historical character, dealing with the carrying off by Indians, in 1755, of Regina Hartmann and her sister Susan. The story, of a highly romantic character, shows how much interest the scenery of the region may derive from its historical associations, if these are adequately set forth. For the anger of the Indians the writer gives a partial explanation in a trick practised on them by the successors of William Penn. "He could not know that some of these purchases, called 'walking purchases,' had created great dissatisfaction in the minds of these simple and originally honest folk, as, for example, when, in consideration of some guns, gunpowder, flints, clothes, blankets, and meal, the white purchasers should have a certain belt of land to extend in length the distance a man could walk in a day; they did not contemplate that the purchasers would ransack the country to find the fastest runner known, and that he would cover a distance of nearly a hundred miles, instead of pursuing the Indians' lazier pace, which would probably cover only twenty or thirty miles."
Among the early German settlers lingered in full force a belief in witchcraft and magic. It was believed that the sixth and seventh books of Moses, imaginary works, to which were ascribed supernatural virtues, were buried somewhere in the Blue Mountains. A certain Paul Heym, living near Lebanon about 1755, was supposed to possess the ability of transforming himself into various shapes. When hard pressed by Indian pursuers, he escaped by changing himself into a stump, and under the form of a wildcat was able to visit an Indian council and overhear the plans formed; from an arrow the beast received a wound in a paw, which afterward appeared on the arm of the wizard. When he left his house, Heym was in the habit of protecting it by a charm, written on a piece of paper, and regarded as also a protection against lightning. The words are preserved:—
In Namen Gottes geh' ich aus;
Der Vater wahr' mir dieses Haus;
Der Sohn mit seiner Lieb dabei
Dies Haus bewahr' in aller Treu;
Und Heil'ger Geist, lass nicht heran,
Ein Sach das dies Haus schaden kann.
It will be seen that there seem still to linger in the memory of living persons survivals of the once abundant folk-lore of the Blue Mountains, and that these relics are well worth preserving and bringing into permanent form, a task which is contemplated by Mr. Henning.
W. W. Newell.
LOCAL MEETINGS AND OTHER NOTICES.
Boston.—Friday, November 18, 1897. The Boston Branch held its first meeting of the season at 8 P.M. at the Grundmann Studios. Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Newell were the hosts, and Professor Putnam presided. Mr. Leo Wiener, instructor in the Slavic languages at Harvard University, was the speaker, and had as his subject, "The Folk-Lore of the Russian
