Online Book Reader

Home Category

Witchcraft in Early North America - Alison Games [91]

By Root 595 0
at this time this declarant heard the wife of the said Indian painter, and one of her daughters, say to the said Catherina Lujan: “Now”; and that the latter said: “Not yet”: and that, then, full of terror, this declarant left that place where she was kneeling, and fell on her knees further off, and this time the wife of the said Indian said to the said Catherina: “It would be better now”; and, being on her knees behind this declarant, the said wife of the Indian came close to her and put her hand on her back beside her heart; and then, as she did so, her entire body began to itch, and this declarant [MS. torn] has not lifted her head since then, except that every day she is [MS. torn] whence she is persuaded that those aforesaid [MS. torn] that she suffers and this declarant never knew that the Indian women had done her harm, but thought that perhaps they wanted secretly to steal the buttons from the mantle which she was wearing, and that she went out afraid and she has a horror of that place to the present day, and that she told what had happened to her to Casilda, the wife of Francisco Martin, the Reaper, and that for this [reason] she has preferred this criminal complaint against the said Indian women; and that this is the truth, under pain of the oath she has taken, which she affirmed and certified; and that she is twenty years of age, and she does not sign because she does not know how. . . .

[The three accused witches, Catherina Lujan, Catherina Rosa, and Angelina Pumazho, were apprehended.]

May 16

Declaration of Angelina Pumazho

In this Town of Santa Fe, the sixteenth day of May, seventeen hundred and eight, I, the Captain Juan Garcia de las Ribas, examining justice, in pursuance of this cause, required to appear before me Angelina Pumazho, an Indian of the village of San Juan, wife of Domingo Pobicoa, and administered the oath through the interpreter, who was Maria Madrid, in due legal form, in the name of our Lord God and the Holy Cross; having taken it, she promised to speak the truth in all that she might be asked; and having been asked if it was true that she had illicit intimacy with Miguel Martin that she should so say and declare it: She said that she had not had improper intimacy with the above mentioned and in order to make it clearer they should confront her with the said Miguel Martin and that she would say to his face that she had not been, and, even if they killed her, she could say nothing else, because she knew nothing else; asked if it were true that she was with her mother on Holy Thursday at the church of Santa Cruz, she should so state and declare it; she said that she was not in said town because a child of hers lay dying and Sebastian Martin can testify to this, as he went the same day to the New Town and saw this declarant at home in her house with her mother; Asked why she denies that she was in the New Town [Santa Cruz] when she was seen with her mother behind her by Leonor Dominguez, the sick woman, who avows and declares this as being about to die, let her state and declare it; and she said that the said Leonor did not speak the truth and has no fear of God nor pity on her soul, since she swears falsely; and that this is the truth that she has spoken and which she certifies and affirms under pain of the oath she has taken; and her declaration having been read to her she said that she has nothing to add nor alter and that she is about twenty years old, more or less; and she does not sign this, not knowing how to write. . . .

Declaration of Catherina Rosa, Wife of Zhiconqueto

Then, immediately, on said day, month and year, I, the said examining justice, required to appear before me Catarina Rosa, married to Diego Zhiconqueto, of the village of San Juan and administered the oath to her in due legal form, before our Lord God and the sign of the Holy Cross, and, having taken it, she promised to speak the truth in all that might be asked of her, and being asked: if she knew that her daughter, Angelina, was the concubine of Miguel Martin, before either of them were married, that she should

Return Main Page Previous Page Next Page

®Online Book Reader