Essay re beliefs in magic, witchcraft, ghosts, the plat-eye, conjuring and related folklore among both African American and white residents of S.C.; includes appendix, "Death and Death Omens." Discusses laws and prosecutions during the colonial and antebellum period relating to witchcraft, the witch of Fairfield District, S.C., and cases tried ca. 1814 in Lancaster, S.C., re mistreatment of an elderly woman of Chesterfield accused of witchcraft, a case in Newberry District, S.C., involving a man named Hentz; another in York District, S.C., and contemporary cases from the 1950s in Lexington, Orangeburg, and Richland Counties. Essay also discusses beliefs in hags, ghosts, witches, etc., along with faith healing practices and incantations practiced among those of German descent, many of which invoke the Christian Trinity and require repetition and laying-on of hands. Appendix, "Death and Death Omens," discusses African American folklore related to mortality, cultural antecedents from Africa, and traditions related to mourning, furneral and burial practices. McKay probably wrote this essay for presentation to the Kosmos Club; also includes obiturary with biographical sketch of the author.
