WITCH TRIAL IN VIENNA

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1936, Page 11

WITCH TRIAL IN VIENNA

“AIR THICK WITH DEMONS” VIENNA, January 1. A 60-year-old woman, Ida Markus, has been acquitted here of causing | grevious bodily harm to another, woman “by causing her to collapse, paralysed, as the result, of mysterious hypnotic passes.” The supposed “witchcraft” was alleged, to have been perpetrated at the Schafberg bathing-pool in 1934. The “victim,” Frau Prinz, is still paralysed. Ida Markus told the court that “her eyes had been opened” in 1928, and that, since then, she had watched all. the activities of the spirit world, about which she had published 15 books. Every pure-souled person was; accompanied by a guardian spirit, which was joined by a second guardian as each person’s spiritual development grew. These spirits were opposed by demoniac escorts, whom she could also see. “The air around Frau Prinz 'at the bathing pool,” she said, "was so thick with demons trying to paralyse her that I made mystic passes to banish them, but was not strong enough.” With Viennese tact she told the judge that he was surrounded with guardian angels, “all creatures of light, who are telling you to find me not guilty.”