Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

344 RAMBLES ABOUT PORTSMOUTH.
charged to Satanic influence. It is science now-it was
witchcraft then.
Although belief in witchcraft in late years has not been
general, yet at no time has it been without some who' have
had a belief in it. There are many stories given in proof
of the agency of evil spirits in conferring superhuman
powers upon those over whom they had an influence.
In the time of the Revolution when our almshouse was
kept by ir. Clement March, there was among the inmates
a woman who bore the name of Molly Bridget. She had
been notorious as a fortune teller. She was regarded as a
witch in those times, and to her was attributed many of the
domestic evils of that day. Her fame as a witch was wide
spread. Finding her way to Boston, the police gave her
warning to leave the city forthwith. "Why?" she asked.
"Is not your name Molly Bridget?" "No, sir," she re.
plied-" do you think I am such a despicable creature as
Molly?" Although she denied the identity, she took pains
to return by the first opportunity. It was in the year 1782,
when she was at our almshouse, that there was trouble in
the pig stye. The pigs were pronounced bewitched, and
the remedy resorted to was to cut off the tips of their tails
and ears. The evil spirits however were not cast out. It
was then said that those tips must be burned. But
nothing could be found of them. Mr. March directed that
all the loose chips and leaves in the yard should be scraped
up and burned in the several fireplaces in the house. After
the fires were kindled, Molly hastened from room to room in
a frenzied manner. She soon went to her own room, and as
the flames began to subside her sands of life began to run
out, and before the ashes were cold, she was actually a
corpse. At the hour fixed for her funeral, arose one of
those dreadful storms which are said to occur when witches
are buried. These are facts-how far the results were
induced by the superstitious feelings of that day, the reader