Witches, USA

A big theme of NOTW is the persistence of belief in witches in foreign countries, right down to the present. Hardly a week goes by without a report of some poor soul being put to death for occult suspicions.

How far back in the history of the USA are such beliefs--among the non-immigrant population?

Try at least as recently as 1929. Original article here.

Who We Are
Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 06, 2012
Category: Death | Superstition | 1920s

Comments

A "pow-wow" doctor is convicted of killing another "pow-wow" doctor. Sounds like a chapter of "Spy vs. Spy".

"She said, 'Be a good boy, Wilbert' as he was led away." Saying that was a little late at that point.

What the trial transcript really revealed:
"Did you feel bewitched?"
"Yes. He turned me into a newt!"
"A newt?"
"I got better."

Posted by KDP on 07/06/12 at 10:45 AM

I actually live near where this happened,and I've always found it an interesting case. For those who are interested, there have actually been two books written on the case, "Hex" by Arthur H. Lewis and "Trials of Hex" by J. Ross McGinnis.

What's also interesting is that the house where the murder took place is supposed to be haunted.

Posted by yoyogod on 07/06/12 at 11:07 AM

What do you mean by non-immigrant? The only non-immigrant people in this country are the American Indians, everybody else immigrated here including my family.

Posted by Fred on 07/06/12 at 01:11 PM

Strictly speaking, American Indians were immigrants too. They just happened to immigrate 12,000 years before everyone else, at least the earliest ones.

I wonder if he weighed the same as a duck

Posted by Fluffy Bunny Slippers on 07/06/12 at 04:18 PM

Good thing they were convicted, they probably caused the financial collapse too!!

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 07/06/12 at 08:43 PM

Who else would you hire to predict the futures?

Posted by Fluffy Bunny Slippers on 07/06/12 at 10:03 PM

@FBS: I agree, just because they got (t)here first doesn't give them a good claim to "Native"!

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/06/12 at 11:43 PM

Well if you want to go back far enough then none of us are native as all our ancestors migrated to land from the seas. According to evolution anyway.

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 07/08/12 at 01:28 PM

Commenting is not available in this channel entry.