A WITCH SENT TO PRISTON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 35, 31 December 1880, Page 3

A WITCH SENT TO PRIST ON .

The criminal tribunal nf Cz.rnowitz, animportant town of tie lkikovina. has recently been engaged in trying an elderly woman named Irene Gabor f«>r laying unlawful and magical spells upon a pork butcher and his wife, resident in that city. It appears that, about ten weeks ago, this pretended sorceress succeeded, by performing a few ingenious sleight-of-hand trick?, in persuading the butcher's wife that she was gifted with supernatural powers, and that her dupe induced the butcnevto consult Irene with respect to his mundane and eternal future. On being by him solicited to foretell coming events, she proceeded to business by gyrating round him until he felt quite giddy, and then, filling a bowl with water, dropped into it >i ball of wax about £»s lar»o as a walnut, over wbich she muttered some words of an unintelligible jargon. Presently, to the worthy butcher's amazement and terror, the floating lump of w»x developed into a scarlet flower, onehalf of which, Irene informed him, represented his familiar demon, while the other moiety was allotted by destiny to his guardian angel. With this phenomenon the first part of her performance terminated. Still greater surprises, however, were in store for the spell- boand butcher. Filling a second bowl to the brim, Irene mumbled another charm over its contents, when lo! the water suddenly turned blood-red. Of this ill-favored liquor the butcher and his wife shudderingly took a sip, at Mrs G abor's pressinginstanco,after which she covered up the bowl with a piece of muslin. Though this diaphanous substance, upon which she exhorted them to fix their gaze, her victims presently perceived a black pigeon rising out of the crimson brew, and fluttering its sable-wings. JS he commanded them to cioss themselves and blow upon the ominous fowl. No sooner had they fulfilled her behest than the pigeon flew away and vanished. Then she compelled them by awful threats to kneel clown, and, striking their foreheads against the floor, io pronounce a solemn oath that they would never reveal lo anybody the price she proposed to exact for her enchantments. Having thus bound th«*n. to eternal secrecy, she took her pick of the butcher's shop, selecting ihe fol. owing pto.aic objects as her fee : A jar of lard, seven couples of huge sausages, a pair of boots, several cakes of soap, aLd nine florins out ot the till. Having tied these articlos up in her shawl, she turned upon the butcher and all but petrified him with tho prophecy that he would tumble dawn dead that day two months. In fear and trembling he awaited the day fixed for his dis solution, but having survive... it without the least physical inconvenience, ho denounced Irene Gabor io tho Czevnowitz police, by whom she was promptly arrested and consigned to durance vile. Subsequently condemned to a long term of imprisonment with hard labor, this redoubtable witch will enjoy but scant opportunities of barteiing hor spells and incantations against sausages and lard for some years to come. — London Telcgr «I ,h -