3. The Affair at Brownrigg Mill Summary

Although the persecution of women and men accused of practicing witchcraft is well-documented in American history, there was very little of this sort of occurrence in North Carolina. Whedbee suggests that this is because "Tar Heels," or people of North Carolina, have more sense than that. In the only known legal case related to witchcraft in that state, a woman named Susannah Evans is indicted for witchcraft. The grand jury dismisses the case by writing "IGNORAMUS" on the indictment paper.

The only other widespread story about witches is the story of Brownrigg Mill, run by Tim Farrow, the miller. Tim lives with his daughter there, but their home is lonely after the death of Tim's wife. One day, Tim is surprised to see a canoe with an elderly lady in it emerge from the river...