"POW-WOW" DOCTORS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1929, Page 18

"POW-WOW" DOCTORS

WITCHCRAFT IN AMERICA

. Aroused -by the ' murder of- Nelson Eehmayer, who was burnt to death because he refused to surrender a lock of bis greyrblack hair, "required for the. purpose of removing a spell," the Pennsylvania State is .to-day., organisv; ing a drive against witchcraft, pojvwawism;- and voodooism, -Which flourishvirulently among the country people of York County, writes the New York correspondent of . the "Daily Telegraph." According to the county coroner,, half of the 00,000 residents of. York city believe in witchcraft. The' same official declared to-day that the county's urban population of 90,000 riot only believe in witchcraft,,but guide the:minutest details of their lives by it. i Since' Eehmayer's death the Public Prosecutor has received information of tho deaths of five infants in York County in the past two year's caused by "pow-wow" doctors.' Lancaster County is reported to be just as bad as York County, but the offensive now being planned will extend into all' of. Pennsylvania's sixty-seven counties. York City, which boasts the greatest ice machine manufactory in the word, is described as being undoubtedly tho worst centre.

: It will not be an easy fight, because believers in witchcraft, whose superstition is traced to the "original Bottlers from Europe, " will not help in the prosecution for fear of magic .reprisals. 1,, 11./;/ 1 .; . \ .'.''..■'. '..•".'•■."

■Dr. T. A. Noll; secretary of the York .Medical; Society,laments tHat it "is 'wellnigh impossible, to bring new ideas'to thousands -of-oouuntryfolkv Education al work, he says; must be directed chief iy to the young,-.because .the more aged seem inclined to, cherish their illusions Loneliness, and in not a few cases pov city, seem to have developed many voodoo believers "with . their belief in dreams-and.spells and' incantations, and to-day, says- Dr.. Noll, they live much as did their'ancestors 200 years ago. In the countryside, when babies aro dying from malnutrition, it is not. unusual for tho parents 1] to'call- in a pow-wow doctor.

Rchinayer was killed been use lie was believed to have laid a "hex": on a neighbour's chickens. The .two boys concerned and John -Blyiiier, a voodoo pr;ictitioncr, are now in gaol awaiting the action of the grand jury.

dueiag to all-round muscular development, ana.;gra.ce'''an3. elegance of figure." ::- " ' ■' ■ ' ■':'. ;;■'.' .: ; - - :;-, ■„

On the question of suitable training diets the. lecturer said:. "For many years 1 trained on stale bread,- underdone meat, and beer—and I survived. When I knew more about it I : found that I;. could get 'infinitely 'better -'results, and fou/ i:- myself Better if I gave no thought'whatever'to"what:'l,a,t"e or. drank; when-in'training,-/provided it. suited;me';and I could digest-it. Y>', _"There is ): r,serious warning;, which .1 wish to give. No man, or woman who at any time has'gone in thoroughly and whole-heartedly : for competitive athletics, and has become."quite fit, should, if they H disc6ntinued;;an'd. drp.pped the habit';6f ::hara;,.p-xejic'isei l att'.empt. to 'come.bacK' without, very-slow,'careful^ and properly;dire'cted''training.:'?; ','.; „,. Training not only led to perfection and fitness .of -the, body,.* but • wa's; also a great factor, in character yformation. An individual in- training must be. pre-' pared to-'do'^many things'/'hard,'.some-' times uripleasantyr and';'.perhaps..',. eveh? painful, -if ,'h;f:;vvished; to ...excet -This', in the young-' persoii;..entai]ed: self-rev-arence, self-knowledge;-;-and ■ self-con-trol. .. • ■-■' .-. ',- ."'-... ■ ..•.-'■.-.■■ v.. -.■-. ■"

"The report of the Commission .which five.or six years, ago inquired .into the question of strenuous: games for'girls came to: the conclusion that", if-.girls were sound to begin with, .were ..'proper--,ly. and .judiciously.trained,■a.n&'.'did -not .attempt 'to/overdo, it, ■ they'"-, might attempt any "sport or exercises-t-urider-taken by v boys of;■ the-same age, except tug-of-war and Rugby football. Boxing was not 'considered-or mentioned 'in that rep'oi-t,' because "boxing for' 'tyoifneii for many reasons'is ■ unthinkable. ;