It appears that Scarborough has its Wise-man, to whom resort is made on the loss of property. Thus the following notice was recently published by the bellman at Staitnes: “Stolen yesterday afternoon a large fisherman’s net belonging to Jock ——, and if it is not brought back before to-morrow at 1 o’clock he’ll apply to the Wise-man at Scarbro’.” At Shipley, near Leeds, resides another of these worthies, named Billy Pullein. A “land merchant,” or dealer, who carried woollen goods to country markets, on returning from a tour in the north of Yorkshire, lost the proceeds of all his sales between Bingley and Shipley. Under these circumstances he consulted Billy Pullein, who after listening to the narration merely deigned to say, “I’ll gie ’em a shak.” A week later the dealer met near the Cloth Hall at Leeds an acquaintance who asked him whether he had heard anything about the lost money. On being answered in the negative, the man continued with much emotion, “But I can tell thee summat; there it is. I gie it thee just as I found it.” And when the dealer thanked him he only said, “Thou canst have no more pleasure in getting it than I in giving it. I’ve been miserable indeed all this week.” This was of course attributed to Billy Pullein’s “shak.”
In cases like these, it may be remarked that Devonshire superstition points more to the punishment of the thief than to the recovery of the stolen property. If a robbery has been committed, it enjoins you to pluck six blades of grass from the spot, and take them to a white witch; as many scratches as she makes
London for an eminent spirit-rapper to aid his search. The spirit having been evoked, it was announced that the lost treasure was deposited in a certain garden; and there at midnight the party set to work to recover it. While thus employed they perceived that they were watched, and, secrecy being requisite for such investigations, they hastily decamped. But what was the horror of the gentleman and his friends when a policeman called the next morning, and announced that he had got on the scent, for he had seen the thieves digging in the garden at midnight, and had heard them speak of the money they expected to find there! Little were they prepared for such a way of “turning the tables.” What makes this incident the more singular is, that the gentleman who thus sought for the aid of spiritual agency was in the prime of life, and was a person of wealth and good position in the county.
