In the late 17th century, in what would become Leonardtown, Maryland, the townspeople were disturbed by the presence of an old woman named Moll Dyer. She lived a poor and solitary existence and was said to often be seen begging for alms and foraging in the woods. This behavior may have ordinarily been dismissed as simply bothersome, but in 1697, the winter struck hard and cold. Fields of crops and numerous herds of sheep and cattle died, and the townspeople needed someone to blame. They turned to Moll, who was…
