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Dr.  Christopher  Witt. 
Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
July,  1905. 
Witt  died  in  January,  1765.  The  Pennsylvania  Gazette  for  February 
7,  1765,  contains  the  following  obituary  notice  of  him:  "Last  week 
died  at  Germantown,  Dr.  Christopher  DeWitt,  a  gentleman  long 
and  well  known  throughout  this  and  the  neighboring  provinces  for 
his  great  services  and  abilities  in  his  profession  of  a  physician." 
Dr.  Witt  was  buried  in  the  little  graveyard  with  his  friends, 
Warmer,  Geissler  and  a  number  of  others,  who  had  been  interested 
in  the  Pietist  colony  on  the  Wissahickon.  This  little  graveyard 
was  at  that  time  generally  referred  to  as  Spook  Hill.  This  name 
had  been  given  it  by  the  superstitious  inhabitants  of  Germantown 
from  the  fact  that  Daniel  Geissler  and  several  of  the  other  original 
members  of  the  theosophical  society  had  been  buried  there  with  the 
peculiar  rites  of  the  Rosicrucian  Brotherhood,  performed  over  them 
by  Dr.  Witt.  After  the  burial  of  Dr.  Witt  the  place  was  more 
than  ever  shunned,  particularly  after  nightfall. 
For  many  years  it  was  asserted  by  those  who  claimed  to  know 
that  the  spirits  of  the  bodies  buried  in  this  plot  were  not  at  rest, 
and  that  they  frequently  visited  the  plot  at  night.  It  was  also 
asserted  that  for  weeks  after  the  burial  of  Dr.  Witt  blue  flames 
were  seen  to  hover  over  his  grave  at  night.  How  long  these  un- 
canny things  appeared  no  one  is  willing  to  assert ;  they  have  long 
since  passed  into  tradition,  for  a  Christian  church  now  occupies  the 
plot,  and  covers  all  that  was  mortal  of  Dr.  Witt,  his  friend  Geissler 
and  his  mulatto  servant,  Robert  Claymore.  The  last  will  and  testa- 
ment  of  Dr.  Witt  should  be  mentioned,  however,  as  it  illustrates  as 
well  as  anything  can  his  kindly  feelings  and  his  true  Christian 
charity.  To  his  servant,  Robert  Claymore,  in  addition  to  securing 
him  his  liberty,  he  bequeathed  a  plot  of  ground,  the  house  on  it 
and  all  the  furnishings  it  contained;  also  all  of  the  tools,  instru- 
ments and  utensils  appertaining  to  the  making  of  clocks.  Also  the 
"  great  clock  which  strikes  the  quarters."  To  the  Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  then  a  comparatively  young  and  poor  institution,  he 
bequeathed  the  sum  of  £60  in  cash.  After  making  several  addi- 
tional minor  bequests,  he  gave  his  residuary  estate  to  the  descen- 
dants of  his  friend  Warmer,  who  had  befriended  him  on  his  arrival 
in  the  German  town. 
So  lived  and  died  Christopher  Witt,  physician,  naturalist,  astrono- 
mer, mechanician,  artist,  musician,  alchemist,  theosophist  and 
mystic.    He  was  indeed  an  interesting  and  strange  combination  of 
