Am"ju°]y;i^rm'}  Dr.  Christopher  Witt.  319 
Hathfield,  in  the  Province  of  West  New  Jersey,  which  bears  witness 
to  the  fact  that  this  particular  student  or  disciple  having  had  instruc- 
tion "  in  the  arts  of  chemistry,  physics,  and  the  astral  sciences 
whereby  to  make  a  more  perfect  discovery  of  the  hidden  causes  of 
more  occult  and  uncommon  diseases,  not  so  easily  to  be  discovered 
by  the  vulgar  practice,"  is  deserving  of  the  confidence  that  may  be 
reposed  in  him. 
Of  his  student,  Jacob  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Sachse  has  given  an 
interesting  account  in  a  paper  read  before  the  American  Jewish 
Historical  Society  in  1897. 
Among  other  friends  or  students,  Christopher  Sauer,  the  German- 
town  printer,  and  his  son  Christopher,  are  said  to  have  spent  some 
time  with  Dr.  Witt  on  their  return  to  Germantown  from  the  Cones- 
toga.  Dr.  Witt  also  had  quite  a  reputation  as  an  astronomer  and  a 
mathematician.  His  description  of  the  comet  of  1743  is  said  to  be 
the  most  complete  of  any  known  description  of  that  phenomenon. 
The  Doctor  was,  in  addition,  also  an  expert  mechanic,  as  well  as 
something  of  an  architect ;  he  is  said  to  have  built  the  first  three- 
story  house  in  Germantown,  and  to  have  built  it  so  well  that  it  stood 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years  after  the  death  of  its  builder.  He 
is  also  known  to  have  been  an  expert  clockmaker  and  is  said  to  have 
built  the  first  tower  clock  ever  made  in  the  province.  One  of  his 
own  clocks,  retained  by  himself,  is  said  tp  have  struck  the  hours  and 
quarter  hours — quite  a  feat  for  that  time.  He  also  built  for  himself 
a  pipe  organ  and  is  said  to  have  been  quite  proficient  as  a  musician. 
That  he  was  also  somewhat  of  an  artist  is  evidenced  by  the  portrait 
of  Johannes  Kelpius,  the  Magister  of  the  Pietists  on  the  Wissahickon, 
which  is  now  in  the  archives  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society. 
In  his  own  day  this  diversity  of  occupation  was  not,  however, 
compatible  with  a  desirable  local  reputation.  It  was  chiefly,  no 
doubt,  largely  due  to  this  diversity  of  attainments  that  he  was  gen- 
erally considered,  by  the  more  simple  and  superstitious  inhabitants 
of  Germantown,  as  being  in  league  with  the  evil  one,  and  was  popu- 
larly known  as  the  Hexenmeister,  or  master  of  the  witches. 
This  popular  opinion  of  the  true  source  of  Dr.  Witts'  abilities 
was  still  further  confirmed  when  the  latter  returned  from  one  of  his 
periodical  visits  to  Philadelphia  with  a  negro  slave.  With  the  pass- 
ing years  his  old  friend  and  associate,  Daniel  Geissler,  had  become 
unable  to  attend  to  the  many  and  varied  duties  about  the  house  and 
