The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1859-12-05

In tho volume Of DR.. SrRAoUT;, on tho Dap
tist pulpit, Gov. BrIGds communicates q very
'or.stipg letter on JoHs LELAND, which con
tains fuu account Of hls personal habits and
manner OF preachipg than We have bsfore seen.
llew was little inclin. d to superstition, says
Gov. BRrGGs. Indosd, his pratIcal saSacity
and ling com mon sense kept him from any
tee dor oy In that duec ion, bat bc had some 20 +.
cuiiaf experisnces Of the supernatural, ~ the
following ahcedote testi6es
His family, at tho ums, consistef OF himsef,
wife, and four children. One evaning, all tho
family being og,ther, their attention vas st :
tIartsd by . noise which vary much resomblsd
tho faint groars OF person In pstu. IL was dis
tinct, ana repeated at intervals Of few seconds.
IL ,esDed to be under tho sill Of the window, and
between tho CLAP boards and Getting. They paid
veiy little attention 10 II, AID III short tineit
ceu,d. But, afterwards, It rnturpod In tina
same way--sometim.s every night, and somo-
times not 40 freluentiy, aud always In the saus
place, and of the same character. /. continued
for tome months. lie said IL excited their Gu
riosi'y and annoy ed them, but thsy were not
alarmed by il. During its continuance, they
had the sizing aid casing removed from the
place whore II appeared to bs, bat found moth
my to account fur II ard the sound continued
tho same. lie consulted his friends especially
some OF his ministerial brethrep, about II. l
o~pt himself and his family but 1t was heard
by them whom he WAS absent from home. Mrs.
LEI.AsD said that oftsn, when sue was atone
with the children, snd while they wore playing
about the room, and nothing being said, h would
come, and tbey would leave theIr play and
gSher about her person. lhay had place fifty
or sixty rods from tho house, by the side VI .
brook, where the family did their washing.
One day, while she wSs at that place, It met
her there, V.eciSely IS IT had IN the house.
After tho noise had been heard at brief inter-
walls for six or sight months, they removed nom
their lodgings to quite an Oppoaite aud distant
part of the old locality. Ono night, after thsy
had retired, they observed BY the sound that L
had left the spot from when IL had previously
prooset eJ, and seemed TO be advancing In . di-
rect Inc 10 yards their bed, and was becoming
constantly louder and more distinct. At oac a
interval It sdvsnced towards the ID, and "a :hered
strength and fullnsss, until It entered the bed
room where they we're, aud approached the bod,
and came along On the front eide OF tho bod, whsa
the Rrosn became deep and Appalling. "fhen,
said ho, 'fOr the first time since II beg N, folt
the emotion u fear; TUNED upon my 4 CO, and
II ! ever prayed In my life, did then. ! asked
the Lord to deliver me and my family from that
annoy snos, and that II It we're q message from
Heaven, Il might DO explained TO Us, and depart,
that II Il were an evil sphit perm tied TO datuIt
and disquist me and my family, II might DO 70
buksd and sont away; OF il there was anything
Tor mo TO do, 20 make II depart, / might 10 In
I stiuc, ed what II was, so that could do is"
This exercise restored his tranquility Of mind
and be resumed bis usual position In the bod
Tnsp, he said, II uttered q groan too loud an
staI ting IN DO initiated by ths human voice
| Tho neIt groan wss not so loud, and 1t recsde
| step or two fiom tho front Of the bed, near HI
face. II continued TO recsde In the dlreciiJ
from which 1t came, and grew ls,s aud isss, unit
Il reached Its old station, whsn Il dted away (
the faintest sound, and entirely aud foroye
ceassd. No explanation wsA ever fou,d. -
have given you," said As, - simple and tru
history of the fsc.s, and you can form your ow
opinion. give nons." His wife confirmed