A WITCH SENT TO PRISON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 242, 3 December 1880, Page 4

A WITCH SENT TO PRISON.

The criminal tribunal of Csernowitz, an important town of the Bukovina, has recently been engaged in trying an elderly woman named Irene GUborfor 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 tricks, in persuading the butcher's wife that she was gifted with supernatural powers, and that [her dupe induced the buicher to consult Irene with respect to his mundane and eternal future. On baing by liim solicited to foretell coming events, she proceeded :to business by gyratyng round him until he feltquite giddy, and then, filling: a bowl with, water, droppel

into it a ball of wax about as large as a walnut over which she muttered some words of an untelligible jargon. Presently, to the worthy butcher's jmazement and terror, the floating lump of wax developed into b scarlet flower,onehalf of which, Irene informed him,: represented his familiar demon, while; the other moiety was allotted by destiny to be his [guardian angel. With this phenomenon the first part of her performance terminated. Still greater surprises, however, were in store for the gpell-bound butcher. Filling a second bowl to the brim, Irene mumbled another charm over its tontents, when lo ! tbe water suddenly turned blood-red. Of this ill-favoured liquor tbe butoher and his wife sbudderingly took a sip, at Mrs Garbor'e pressing instance, after which she oovered up the bowl with a piece of muslin. Through this she exhorted them to fix their gaze, and her victims presently perceived a black pigecn rising out of the crimson brew, and fluttering its sable wings. She commanded them to cross themselves and blow upon the ominous fowl, No sooner had they fulfilled her behest than the pigeon flaw away and van ished. Then she compelled them by awful threats to kneel down, and striking their foreheads againet the floor, to pronounce & solemn oath that they would never reveal to anybody, the, price Bhe proposed to exact for her enchantments. Haying thus bound them to eternal secrecy, she took her pick of the butcher'* shop, selecting tbe following prosaic objects as her fee : A jar, of Ltd, seyen, couple of ..large, sausages,, and a pair of boois, several cakes of soep, and nine florins out of the till. Having tied t eee articles up in her ebawl, she turned upon the butcher and all but petrified, him with the prophecy that he would tumble down dead that day two months. In fear and trembling he awaited the date fixed for bis dissolution, but having survived it without the, least physical inconvenience he denounced Irene

Gabor to the Czamowitz police, by whom she was promptly arrep.ted and consigned to darahee vile.' ! Subsequently condemned to a long term of imprisonment jwiih KardJafior, this? rer doubtable witch vtill enjoy but. scant opportunities of bartering her epellp and incantations against sausages and lard for some years to come.— London. Telegraph. *"' 1 "