Witchcraft Still Believed In

December 1, 1908

Summary

A farmer who loses many animals due to their illness hires a “witch,” and his problems mysteriously go away.

Transcription

Witchcraft Still Believed In
Having lost a large number of cattle during the last year, and believing a neighbor, thought by some of the superstitious to be a witch, was causing him bad luck, Joseph Gottschalk, a prosperous Mahoney Valley, Pa., farmer, recently signed a contract with a woman to give him protection for one year. The woman is alleged to possess the power of witchcraft. Gottschalk will pay her a regular salary for her protection. In 12 months he has lost, through sickness and accident many cows, horses, and pigs, although his barn was a model of sanitation. Since Gottschalk first called in his woman protector the illness in his stock has ceased.
About this article

Location on Page

Lower Left Quadrant

Contributed By

Emma Roberts

Citation

“Witchcraft Still Believed In,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed April 27, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/838.