The next morning Gus went to the father of the dead child and told him what he had heard and seen. The father was very mad but after examining the child could find no marks where the heart had been taken out. The old witch had healed the cut. So then they went to the cemetery and found the grave. Digging down where they saw the hole they came to a corpse and it was all covered with blood and had a child’s heart in its mouth, gnawing at it. The men poured kerosene from a lantern in the hole and set it afire. Then they went to the old lady’s house and found bloody rags on the table, but she was not there having gone back to the house for the funeral. The father of the dead child then ran home and found the old lady there.
“You are an old witch,” he stormed. “Now I know why you have been going to children’s funerals. You must confess now or I will kill you.” He grabbed her by the hair and swung her around. She burst out crying and said, “Yes, I now confess. I took children’s hearts to give to my friend. This friend gives me luck and I would starve without her.”
“You go home and quit this business,” said the father.
The old lady went home and after the child was buried the family called in a witch doctor and they made a charm against the witch woman, and soon she died.
67. HOTCIWAHO. (HAMMER IN HIS BELT.)
This was near a river. There lived Hotciwaho an old man. His house was apart from all others and his grandson lived with him. Now this Hotciwaho wore women’s clothes and beneath his skirt he wore a hammer (mallet), and he would hide by the springs back of the rocks and kill children when they came for water. He would strike them on their heads when they stooped over to dip. Their bodies would be found at the spring by the people who after a time found so many that they thought some subtle poison must haunt the places where they drew their water. Now this Hotciwaho would always go to the house where they were mourning over the death of the child and he would weep. Now the people never saw the tears fall from his eyes but they were always wet when he moaned over the child and said, “Hagiă’´!” He did not truly cry but before entering wiped his saliva over his cheeks and eyes so as to appear grieving. This was his trick.
Now why did he kill people? He was lazy and loved good food. Now at funerals the bereaved always provided a feast and afterwards the death feast and the mourners could take away a portion of the soup, bread and cakes. This is why he killed children. He wanted the food.
Now such a man when he does a wrong many times thinks it no offence. The grandson thought this all wrong and being afraid that he too would be killed stole his grandfather’s hammer and struck him a blow on the head and killed him. So he died in the same way.
68. HOW AMERICA WAS DISCOVERED.
Handsome Lake’s Story.