aunt"
or "uncle" were used in referring to an older person to whom one
wished to show some respect, although the person might not be
related. Placing the word "old"—e.g. Old P«te—before a name
usually implied some measure of scorn.
Other expressions evolved from the stafe of poverty that was
widespread in the mountain region. Clothing was scarce, so, dur­
ing wa^ weather, boys up to the age of ten were permitted to go
around in a shirt, without bottoms. Boys not old ehough to justify
the expense of a pair 'of pants during warm weather, were called
"shirt-tail boys." ,
In addition to these particular expressiohs, thefe were, of
course,.those easily imderstood by anyone, but peculiar to the folks
of the mountain regions. Expressions like: "mean as a wildcat,"
"hervous as a rattlesnake," "low as a snake's belly," "feeling poor­
ly," "about to be a ghost" (dying), and "hurt-done" (bewitched).
PART ONE
You may noticé that, in the course-of this book, the name of
James T. Adams appears very often as a collèctor of these stories.
Adams had the advantage of knowing a large number of people in HOW TO BECOME A WITCH
the area of southwestern Virginia where he worked. He‘was a
native of the area and came from'a large family of pioneer settlers.
His older relatives, in particular, knew many of the witch stories
which they grew up on, and they were anxious to relate themj To
some of these older relatives, witchcraft was an active belief instead
of just a curiosity, and a few were said to be practitioners of
witchcraft.
It should be'pointed out that many of the stories located in
manuscript form were in need of fleshing out. Accoidingly, in such
cases, the author cohsulted the back issues of American and British
folklore journals where some of these stories exist in slightly differ­
ent forms, and obtained the needed material to round out the
storiés. ,
The stories that follow have been arranged in four categories:
how to become a witch, how witches work',lhow to counteract
witchcraft, and witchcraft for money and mischief. There is no
special significance to these groupings, and ahy number of other
arrangements might have done just as well. Bùt, the arrangement
we have decided upon is logical and presents the material in a
viable form.
INTRODUCTION
Three groups of people among the early settlers in America
were consifiered to be witches. Possibly the largest group consisted
of people physically deformed, and those who lived in strange
settings. Imperfections in one's physical appearance were thought
to be the work of the Devil, and all who suffered from them were
thought to be associated with him. If a person had a dried-up,
wrinkled face, snaggle-teeth, stringy white hair, or beady eyes, and
lived alone, he or she was often accused of being a witch. Aimt
Nancy Bobbit, in the second story of this section, acquired the
reputation of being a witch because she was old, feeble, dirty, and
queer, and lived alone in a narrow, dark, isolated hollow.
Another group accused of witchcraft consisted of those who
a) did not openly reveal their religious beliefs, or b) whose beliefs
differed markedly from those of the average member of the com­
munity. The early settlers brought with them from Europe the idea
that heresy was synonymous with witchcraft. This was one of the
reasons why the Melungions were thought to be witches. If a group
of people seemed to hold no religious beliefs, they were said to be
witches, and were blamed for any unusual natural phenomenon for
which local people could find no logical explanation.
A third group of people accused of witchcraft consisted of
people of unusual intelligence and personal magnetism, or those
having the ability to faith-heal or hypnotize.
Why did people want to become witches? Some wanted to do
harm to their neighbors;-others wanted to enliven their otherwise
drab existence. This craving for excitement is the reason why the
young adolescent, Jonas Dotson, wants to become a witch in
"Delivered up to the Devil." He is bored with his dull, routine farm
chores and with his father's self-righteous moralizing against the
devil. When the Reverend Dotson finds out what is happening to
his son, he immediately accuses the mother of Jonas' girl friend of
witchcraft, and says she is trying to deliver his soul to the devil
just like Saul was delivered to the Philistines.
