In 1902, newspaper readers were told that Portugal had fallen under the spell of superstition, with witches, wizards, saints, spirits, and even a werewolf troubling the cities as well as the countryside.
The strangest report came from Oporto, where a werewolf was said to be stalking the very heart of the city. More than twenty people claimed they had seen the terrifying creature, and several insisted it could not be killed. When approached, it vanished. When shot at, it disappeared into thin air.
At the same time, Lisbon had its own marvel: a beautiful young woman believed by crowds to be a saint.
She was said to keep a Holy Spirit locked away in a closet, using its power to work miracles, cure the evil eye, and cast devils out of the possessed. Rich and poor alike came to her door, seeking help from the supernatural.
But church and government authorities were not amused. What the crowds called miracles, officials saw as dangerous superstition. And while the werewolf of Oporto sent people fleeing in fear, the woman in Lisbon seemed likely to face a much more earthly fate: jail.
Werewolf in Oporto
Portugal is in the clutch of superstition. The habit of consulting witches and wizards, which has long obtained in the northern provinces, is spreading to the cities and is becoming a serious question even in Lisbon and Oporto.
The matter is assuming such serious proportions that the authorities of the government and of the church have taken it up.
At Oporto, right in the heart of the city, a werewolf has made its appearance and is frightening people out of their wits. More than 20 people are willing to swear that they have seen the frightful animal, which, they say, vanishes into thin air when anyone goes near it or shoots at it, as several have done.
In Lisbon there are wonderful accounts of a beautiful young woman, who is said to be a saint and who has with her a Holy Spirit which she keeps closely locked in a closet, with the aid of which she works miracles, cures the evil eye and expels devils from those possessed of them.
Crowds of people visit her every day, among them people of wealth and position.
In spite of her sainthood, it is probable that she will be put in jail.
Source: The Spokane Press. Spokane, Wash. November 10, 1902.
