I was doing some research the other day and ran across this
website that enlightened me to something I did not know. Wanted to share it
with you guys.
We all know that we no longer have to worry over witch
hunts, but our history shows us how much fear of the unknown and lack of
knowledge can turn people into mosters. The Witch Hunts shows us just how much.
I think that is why I found this little tid-bit of information interesting.
We do not automatically go to Vienna when we think about
witches, and for good reason. There was only one case mentioned in our history.
It is referred to as Plainacher Witch Affair, and occurred in 1583. The victim
was a 70 year old lady who had raised her granddaughter. When the granddaughter
left she began having seizures. Georg Schere, a man who believed in killing
witches, came in and said the granddaughter had been hexed by her grandmother.
Schere interrogated the granddaughter until she agreed that her grandmother had
hexed her. Then Schere tortured the grandmother until she confessed.