To become a witch, one had to be sponsored by a witch, and
had to go through a ritualistic ceremony. The would-be witch had
to swear allegiance to the devil, worship him, and promise to obey
him faithfully. "The Devil, a Beetle, and the Bleeding Toe" de-
7
8 • THE SILVER BULLET AND...
scribes the ritual by which Rindy Sue Gross becomes a witch. She
has to dance in the woods for twelve nights and, on the thirteenth,
she has to kill a black hen and let its blood spurt against a tree. The A
devil then appears .fro^ behind the tree and dances with her. He
makes her sign an oath of loyalty to him, in her own blood, and then
CONJURE BONES AND BLOODY
bites her on the sjioulder to make a witchmark.
SUNRISE
In the case of Jonas Dotson, hjs initiation begins on Friday, the
thirteenth. But, since it hhs to be repeated three times, it takes three
years for him to, become a witch.
The evening sun of pur first hot June day dropped behind
Boti\ of these Stbries point up the idea that the numbers three
Piney Ridge just as Pa and I arrived on horseback at Granny
and thirteen were considered by witches to have magical power
Jordan's little two-story log cabin nestled in the woods. I was to stay
—contrary to both the Greeks and Romans who thought thirteen with Granny for two weeks. After a big dinner of combread, cold
was ap unlucky number. A coven consisted,of twelve witches and
buttermilk and' fresh blackberry pie. Pa mounted his tired horse
tliie devil made thirteen. Friday the thirteenth was the day on which
and headed back toward Norton. I was tired and sore from the long
witcjies l^ld their sabbats or gathered to make their witchballs.
ride," but I insisted' on helping Grarmy with the dishes before she
iThe pledge that Jonas Dotson makes wheri he becomes a. witch
tucked me ihto bed on the second floor. I remember that it didn't
is sinyiar fo that sworn by all witches at their initiation:
take long for me to fall asleep.
I awoke in the middle of the night screaming. Out of nowhere,
As I dip the water with the ram's horn. something heavy, furry, with big black feet, sjiarp claws and shiny
Cast me, a cruel heart of thorn. eyes thumped down on my chest, then sprang to the floor and
As I now to the Pevil do my soul lease. away. Grahny Jordan hotrfooted it to my bed holding her little oil
lamp.
I also renounce Christ as my savior "Thet “cat skeered ye, didn't hit, honey child?" she asked.
And promise the Devil my behavior Before I could answer her, she put her arm aroxmd my neck and
'Til my life on earth shall cease. explained what had happened: "You see, leetle one, them rafters air
jest agin the logs. So when they built this cabin, they left a cathole in
May my black and evil soul be the.roof."
Of Christian love and grace free Prowling'witthes! Ghosts! Falling cats! Sweet, understanding
As this place is of grease. grannies;^ was any of this actually real, or was I dreaming? How
these confused'thoughts tripped over each other in my sleep-
And when I become an evil crone fogged brain! Needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep, but just lay
From my outer skin to, my inner bone, there trembling, afraid to relax vmtil daylight.
, ' I'll never give Christians any^peace. My first day's visit at Grann5r^s was spoiled before it began,
because at brfeakfast everybody laughed at my childish fears.- They
I
didn't understand how I could possibly mistake a cat for witches,
I
but they blamed it on the fact that all my ten years had been spent in
the city. Grarmy laughed at their chiding, but said she was sorry my
1
visit h^d got off to a bad start, and promised to make it up to me:
"Now, Sheila jane, effen you'll help me chum this momin'. I'll tell
you more witch stories than you've ever heard in all your life."
Collected by James Taylor Adams, Big Laurel, Wise Coimty, Virginia,
March 27,1939. As told by his grandfather, Spencer Adams, whp was then
87 years old.
9
10 • THE SILVER BULLET AND... ... OTHER AMERICAN WITCH STORIES • 11
They brought the big wooden chum filled with sour cream into stared out at the dripping trees, she continued, "Shore as hit's a
the cabin and placed it in front of the fireplace. Granny dragged up rainin, honey, hit's the work of them evil witches. I'm afeared thet
her favorite rocker, sat down, and began the slow rhythmic motion they've put a spell on this chum kase we've been talkin' 'bout
of lifting the dasher and pushing it down through the cream. Her them." Then, in an awed and cautious tone she said, "Sheila Jane,
small, piercing black eyes sparkled like the coals in the fireplace, you hustle to the kitchen, wet the dishrag and bring hit to me."
