Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-08-20
THE EpGEFIELD GHosT.

70 q Hfsttcr NbfSb mas pTOuuCeo mucn inquiry
and speculation IN this District, msy be DEEPEN
ded upon by the public, az having been care
fully compiled BY = gentleman 81 piety and OF
strong and we'll cultivated mind. We are not
disposed 20 believe that q breach kss been
made IN the laws Of nature, Withdrawn Useful
purpose, but We have not yet card any satis.
factory explanation Of The circumstances upon
rational principles.
.Messvs EditoYs,-As public curiosity
hes been greatly eKcitsd, and many
Tales more or less true, have gone oct,
concerning the mysterious aud invisible
being, that has been heard at NF. Isaac
Burnet's, 10 this District Tor some time.
Il seems proper that the public should
be 80 possession of the facts relative TO
this extraordinary circumstance. The
voice was 6rst heard in October last
initiating various noises, such a. tibet Of
the spinning wheel, reels, ducks. hens.
&c 1t was first beard by Mr.. Buruet.
about twenty yards from the house,
which lad hin TO suppose il one Of bis
neighbours children, hiding in the weeds
end try ing to frjghten his children. u
was afterwards heard in the loft afthe
house, and Dir, u supposiug il TO be o
bird, rent a boy up 10 drive 81 il out, bu,
nothing could be seen. ItthGs contin
ued to peFplex the minds of the family
for come time until atIengih, one Of the
children said he believed that thing
could talk and commenced asking q0es
tons, which it answered by whistling
pretty much ike a parrot. This cir.
cumstanee getting out, many persons
came to hear it air. John Shepherd.
a pious and worthy citizen who lives in
the neighborhood, converted with il in
presence of oumber Of witnesses. To
ascertain the extent of its knowledge.
he asked it various questions about,
most persons in the peighboihoed and
their circumstances, when it snewered
correctly, ii told has ma me and The nnm
Der Of children he he'd, also, the NJ mes
OF most of the persons present, Tie "a
ked what it came there for. 1t replied
because il had no other place to so.n
1t was asked If il came 10 do the family
sny harm II said not iovedfhe FAM
ly. 1t was then asked finally il 1t loved
Jesus Christ, TO which it made no reply.
unanswered any more questions whic.,
MIR Shepherd asked. The evening af
ter il answered others, but would uoi an.
swer him. For the first three months
1t was heard only on0 a month; but af
much ofteDer. 1t has been
heard at various, times both in The day |
and at night, bat more frequently in thu |
day, search has been repeatedly made |
by the family and others, but nothine.I
found from which the voice could pro-
coed. There is no place Of conceal
ment about the house. II is a small
house with but one room, a loft of
arross the ~jsisls, aud a piazza
one side. The house is not under.
pinned. SO that you can see from one
end to the other underneath. For some
time thu voice appeared generally to
proceed from the further end of the
house, opposite the fire place and the
upper part or loft. ifany one, except
the children. would 20 to that end Of the
house, while it was talking, or IL suy
would steal round ever so softly to
end on the outside of the house
it was dark, and whiIstothers talk.
to 1t, 1t would instantly stop, and hen
they returned ii would commences again.
This experiment was tried one evening
when o nomber of persons were there,
that both the house and piazza with
out the knowledge of those in the house.
who were talking to- it, went round on
The outside to see if they could discover
any one, when it Instantly stopped. 1t
has been known to whistle almost any
either sacred or profane, which
any one would toll it. MIR. and Mrs.
Burnett appear to be simple hearted,
upright and amiabie persons, serious in
heir dispositions, end as far from en-.
,ouraging any trick aboutthem 10 make
iPoTt as any one No one in the neigh
1oEhood, who knows them, believes
hat they know airy thing about The
They have evidently been
much disturbed and alarm on account
it, but having so far experienced no
'srm from il, they have resolutely main.
aimed their ground. 1t manifests
psr,iality for a little daughter Of
he family. who is about II wears
If age. This so alarms her that sha
generally gets sick whenever she talks
o II, and she has been known TO quit
be house precipitaiely when shs hes
leard It alone in the house. Not long
however, she quoted il q pas
age OF Scripture, which a pious
riend pointed out and advised her to
nsmotise for that purpose, Il Tim. j.
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