The Legend of Wizard Clip
Every family needs a good ghost story, and this is mine, from the town where my grandmother was born in the 1870's.
An authentic American poltergeist story involving religious intolerance, supernatural forces, and exorcism is portrayed in this 1899 antique ink-on-ivory sketch, which belonged to my grandmother. The tiny town where she was born, called Middleway, in West Virginia, used to be called ‘Clip,’ short for ‘Wizard Clip.’ This artwork illustrates the tale of how the town got its name.
In the 1700’s, a traveler, who happened to be Catholic, was ill and sought shelter at a farmhouse. The unsympathetic farmer turned him away because he would have no “Damned Papists [Catholics] under THIS roof!” The traveler soon died.
The farmhouse was visited with retribution by poltergeists, in which all the clothes, fabrics and linens were cut into the shapes of crescents and stars. Their pottery was broken, their buildings burned, and their livestock killed.
Father Cahill ‘layed the witches to rest.’ (exorcism.) The farmer converted to Catholicism.
At the bottom of the piece are the words “Wizard Clip” and the dates 1750-1899. Folded inside the frame is a poem about the troublesome faeries depicted in the sketch, in my grandmother’s handwriting:
In the 1700’s, a traveler, who happened to be Catholic, was ill and sought shelter at a farmhouse. The unsympathetic farmer turned him away because he would have no “Damned Papists [Catholics] under THIS roof!” The traveler soon died.
The farmhouse was visited with retribution by poltergeists, in which all the clothes, fabrics and linens were cut into the shapes of crescents and stars. Their pottery was broken, their buildings burned, and their livestock killed.
Father Cahill ‘layed the witches to rest.’ (exorcism.) The farmer converted to Catholicism.
At the bottom of the piece are the words “Wizard Clip” and the dates 1750-1899. Folded inside the frame is a poem about the troublesome faeries depicted in the sketch, in my grandmother’s handwriting:
These are the people of wide renown
Who gave the name to Wizard Clip town
In their grasp long ago
The scissors did snip and slash and rip
And invisible wizards did dance with glee
And shout and yell with joy to see
The people’s dear treasures
Cut up into measures
Of crescents and stars.
In the dark night
They squealed with delight
When they blew out all the candles
And broke off the handles
Of all the dishes
Regardless of wishes
Of distraught dames
Set frantic at sight of the terrible flame
Of firebrands thrown across the floor
And the spreading wide open of every locked door
Their cattle they poisoned
Their horses they drowned
And their barns and store-houses
They burned to the ground
Those are a few of the wild pranks played
Till by Father Cahill the witches were “layed.”
These are the first by mortals seen
And even though visible warranted genuine.
Who gave the name to Wizard Clip town
In their grasp long ago
The scissors did snip and slash and rip
And invisible wizards did dance with glee
And shout and yell with joy to see
The people’s dear treasures
Cut up into measures
Of crescents and stars.
In the dark night
They squealed with delight
When they blew out all the candles
And broke off the handles
Of all the dishes
Regardless of wishes
Of distraught dames
Set frantic at sight of the terrible flame
Of firebrands thrown across the floor
And the spreading wide open of every locked door
Their cattle they poisoned
Their horses they drowned
And their barns and store-houses
They burned to the ground
Those are a few of the wild pranks played
Till by Father Cahill the witches were “layed.”
These are the first by mortals seen
And even though visible warranted genuine.
The weird thing is, I just looked up ‘Middleway, West Virginia' in Wikipedia and found a version of this legend.
Real, untouched photo of Madame Pele, Volcano Goddess.
See the dark haired woman with the red shawl holding an infant?
This is an authentic photo of Madame Pele! I found this old, un-retouched photo from 1960 in my Auntie Dofeen's photo album of the construction of the Onion House. The photo was taken by her friend, Ira Kekaualua, during an eruption of Kilauea Iki.
