Litchfield enquirer., 1834-11-20

4 TGle Of fMOrUel.-RUmOr with one OI ner ten thousand tongues, brought us mysterl. Ous story yesterday of a "mysterious lady" which 30 far challenged credit that we were induced to se0d competent witness !n me S'- teFnOOn tO procure more particular ln'orma- SiOn. OOr agent. After the fullest opportunity of observation, has returned thIs mOFn'ns' and commuuicates the following facts, which we give without embelIishment, as he relates them. ., On Monday night of last week the family of Mr. Joseph Barron, living in the township of Woodbridge, about three miles from Rah- way tn this county, were alarmed after they had retired, by loud humping against the house. Mv. B's first impression was that some one was attempting tO break in, but further observation soon Undeceived him. The humping. however, continued at short inter- vals, until the family became SO alarmed, that Mr. B. called in some of his neighbOrs, who remained up with the family until daylight. when the humping ceased. The next eve ming, after night-fall, the noise recommended. when it was ascertainSd to be mysterIously connected with the movements of servant girl in the family,-a white girl about IA years ofage. While passing window on the stairs, for example, sudden jar accompanied with an explosive sound broke pane of glass :; the girl at the same moment being seized with violent spasm. This of course very much alarmed her; and the physician lDr' Drake) was sent for, came. and bled her. The bleeding. however, produced no aPPa- rent effect the noise still continued as before, at intervals, wherever the girl went, each souud producing more Or*less of sPasm, and the physician with the family remained np again during the night. At daylight the thur0ping ceased again. On the third eve ming the same thing was repeated, cOmmen- cing a little earlier than before, and SD every evsning since, continuing each night until morning, and commencing every evening little earlier than before. until yesterday. .when the humping began about l2 o'clock at noon.
 The circumstances were soon generally spread through the neighbOrhOOd, and have produced SO much excitement that the house has been filled and surrounded from sunset to sun n-rise every night for nearly week. Every imaginable means have been resorted to ID Or- der to unravel the phenOmenon> At one time the girl would be removed from one apart ment to another, but without effect. Wherever she was placed, at uncertain intervals the sud din humping noise would be heard 'n the room. She was taken to neighbours house the same result followed. When carried out of doors, however, nO noise is heard. Dr.
 
 during the whole period, occasionally aided by other scientific observers, was with us last evening for two hours, when we were politely allowed to make variety of experiments with the girl in addition to those heretofore tried, to satisfy ourselves that there is no inn position in the case, and if possible to discover the secret agent of the mystery.
 The girl was in an upper room with part of the family when we reached the house. The noise then resembled that which would be produced by person violently shumping the upper floor with the head of an axe, i've or six times in quick succession, jar ring the house, ceasine few minutes, and then resuming as before. We were soon in- troduced into the apartment, and permitted to observe for ourselves. The girl appeared to be in perfect health. cheerful and free from the spasms felt at first, and entirely re- lieved from every thing like the fear or appre. hension which she manifested for some days. The invisible noise, however. continued to occur as before, though somewhat diminish ed i0 frequency and sound while we were in the room. In order to ascertain mare satis- factorily that she did not produce it volunta- rily, among other experiments, we placed her on chair on a blanket in the centre of the room: bandaged the chair with cloth. fasten. ing her feet on the front round, and conR. ming her bands together on her lap. No change, however. was produced: the thump- ing continued as bef0se, except that 1t was not quite go loud: the noise resembling that which would be produced by stamping on the Aoor with heavy heel Vet she did not move limb nor muscle that we could dis cover. She remained in this position long enough to satisfy all in the room that the girl exercised voluntarily no sort of agency in pro ducing the noise. It was observed that the noise became greater the farther she was re- moved from any other person.
 We placed her in the door. way Of a closet in the room. the door being a.jar to allow her to stand in the passage. In less than min ute the door flew opeo, as if violently struck with mallet, accompanied with precisely such noise as thump would produce. This was repeated several times with the same effect. In short, in whatever position she was placed, whether in or out of the room, similar results, varied little. perhaps, by cir: cnanstances, were produced. There is certain ly DO deception in the case. And now for cOniectures. For ourselves we offer none, but among other cOniectures which have been suggested by Dr.. D, and others is that the phenomenon is electrical
 This eOAjecture is supposed tohe supported by. the fact that the ndise Ia prevented by the intervention of substances that are non.con- ductors; as for instance, when pillow was placed between her person and the door in which she stood, no noise or effect whatever was discoseyahle. SO when she gets upon a feather he'd; and sgain if she lies at length