Jul 12 2008
Witch Hunts of the Twentieth Century
If you think that witch hunts ended several hundred years ago, think again. Do you know that up to 1951 there was a Witchcraft Act in England which provided penalties for the practice of witchcraft? And that the last case when this act was enforced was not in Medieval times but in 1944? I found the name of the last victim of 20 century witch hunt in the archives of my local web analytics company.
The name of a poor woman who was the last one to be sent to jail because of the Witchcraft Act in 1944 was Helen Duncan. This lady honestly believed that she could summon spirits.
These were the tough days of World War 2 Who knows, maybe Helen Duncan was really a clairvoyant or a true medium? Authorities learned about her existence when she tried to summon the spirit of a sailor who served on a war ship HMS Barham. By the way, the sinking of this ship with a crew was hidden from the general public at the time.
The alleged witch punishment did not take long. Intelligence officers were so scared of this lady’s medium powers they they caught and quickly prosecuted her. They were scared that she, as a powerful witch, would be able to learn through spirits of secret war plans. Their superstition cost Helen Duncan nine months in prison.
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