The owner requested astonished persons standing around the "bewitched" cow to assist in putting a rope about her horns and tying her to the tree so that he could burn her, thus disposing of the "evil spirits."

The year was 1828, just 12 years after the organization of Lawrence County from Scioto and Gallia counties. The incident, though it may seem harrowing today, was not an unusual occurrence for the early years of the 19^thcentury.

The people, many of whom considered it "part of a day's work" to fight off the Indians, believed strongly in forms of witchcraft.

In this specific cow-burning incident, the animal in question was charged as having "canine madness" after it was observed "frantic, running, and pitching at everything."

But after further observation, onlookers said she was "not mad, but bewitched."

Soon after the poor cow was covered with fuel, logs, brush, and then set afire. Whispers from the observers were heard saying "I never saw any creature to hard to die!."

Night having set in before the burning was finished, the owner and his family went back to the house to watch to ascertain if witches could be seen about the burning embers.

Late at night the watch called to the other family members and pointed out two shadowy figures dancing and hopping around the pile of still-glowing embers. The next morning the witnesses brought neighbors to see the fire . . . and the leering footprints of the ugly witches they had seen the night before.

This complete story is related in a court case in the Lawrence Common Pleas Court in 1828, found in "Historical Collections of Ohio," Volume II, pages 57-59, which is part of the extensive collection of historical and genealogical materials available at Briggs – Lawrence County Public Library in Ironton.

The microfilms of several of the censuses taken in the late 1800's are also available at the library.

The 1850 census, which we are attempting through this historical series to relate by townships, tabulated 534 residents in Lawrence Township, an L-shaped tract in central Lawrence County. The 1960 census of the township recorded 1,916 persons.

The villages in the township include Kitts Hill, Andis, and Willow Wood and several streams including Ice Creek, Storm's Creek, Ned Fork, Dog Fork, and Leatherwood Fork of Symmes Creek cross the township.

James Webb Sr. was possibly one of the first settlers of the township, followed by Robert Ross, Elias Webb, Abe Pancake, George Willis, and others. Mr. Webb Sr. built the first cabin in the township in 1806, 10 years before the realization of Lawrence County.

Of the 534 residents in 1850, 26 had attended school within the year, and 67 over the age of 20 years could not read or write. There were 85 dwellings in the rural township, occupied by 86 families. There were 271 white males, 259 white females, one colored male, and three colored females residing in the township.

The residents of Lawrence township were engaged in farming and laboring, with an occasional blacksmith or merchant cropping up in the "occupation" column on the ledger.

Of the total population, 391 of the settlers were born in Ohio, with 87 from Virginia and a total of 56 from the states of Kentucky, New York, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Compared to the other townships which we have studied thus far, there were few states represented and a proportionately large calling from the state of Ohio.

Some of the unusual names seen on the pages of the census were Colier, Hackwith, Maze, Dilly, Marten, and Ross spelled with the long "s" which looks somewhat like an ornate "f".