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Page 40 SUPERSTITIONS
few minutes he pulled the rod out, which showed the color of blood
on the wiping material and said, "I have fixed him." It was noted
afterward that the neighbor died about this time.
When anything happened to an animal, it was charged to
the witches. In one instance this Dauphin County emigrant, after he
had arrived in Brady Township, stated that he had a cow which gave
bloody milk. Of course the cow was "hexed" by a neighbor, and the
remedy was to milk the cow and put the milk on the stove, and after
it evaporated the witch would be exorcised. He declared in this
instance that, while they were boiling the milk, they saw a headless
sheep coming out of the woods a few hundred feet northeast of the
house. The sheep seemed to be drawn toward the house where the milk
was being boiled, and when it came within a few rods of the house,
the sheep became very ill and lay down, and as the last of the milk
evaporated the sheep died. Upon inquiry a few days later, he
discovered that the witch, who lived over a mile away, had become
very ill at about this time and the neighbors thought she would die.
In the vicinity of DuBois an unfortunate woman lost her
reason. When some of her relatives claimed that she was "possessed."
This was proven by the visit of a young woman who lived some four
miles distant. This young woman had a young horse which she had
taught a number of tricks, and likewise a dog which she had taught
to perform certain stunts. It was believed that this young woman had
a copy of what was known as the "Black Art," and the only reason
that she was able to teach her animals was through the reading of
this book. The "Black Art" was supposed to be a book written on a
black page with the printing, or writing in white, and for one to
possess this book and do the tricks one had to sell himself to
Satan.
When the young woman visited her neighbor, it was on a
rather cold November day, and she came on horse back. Other visitors
declared that while this young woman was in the house visiting with
the sick woman, a very large black dog peered into the window, and
when the young woman mounted her horse to leave, this dog jumped
onto the back of the horse, back of the saddle, placed his front
feet on the shoulders of the young woman which caused the horse to
try to run away.
At a later date the woman committed suicide in a piece
of woods adjoining the property, and from this time on her ghost
walked in this woods. One woman related that her father had
frequently pointed out this woods and assured her that at a certain
hour in the night a light was seen at the point at which the woman
died.
There is a tradition that a ghost "walks" in the forest west
of the Paul Bloom farm on the Lakes to Sea Highway in Bloom Township
It is believed that a peddler was killed and buried in
this forest many years ago. On certain nights in the year a headless
man is seen in the vicinity between Little Anderson Creek and the
farm of Mr. Bloom. How true this story may be, it is yet a fact that
persons
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