In Old Lopatcong, the legend of the Gray Witch
by James Wright

Looking Back Halloween column in The Express
undated

It would hardly be the Halloween season without at least one good tale of the occult or ghost story. Sad to say few such tales from the local area have been reported. One notable exception is the legend of the Gray Witch. The setting of the legend was the old Lopatcong Township in Warren County. The time frame was the late 18th century.

On the east slope of Scott Mountain looking toward the old Belvidere Road, there stood a crude log cabin. An early settler in these parts had cleared the woods and built the cabin. It is related how the settler later died at the hands of the Indians and for many years the cabin stood deserted. The resident of old Lopatcong came to view the edifice as haunted due to the fact that at night strange sights and sounds were reported nearby.

After a number of years an unknown woman was seen living in the lonely cabin. She was middle-aged and had dark piercing eyes and dark hair. It could have been seen that in youth she was beautiful and was a woman of poise. She kept to herself and never appeared at St. James (Straw) Church where most of the residents attended. All attempts to discover any knowledge about her past or where she came from were in vain.

The minister at Straw church* made several attempts to visit her with the goal of inducing her to attend services. His efforts came to nothing and she eventually rebuffed him altogether.

These peculiar traits soon gave rise to the belief that she was a witch and as a witch was, of course, in league with Satan. This belief caused the populace to shun her more than ever. Since she wore clothing of plain gray she came to be known far and wide as the Gray Witch.

As the story goes, "the shadow of this dark and mysterious woman rested on the valley. She was seen abroad seldom, and then, as she strode nonchalantly along, the children playing by the roadside fled in dismay before her." Her presence came to be viewed as a portent of impending doom and she was seen before each death in the community. Like a black cat, her path was not be crossed without dire consequences.

One summer afternoon the minister felt it his duty to attempt one final visit at the mysterious woman's home. As he approached her cabin he was struck by the appearance of cleanliness and neatness, albeit poverty. The cabin was covered with climbing vines of ivy and the little garden adjacent was carefully weeded.

The minister tapped gently on the door and after what seemed like an eternity, it opened wide. Through the door the minister could see the Gray Witch staring at him with piercing eyes. The minister commented on her lonely life but received no answer. He asked her name but again, no reply. He asked her name but again, no reply. He began next to tell of the reason for his visit and concern for her soul. Immediately she interrupted him saying that he had come in vain and she wished simply to be left alone. Quite taken back, the minister asked if she had no confession to make. She replied that he could comfort her in no way and she demanded that he leave. Sadly, he departed.

That autumn the Gray Witch was seen less and less in the neighborhood. When she was seen she appeared ill and feeble. One night some men hunting deer near the cabin heard some mournful cries coming from within. They were too afraid to go in and find the source of the crying. The hunters aroused the neighborhood and soon a large part was on its way to the cabin to see what was the matter. The minister too was summoned and he agreed to lead the party. As the minister opened the latch to cabin door the crowd stood back awaiting to see within.

Upon opening the door the minister saw a melancholy sight. On a rude bed lay the body of the Gray Witch. Her hair and clothes were disheveled and her body was still warm. Apparently she had died along and in much agony. On the floor beside her bed she had made the sign of the cross with a piece of charred wood. Had the Gray Witch found religion or did the cross have another significance? No one will ever know for its meaning and her true identity perished with her.

The tragic fate of the Gray Witch was an old tale in early Lopatcong. Mathias Brakely, who was one of the party that accompanied the minister that dark night, never forgot the incident. For the rest of his life he related the sad tale to anyone who would listen. For years afterward the specter of the Gray Witch was seen throughout the countryside. Each time she was seen near the graveyard of old Straw Church, a death would soon follow in the community.