Michael Zittle Jr.

Michael Zittle Jr. (October 5, 1798 – July 5, 1877) or The Wizard of South Mountain was an American occultist, ceremonial magician, author, and mountaineer. He was born to a German father, American mother, and was one of nine children. Zittle became popular in the area as healer, he would offer his services to alleviate a wide array of difficulties, such as compelling a thief to return stolen property, providing a “sure cure for fever," closing a wound from firearms, curing the bite of a mad dog and “dispelling the fear of the darkness of night.”

A Friend in Need; Or, Secret Science was a Handbook written by Zittle in 1845 on how to perform witchcraft. According to legend, after publication of the book Zittle lost his powers as a result of trying to commoditize his supernatural powers. In 1975, a copy of his book was found by Boonsboro resident Pauline Routzahn.