1867, in which a woman laid a spell upon the servant girl of a rival witch, and caused her to make knockings and move the furniture.[1] It is probable, in fact, that the idea of being bewitched, acting upon an hysterical temperament, may in many cases prove the efficient cause of disturbances.
But in other respects the Cideville case is, as said, a fairly typical one. It will be observed, first, that all the disturbances occurred in the presence of the two children; many of them in their immediate neighbourhood. Further, it appears, even by the description of the witnesses, that many of the things could have been done by the children in a normal manner. In most other instances the margin between what was possible and what, in the view of the witnesses, was not possible for the children to have accomplished, was very narrow. M. Leroux is satisfied that the child could not have replaced the toilet articles in so short a time. Madame de St. Victor is satisfied that the child could not have rocked the chair. Perhaps M. Robert de St. Victor had been a good child and had never played tricks with chairs. M. Bouffay is certain that the children could not have made the noise which he heard, because it was too loud.
But there remain certain things which cannot be so easily explained; such as the moving tongs and shovel testified to by Cheval, the flying hammer
- ↑ Proccedings, S. P. R., vol. xvii, p. 320.