and a very serious expressioneame over her wrinkled, tanned face. I hurried to the kitchen, doused the dishrag in water, wmng it
I reminded her: "Please, Granny Jordan, tell me all you know out a little and rashed back. Granny reached her bony hand under
about witches." her long skirt to a secret pocket and pulled out a silver coin. She
"Well, chile," she drawled, "there's more to know 'bout wrapped it in the wet dishrag, tilted the chum aside a little, and
witches than I could ever tell you in my lifetime, effen I live to be a slipped the rag under the chum. She mumbled some unintelligible
hundred. But I'll tell you fust a few ways thet I've heard 'bout how words under her breath, turned towards me and said, "I'll lay you a
witches are made. You take over the chum while I light my pipe." bet thet'U git shet of them pesterin' witches."
She plucked her clay pipe from the mantle, poured some Then I begged, "Granny, could you tell me some more about
homemade tobacco into it from a glass jar, tamped it firmly with her witches?"
forefinger, then stooped down and carefully removed a burning Granny glanced dubiously at the foaming milk as if wondering
ember from thé fireplace and put it in her pipe. Shè took several whether she ought to wait before talking any more about witches.
vigorous puffs to insure that the tobacco was alight, took her seat in She began: "I've been told thet annuder way to git to be a witch is to
her rocker and began: fust go to the top of a high mountain, throw rocks at the moon and
"Many years ago, your grandpappy onct tole me the quickest cuss God Almighty. Then, go find a spring where the water mns
way to git to be a witch wuz fust, to go out and ketch a big black cat. due east. Take a brand new knife and wash hit in the spring jest as
Then go and find a spring with a branch mnnin' dùe east. Next, put the sun rises. Say, 'I want my soul to be as free from the savin' blud
a kittle on a hot fire, bile the water, then throw thet live black cat of Jesus Christ as this knife is of sin.' Do this fer twelve days in a
into the biling water. Let hit bile till all the meat comes offen the row. Effen on the thirteenth day the sun rises a drippin' blud, hif s a
bones. Drain off the water, let the bones cool, then put 'em in a shore sign thet you're becomin' a witch."
basket and tote 'em to the spring. Set down aside the spring and Granny paused, raised the chum lid and peeped at the milk.
start a washin' them bones in the branch one at a time. Keep your She scowled discouragingly and said, "Let me chum a while."
eyes on the spring branch all the time, kase atter a while the Devil'll Then, as if to get her mind off the dmdgery of churning, she
come down the stream and come torge you. The bone you'jre a began: "I onct knöwed a gal who got her mind set on bein' a witch.
washin' when you fust see the Devil is a lucky bone. The Devil'll She tole me thet she went one dark midnight to the oldest witch
make you take an oath to serve him, then he'll leave. As soon as he woman there wuz to axt her how to git to be a witch. Natcherly, the
leaves you, throw all 'tother bones in the branch and put the lucky old witch wuz all soured and mad as a hornet at somebody a
bone in yoiu: pocket. This lucky bone 'll mak^ you a witch. But knockin' on her cabin door at midnight, but she got up and let the
you'll hav^ to pack the lucky bone with you all the time, kase effen gal in. But, when the old crone found out thet the gal had come to
you lose or forget hit, you'll lose your magic pbwer." learn how to be a witch, she wuz tickled pink, and she danced a jig
By now, it was time for the butter to begin ti) form on the dash­ then and there.
er and around the hole in the chum lid. Granny paused, tilted the "She tole the gal to go to the fireplace, ketch hold of her right
top of the chum and peeked, but she didn't see py butter. "Laws a foot with her left hand, and put her right hand on the top of her
massy*, chile)" she nervously annoxmced. "Tafn't nuthin in there head and say, 'All betwixt my hands, I give to the Devil.' "
'cept foamin' cream." i Granny paused, peeped at the foaming cream again, and de­
Then, Granny Jordan glanced towards the window and, as she jectedly announced, "Them infernal witches air still a hellin' roimd
thet milk. But, by tarnation, you jest wait. I'll drive 'em to hell in a
* A mountain expression used as an exclamation. À corruption of the
turkey trot."
phrase "Lord have mercy."
