A SUPERSTITIOUS VILLAGE.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXII, Issue 3067, 12 January 1894, Page 6

A SUPERSTITIOUS VILLAGE.

An old woman in a Tillage near Salzburg recently died. Her death gave great satisfaction to the other villagers, for she was looked upon as a witch, and feared accordingly. After the funeral, wvejei of the chief inhabitants repaired to the Wirthschaf t to celebrate suitably the relief experienced at getting this dangerous person safely underground; ; but while they were sitting drinking pleasantly, in came a messenger to say that the cow of one of those present, a neighbour of the deceased, had died suddenly without any apparent cause. The meeting, horrorstricken, adjourned in a body to examine the cow, and unanimously agreed that the animal had been bewitched. No doubts were entertained as to the perpetrator of the deed. Evidently burying was not enough to stop this dangerous old lady, and it was decided after earnest discussion, to adopt the old plan of making a horse jump over the witch's grave, and thus put an end to her powers. A horse waß accordingly fetched, but, strange to say, nothing would induce him to jump over the grave. This incontestable proof of the unholy influence emanating from the spot caused the public excitement to increase. The Mayor of the village decided to use a somewhat drastic means, much in favour in the Middle Ages, viz., to stab the body of the witch with a red hot pitchfork. The body was exhumed, the fork heated*, and the whole ceremony carefully carried out. But by the time the company had finished their work, and gone back to refresh themselves at the Wirthschaf t, the authorities of the neighbouring town had heard of what was going on. : A party of mounted police were sent to the village, and all those who had been concerned in the affair were taken into custody.