Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern SpiritualismPutnam, Allen
Religion
Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism
Putnam, Allen
Spiritualism; Witchcraft -- New England
"8. The next day, being Sabbath day, many stones, and sticks, and pieces
of bricks came down the chimney: on the Monday, Mr. Richardson and my
brother being there, the frame of my cowhouse they saw very firm. I sent
my boy out to scare the fowls from my hog's meat: he went to the cow-house
and it fell down, my boy crying with the hurt of the fall. In the
afternoon, the pots hanging over the fire did dash so vehemently one
against the other, we set down one, that they might not dash to pieces. I
saw the andiron leap into the pot, and dance and leap out; and again leap
in and dance, and leap out again, and leap on a table and there abide; and
my wife saw the andiron on the table: also I saw the pot turn itself over,
and throw down all the water. Again we saw a tray with wool leap up and
down, and throw the wool out, and so many times, and saw nobody meddle
with it. Again, a tub his hoop fly off of itself, and the tub turn over,
and nobody near it. Again, the woollen wheel turned upside down, and stood
up on its end, and a spade set on it: Step. Greenleafe saw it, and myself
and my wife. Again, my rope-tools fell down upon the ground before my boy
could take them, being sent for them; and the same thing of nails tumbled
down from the loft into the ground, and nobody near. Again, my wife and
the boy making the bed, the chest did open and shut; the bed-clothes could
not be made to lie on the bed, but fly off again."
The disturbances commenced Thursday night, November 27; on December 3, six
days only from the commencement of the troubles (see Upham, vol. i. p.
439), Powell was complained of before a magistrate, by William Morse, "for
suspicion of working with the devil." Powell appeared for a hearing five
days later, on the 8th, and the testimony quoted above was, either then or
at the time of the complaint on the 3d, submitted before Jo. Woodbridge,
_commissioner_. Therefore the facts were of such recent occurrence as to
be fresh in the memory of the deponent; and his prompt suspicion of Powell
gives probability to the correctness of the statement in Woodward's
Series, that when Powell came to the house, pots, kettles, and chairs
"resumed" their action "with more vigor than ever." Powell's presence was
helpful to the performance. But the whole of Morse's testimony is not
embraced in the preceding. There is extant
"A FURTHER TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM MORSE AND HIS WIFE," as follows:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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