12 • THE SILVER BULLET AND...
She removed ihe cover from the chum, folded her hands to­
gether to make a cup, dipped them into the chum and came out
with a double handful of foaming milk. She walked slowly and
AUNT NANCY BOBBIT OF WITCH
carefully to the firé]place and dumped thè milk onto the hot coals.
“Thet'll scorch their, fanny and make 'em scoot," she boasted MOUNTAIN
triumphantly.
Then, she replaced the cover on the chum/ turned the churning
Witch Mountain, in Carroll County, is about seven miles
oyer to me, and continued: "Annuder v(ray to git to be a witch is to
northeast of Hillsville, Virginia. It got its pame more than a
ketch a black cat, and scratch hit on hit's "belly till it starts to bleed.
hundred-and fifty years ago when a clan of people who believed in
Then, take this bloody black cat to a deep holler where there's a
and practiced witchcraft settled there. It consists of high, rugged
crick, build a fire on the bank, and bile thet cat till all the meat comes
terrain with several cliffs that cast weird shadows. Where there is
offen the bones. Sort out the cat's left shoulder blade and pour the
enough'soil, tall pines grow and spread their arms into the misty
rest of the awful stuff in th? crik and wàtch hit float away. As hit gits
haze which always seemed to enshroud them. The sun never«eems
outten sight say, 'In the name of Beelzebub, Succubus, and the
to shine there, and the jarring cries of bats are the only night-time
Archangel of Hell; l'pledgè to beToyal to the Devil the rest of my
sormds.
bdm'days. I promise neVèr io pray td God agin, and never to darken
Hosiah Ward, of Bridle Creek, lived in that area and tells this
the door of a church,'änd come Hell or high water, to alius be loyal to
story:
the Devil.' Then, bore a hole through thè cat's shoulder bone, git a
"As a shirt-tail boy of ten, I felt mighty grown up when my
red woolen string and tie‘hit to the bone and wear the bone round
mother let me go alone on shank's mare* to visit my granny. Her
yore neck."
cabin rested along the bpse of Witch Mountain about a mile from
Grahny* paused ajgain, took another look inside the chum,
our house. I alwa5rs ran the whole distance, and my little heart
grinned, and exclaimed, "Hit's còme! Hit's come!. The fire shore
. thumped like a trip hampier every jump of the way.
done the trick thet the dishfag couldh't do, and the butter's come!"
"An old Ifish \yonian, affectionately known as Aunt Nancy
Then Granny explained to me, "Hit musta been kase we wuz a
V.Bobbit, lived alone up a narrow dark hollow not too far from my
talkin' 'bout witches thet made 'em mad and so thet they spelled the
cabin. A lot of people in the community, including my
chum. Now, I 'low the reason the dishrag and silver coin didn't |^f;jmother, thought that Aunt Nancy was a witch. My mother warned
drive 'em away, wuz thet^it wuz men witches what spelled the
lil vijme to stay away from ,the cabin. But my granny, who had known
milk. You have to bum them men witches td break their spell."
rt Naricy from, childhood) assured me that, though she was
ll^eer, feeble and a little dirty, she was not and never had been a
S^tch. She was a lonely, harmless old woman who needed compan-
al^janship, so Granny wordd let me visit Aunt Nancy and neither of us
Ij^jfs^uld tell my mother.^.'
'It was clear to me that Aunt Nancy enjoyed my visits because
encouraged them.- She always had walnuts and hickory nuts for
i- to crack and stacks of maple sugar cakes to eat. Of course, I loved
pected by I.‘ M..Warren, Roanoke County, Virginia, June 9,1939. This
was told to P. E.’Crowder when he was a child by Hosiah Ward of
Be Creek, Carrol County, Virginia. Witch Mountain lies about seven
BS north of Hillsville, in Carrol County, near Big Island Creek.
@j^,dely used mountain es^pression meaning "to travel by foot" or "to
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