Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Gamecocks lEarth, Wind & Fire I I i?0,2ng Tc* Energetic Event I 'Big Four* Sweep I ? page 12 - page 7 | GAMECOCK LXX1V, No. 44 University of South Carolina Friday, October 30,1981 Hallow* By Sou , Heritac Condensed from4 4 There Are tl Such Creatures As Witches" g h By WALTER B. EDGAR n Witches, witchcraft and P goblins weren't always ? confined to the late, late I show or grade C movies, a Just because there were no e witch hunts in South v j?< Carolina doesn't mean t people didn't believe in f "things that go bump in tlie night." Until well into the I 18th century they were a S very real part of everyday * life to many people. i OF THE TWO reported \ cases of withccraft in the [ state, both are from York | County. 1 IP The first tale concerned an < old Mr. Rainey, a member of the Bethesda congregation " Vftrlr whn Kplipvftd he was i bewitched. He and other j members of the community j thought old Balsey Fox, "a | noted witch" who lived in the "Black Jacks" section of the county was the witch who d had Rainey under her spell. The only way to break the spell was to have the witch pronounce the healing words "God Bless You" and Rainey would be free of the evil spell. The congregation decided all of the people in By Tom Ami. N?w (JSC has transferred $1 mill ment to tne general operating u million shortfall in the 1981-82 fi USC President James Hold transfer to be a one-time occui purchase non-recurring items i periodicals. "I want to underline the prid , ^ athletic department and the * cooperation in helping us witf the short-term needs of the unii HOLDERMAN SAID he did i ten Enh ith Care leOfW ie neighborhood would a* ather at the Rainey omestead. At one point, all ?< $ tmrttviari nrooant llIAIllr) 1 U1C VVUI1IUI pi V-OVI1V TVV1MU lace their hands on Rainey. Sl lalsey Fox had been invited, w t was thought she would be *r ishamed not to do what h veryone else in the group vas doing thus she would be P ricked into setting Rainey A ree of her spell. ? The group gathered as L rianned, but no Balsey Fox. a to Colonel Edward Lacey on E lis spirited bay rode out to jet her. When he returned, h he crowd was amazed. The luge horse was lathered and ^ >reathing as if hundreds of d pounds had been added to his r 3ack. Balsey Fox weighed F inlv Qfi nnnnris ? t WITH THE WITCH r present, the group put its r plan into action. After a few c pleasantries, the women t began to go up to Rainey, place their hands on his tormented body, and c pronounce their blessings, t As Balsey Fox followed the I others, some thought she had i UCCII IIWUVTIIUICVI. uitv uiu gv up to Rainey and she did < place her hands on him. < Then she stated: "May God 1 bless you, Mr. Rainey." A 1 tremor rippled through the I Coyne i Editor ion from the athletic departudget in order to reduce a $6.5 iscal year. errnan said he expected the rence with the money used to iuch as equipment and library le we feel in the success of the gratitude we feel for their i generated revenues to meet /ersity," Holderman said. not anticipate a payback of the anced tuna itches isembled throng, for they 1 Umaiii D alrmr I?AV 'o 1 iuiuw uiav uotovj i- va xl was the Devil. Poor Mr. Rainey had to iffer because the "noted itch" had not been tricked ito freeing her victim from er evil spell. The second story hapened in about 1820 or 1821. losie Gabbie lived about ivo miles from York County !ourt House with his sister nd a brother-in-law named turns. It was known hroughout the county that e was bewitched. Each day Gabbie lay in his >ed responding only to iirect and persistent emarks. Then about 11 or 12 >.m. he would utter a 'fearful yell," leap from his >ed, and dash out into the light. About dawn he would eturn, exhausted and with hestnut burs deeply embedded in his feet. AFTER SEVERE luestioning, he told his sister hat daily before midnight, VIrs. Biggert, a commonly eported witch, called to lim. This produced the IronHfiil chriokino as hf? JU VUVU M* uim ?* >" ? ? lashed to do her bidding. When he got to Mrs. Biggert's house, she rode him over to old Violet funds. "Where would we get t Athletic Director Jim Carlei ii so we gave 11 iu mem uu< revenues." The athletic department doi two years ago for acade described that as a gift with n "This is more of a loan-typ? U3 over a couple of years timf JOHN MOORE, associate word 4 toan" was an incorr? we sat down and wrote up an of an advance payment." As Halloween approaches, foremost in everyone's mini Weston's place and hitched i him under a chestnut tree, i There he had to wait all night ' A ^ ?> ? /Inn/io Wauziuilg uk; wilciico uautc < and cavort. Before dawn < broke she released him and 1 he returned home. This activity went on for five years, despite all attempts to keep him from responding to the witch's call. Then Dr. Brindle, a celebrated "witch doctor" from Lincolnton, N.C., came to town to help Mosie Gabbie. With a crowd of about 50 onlookers who later repeated the story, Dr. Brindle administered a strong concoction to make Gabbie vomit. Immediately Gabbie's stomach emptied an odd assortment of bent pins, needles, hair balls, and other he monev?" ii said, "They wanted to borrow t of our money from television nated $250,000 to the university mic scholarships but Carlen 0 intention of a payback. 1 thing that will be payed back to Carlen said. t director of athletics said the ct term. "It makes it sound like i agreement. I consider it as sort I traditional symbols such as wi 1 unlikely objects that in- 0j dicated an evil influence. Then a black cat was tied to ^ a chair in the room and a G dead hogweed switch ob- pj tained. On the doctor's in- {J, structions, Gabbie began to whip the cat at different ^ times, but always an odd |r number of strokes. f( Dr. Brindle said soon the witch would come to the q house and ask for something c insignificant and she should e be denied whatever it was. c Instead of going elsewhere, v the witch would hang around a and keep asking tor ine same ( thing. Eventually, it should i be given to her and the spell would be broken. tl IT WAS JUST as he S predicted. Mrs. Biggert p came and asked for a oitcher o Moore explained that the department is self-generating ar appropriations. The athletic ck from the university andmustpa scholarships. This %l million w* these services. Robert Denton, vice president know exactly how to term it but the university coming to aid anot The reason for the $6.5 milli cutback by the Veterans Admii funding and the $1.2 million cutt Control Board in the funding fori Stiff Art by MtKf RSHfR tches and goblins are f buttermilk. It was denied sr. She remained near the Duse all afternoon. Finally, abbie's sister gave her the itcher of buttermilk and the itch thanked her. "From lat hour Mosie Gabbie was ee from the spell and slept & his bed all night like other >lks." These examples of South arolina witches and withcraft have far happier ndings than those of olonial Massachusetts /here women were burned t the stake. South Carolinians were proud of he difference. (Dr. Edgar is director of le Institute for Southern tudies and a history rofessor at the University f South Carolina.) J! 4KB money from the athletic id does not come from state apartment rents the Roost yHheuniversity for athletic is an advance payment for i ? ? ?:J U. j:J l ui iiiihiii;^, sttiu iic uiu ihh it was merely one branch of her in a time of difficulty. on shortfall is a 1.2 million nistration in medical school vack by the state Budget and nula.