Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-01-07
Invisible Bell Ringing in Italy.

When liking" was ringing bells and playing
on musical instruments in the dark here pro-
fessedly by spirit influence, it was represented
that in due time church bells would be rung
in the steeples by similar invisible agencies =
By letter from Geneva, Dec. 9th, to the Phil
adelphia Bulletin, it would seem that there has
Just occurred at Florence one of the most in
explicab!e rings ever heard Of-aImost as mar
velous as would be the church chimes promis-
ed by "King" 1t seems that near the Church
of All Saints in Florence stands a six story
house inhabited in each story, 4 dirty, common
affair, and exactly alike dozen of its neigh
bors. The ground floor is the home and shop
of mechanic, whose sign sets forth that he
is maker and mender of brass lamps. Along
side the shop door is a row of five iron knobs,
numbered, and each communicating by an iron
wire, in the usual way, with bell in the cor
responding apartment. On the night of the
Goth of November the bells commenced ringing
from some unseen cause, and as nothing visi-
ble could be discovered the police were sent for.
The ting a ling was kept up in spite of the
police, and the Holy Fathers were sent for
The priests tried to exercise the musical fend,
but the bells instead of stopping rang louder
than ever. AT noon they suddenly stopped,
but the next evening recommended and cOntin-
ued till midnight The crowd became so great
to witness the strange performance, that regi-
ment of infantry was put on duty to preserve
order and prevent accidents. Next day the
same thing from seven till twelve in the morn
ing, and from seven to twelve at night The
letter says:
The whole of Florence was in a tumut; car
riages filled with ladies thrOnged the streets
"to hear the bells ring;" the civic authorities,
the learned men of the universities, eminent
engineers, and every one who could suggest a
reason fQE the yhenerBBees en rBBees ii rfl5sl5fi;; @ ss
could not explain the cause. The police cut all
the wires, turned out all the inhabitants of the
adjacent houses, and guarded every nook and
Granny. Finally the Arch Duke Charles, !
(second son of the Sovereign of the Realm,) |
who is studving chemistry and therefore ex-
pected to be intimately acquainted with every
thing in connection with bellriDging, arrived |
at the scene of action, accompanied by his |
Professor" to view the field and to determine |
W,
said the crowd, "we'll see if they dare ring in |
the presence of Royal Highness" Ring
why, bless your soul, they Pealed out such a
carlton as no living bells ever did before; they
swung under his Royal and Imperial nose, and |
the Arch Duke Charles accompanied by his
Professor" left, as the priests and the police,
the civic authorities and the wise men of the
universities, had done before him.
The fourth day, the excitement became as
great and the number of people SO vast, that
the Grand Duke ordered the bells to be carried
off bodily, which was done without any very
strenuous resistance on their part, ami so it
ended. But though it occurred two weeks or
more ago, yet up to this time not the slightest
explanation has been obtained. The whole
population of Florence either saw or heard it,
and the person who wrote me among others;
therefore the story, incredible as it seems, must
be believed. The house remains vacant, and
probably will continue so for years, unless a
community of Rappers take it, and make an Ex-
hibition Hall of it. But since the great Hume
left Florence, the fraternity does not flourish
there.