Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 133, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1912 — SORQERY REVIVED IN FRANCE [ARTICLE]

SORQERY REVIVED IN FRANCE

Two Women Discovered Practicing a ___ Medieval Form of Witchcraft by Sergeant. London. —An extraordinary story comes-from Calais. While a sergeant was on guard before the postern gate of the old citadel two black-veiled women glided slowly into view, and one of the visitors stretched herself out on the damp grass With arms extended In the form of # cross. The other with a small spade began hastily to dig a hole In the ground. In It she placed a packet wrapped in white linen, covered It as quickly as possible, Under the idea that he had witnessed the closing' scenes of an infanticide, the sergeant notified the authorities, and the packet was disinterred and taken to the police headquarters. At the same time a doctor was summoned, who at once began to unwrap the parcel. What was the astonishment of the investigators finally to discover, not the remains of a child, but merely a •pig's heart. —And-to what a condition! It was pierced through and through In every direction with no fewer than 113 pins, and was also traversed by a dagger. In fact the authorities were faced with a case of “envoutement," one of the- favorite forms of sorcery in the middle ages, which borrowed it from antiquity. It was then practiced very generally, together with the “black

mass,” the “reptile sacrament,” human sacrifice, and other superstitious relics of barbarism. - - The method was adopted as follows: Some hairs or articles of clothing of the person to be bewitched were procured, and an animal was chosen to represent this person, and was namto after him. The creature was first placed in contact with the victim’s belongings, and then slain with a magic dagger. Its heart was taken out and wrapped, if possible. In the person’sclothes, and during three days pins and nails were driven through it to an accompaniment of curses and maledictions. It was believed that all the tortures Inflicted on the dead animal heart would be endured by the living Individual. A much more common way, however, was to mold a wax image of the person to be bewitched and to dress’ it In the clothes be or she usually wore. Tbe waxen doll was then cursed and tortured In tbe hope that the person wpuld suffer the same.