Maumee express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1837-1838, 1837-04-08


ted through the whole village. As il passes
Ef,om house to house, ii is receiving con-
slant accessions, and grows more marvel
lous and more appalling, till every child
lis afraid to venture out of doors, after
nightfall. The man who is conversan-
with natural science, .beholds in this apt
pearance no cause Of fear, but an interest
ing natural phenomenon. An infamma-
BILE gas oozes from The ground, and is set
on fire by spontaneous combustion. A
person who is acquainted with gases, can
take tumbler and 60 the marsh and fill it
with this gas, and returning to his house,
burn it there. But how is it Sc. on fire,
down in the marsh, where every thing is
damp 1t is well known that barns are
frequently burnt in consequence of hay
being putinto them before it has been suf-
liciently dried. The damp hay infames
ITSELF In the same manner, this gas,
which is so very combustible, may be set
on fire, and the innocent Pickering of its
feeble flame, sends dismay through an ig-
norant and supersttious village.
Every boy is acquainted with lightwood,
and yet many man has fled as though
demons were in pursuit of him, because
he has seen, in some rotten stump, the
bright light which decayed wood emits.-
His terrified Imagination, aided by the
darkness of the night, transforms the
stump into giant with eyes of fire, and
tongue of fame, and remembering that
The better part of courage is discretion
he seeks safety in flight. When he arrives
at his home breathless, and pale, and trem.
bling, to satisfy his affrighted hearers that
he had good cause Ior his terror, he de-
clares that the giant called after him, and
pursued him, and that he heard the loud
clatter.of the monsters feet close behind
him. The children creep off trembling to
bed, and dream all night of ghosts, and
never forget the occurrence till their dying
hour. The poor stump remains in the
field perfectly unconscious of the injury it
has done. The light in this decayed wood
is produced by substance called phos-
phorus. 1t is this which God has given,
as lamp to the FREELY. This substance,
chymists can collect in large quantities.
The light which it emits, is so pale that it
cannot be seen in the day, but is easily
discernible in the night. A person with a
stick Of phosphorus, once wrote upon the
wall of another's bedchamber, "TAiS
might thou must die" When the person
entered the bed-chamber, the light of the
lamp prevented his observing the light of
the phosphorus; f; but as soon as the lamp
was extinguished, he beheld the warning
words gIaring from the wall. But he hap
pened to be acquainted with the nature Of
phosphorus, laughed heartily at the at
tempted deception, and quietly fell asleep.
The experiment, however, was hazardous
and wicked, for an ignorant person, and
one of sensitive nerves, mught thus have
received an irrecoverable shock.
The following account of case of un.
necessary alarm, is given by Scott. The
agency of philosophical principles was
employed in the deception. 'Ata certain
old castle, on the confines of Hungary,
the lord to whom it had belonged, had de-
termined upon giving an entertainment,
worthy of his own rank, and of the mag
nifcence Of the antique mansion which he
inhabited. The guests of course, were
numerous, and among them was veteran
officer of hussars, remarkable for his
bravery. When the arrangements for the
night were made, this officer was informed
there would be difficulty in accommodating
the company in the castle, large as it was.
unless some one would take the risk of
sleeping in aroom supposed to be haunted;
and that as he was known to be above such
prejudices, the apartment was in the first
place proposed for his acceptaton, as the
person least likely TO suffer a bad nights
rest from this cause. The major thank
fully accepted the preference, and having
shared the festivty Of the evening, retired
after midnight, having denounced ven
geance against any one who should, by
any trick, attempt to disturb his repose.-
A threat which bis habits would, il was
supposed, render him sufficiently readyto
execute. Somewhat contrary to the Gus
tom in these cases, the major went to bed,
having left his candle burning, and laid his
trusty pistols carefully loaded, upon his
bedside.
{ He had not slept an hour, when he
was awakened by a solemn strain of music.
Helooked out. Three ladies faniastically
dressed in green, were seen at the lower
end of the apartment, who sung solemn
requiem. The Major listened some time
with delight. AT last he grew tired:--
1" Ladies'" said he, "this is very well, but
somewhat monotonous,-- will you be SO
kind as to change the tune" The ladies
continued singing. He expostulated, but
the music was not interrupted. The Major
began to grow angry. Ladies'" said he.
'' | must consider this trick. for the pur-
pose of terrifying me, and as regard it
as an imperlinence, l shall takea rough
mode of stopping it.'' With that he be-
gan to handle his pistols. The ladies
sung on.g He then got seriously angry
3 Twill wait but five minutes" he said,
sand then fire without hesitaticn." The
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