Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern SpiritualismPutnam, Allen
Religion
Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism
Putnam, Allen
Spiritualism; Witchcraft -- New England
Braybrook's statement presents a side incident at a time when none of the
performers who had been trained in the historian's famous high school for
girls were present--an incident which rivals in marvelousness anything in
the main tragedy they are charged with enacting. When the tricksy girls
were all absent, when men alone stood guard over and were with this
prisoner, she became invisible by them. No one of the magic-working band
of girls and women was then at hand. Testimony that she disappeared is
distinct; the guards reported in the morning that "she was gone some time
from them." The constable so stated, and the statement was supported by
two assistant guards, Michael Dunnell, and Jonathan Baker. We shall not
stop to ask them how they knew that she was "barefoot and barelegged" when
she was invisible. They perhaps saw her stockings and shoes when she was
not to be seen. Also she was without such garments when seen that night by
Elizabeth Hubbard and her lover in that girl's distant home.
An intelligent, sagacious, and reliable man, Dr. H. B. Storer, of Boston,
whom we know and have long known personally, and whom we respect as being
distinctly high-minded, honorable, and adherent to facts and truths, gave,
in the Banner of Light, January 9, 1875, an instructive account of his
recent observations at the residence of Mrs. Compton, a medium, at Havana,
N. Y. We extract the following from his statements. He says that on Monday
morning, December 28, 1874,--
"By my request, Mrs. Compton acquiescing without a murmur, my lady
friends, entering her bedroom, saw her completely divested of clothing,
with the exception of two under garments, and then had her draw on a pair
of her husband's pantaloons. The basque of her alpaca dress, without the
skirt, was then put on, after careful search to render it certain that no
extra clothing could be secreted. Then, in my presence, the basque was
sewed by its points on each side to the pantaloons, and a ribbon, which I
tied with two knots closely around her neck, was sewed through the knots,
and each end of the ribbon sewed to the collar of the basque. So she had
on a closely-fitting coat and pantaloons sewed together, and so attached
by a ribbon around the neck that the clothing could not be drawn up or
down. A pair of black gloves were then drawn upon the hands and sewed
tightly around the wrists. I then put around her waist a piece of cotton
twine, tying it in two hard knots behind, and the same piece of twine was
tied by double knots to the back of the chair in which she sat."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account