Europe's inner demons

First, Cunrat Kurman says that six or eight years ago he had a chill, and Anna came and brought him some stewed apple; it was well spiced with good things, so he liked it very much and ate heartily, for it was very good, as it seemed to him. And when she brought it she told his wife that nobody but he was to eat of it, neither his wife nor the child; and she would be back. And when he had eaten the stewed apple he fell on the floor and was unconscious for two hours. Then they laid him on a bed, where he lay for another two hours, knowing nothing, bereft of reason, quite deaf and senseless, and was no longer like a Christian person. He is sure that this came from what he had eaten.

Jost Meyger says that ten or twelve years ago his late mother was working as a midwife, and so was Dichtlin. Women called his mother in more than they did Dichtlin; and in time his mother went down with a long illness, and when she came to die, she swore, as she hoped to be saved, that it was Dichtlin’s doing. And Jost also swears upon his life that his mother had her illness from Dichtlin.

Item: Kuni Hinter der Kilchen says that eight or nine years ago he had four young pigs. They went into Dichtlin’s garden, and his wife chased them out again. Dichtlin said: “What are you doing?” His wife answered: “I’ve chased the pigs out of your garden, so they shan’t spoil your vines, I did it for the best.” And Dichtlin said: “The Devil reward you! You’ve done it so that you can keep to the nest for 13 days”. Soon afterwards she was brought to childbed; then she remembered those words and decided that was the nest. But when she got up from childbed she was lame, and she still is lame. And Kuni and his wife swear on their lives that the lameness came from Dichtlin.

A little while ago Kuni went out to mow. He came to the River Luthern and found Anna standing and looking into a pool in the stream. He said: “What are you doing?” She replied: “I’m fishing”. Later he saw her standing in the pool in the Luthern, splashing the water between her legs with both hands. And before he got home, there was a heavy downpour.

Item: Jost Brun says that Anna came and caught crayfish in the stream, and she was in a black mood. They met at the white bridge, and a storm came up; and as they were looking at the storm, Anna said the storm might do harm in some places, but not here. She said also: “The storm came up behind Freibach and is going towards Hutweil.” That gave him nasty doubts about her.

Ulli Meyer says, she had an ox, it was sprightly and ran up and down in the lane in front of the women’s house. Next day it was dead. That they had killed it he did not say, nor did he know it.

Schinnouwer says he went down to cut a joist and found Anna fishing in the Luthern and as he was coming home, a big storm blew up. But he did not say she had made it, for he did not know that.

Ulli of Aesch says, the women went fishing four times, and each time, just as they were coming home, a great storm came up. Also, a beggar told him he had seen the two women sitting in the stream; and as he passed by they called him back, saying: “Be a good fellow, give us our shifts” (they were hanging on a bush). He did so, and saw clearly that they were holding something or other between their legs; though he did not know what it was. That same night there was a great hailstorm.

Next Ulli Hüsly told how once his wife had called a midwife in, and not Dichtlin, and God gave her a child. Then Dichtlin threatened his wife, wagging her finger and saying “What will you bet, you will be the worse off?” And a storm came and a thunderbolt fell on his house and burned up everything he possessed. And he says he will swear on his life that this came from Dichtlin.

Ulli Ruttiman says: When the two women were recently released^*

they went home. Herr Peter Wechter and he also went there. And they all met, and the women said many things in anger. Among other things Anna said, “We won’t forget the way the rogues treated us, and we won’t forget how the piper tied us up on the cart.” And they made many threats and said: “We’ll go away.” And the daughter said: “If anything happens after this, it will happen to me just as much as to my mother, I’ll be blamed for everything.”

Jörg Tanner says that when he was Hentz Cläwi’s servant Dichtlin’s husband, Hans in der Gassen, walked up with him from Altishofen. Hans in der Gassen said to Jörg: “You and your master have put a fir-tree in the cavity. It could easily happen that that will bring him more harm than profit.” Two or three days later Hentz Cläwi, a healthy, sprightly fellow, fell ill and soon he was dead. But Jörg did not know that Hans in der Gassen did it, or who did it.

And then Ulli Schärer, Ulli Mor and Hans Wellenberg said unanimously that the two women went fishing a fourth time. As they came home it thundered all the way and they hardly escaped the storm.