My Great grandmother was one of those local Stregas in New York at the turn of the 20th Century. Some feared her, some despised her, but sooner or later, they all came to her with their problems. She must have been very good at what she did, because every old person I ever met from her community would make the sign of the cross when they mentioned her name....a Catholic upbringing being no impediment to pagan beliefs. I've also heard from many people how she brought about the unnatural deaths of several men she held responsible for the unsolved murder of her son.
Belief is a powerful thing. When people believe strongly enough that a thing is possible, it has a way of happening, or appearing to happen. That my great uncle was murdered is public record. That the other men died young is also. Did she cause it? Or just take credit for it? All depends on what you are prepared to believe.
raineypark