Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-02-15

1t never came into my fathers study till he
talked to it sharply, called it-deaf and dumb
devil, and bid it cease to disturb the innocent
children, and come to him in his study if it
had anything to say to him.
From the time of my mothers desiring it
not to disturb her from five to six, it was new
er heard in her chamber from five till she
came down stairs, nor at any other time
when she was employed in devotion"
1t remains to be stated that one member, at
least, of the family Emily Wesley, portion
of whose letter on the subject has already been
given, conceived herself to have been followed
by the EpwOrth spirit through life. DIR. Clarke
states that he possesses an original letter from
that lady to her brother John, dated February
10th, 1750,-that is, thirty years after the
preceding events happened, from which let
ter he publishes the following extract =
Il want sadly to see you, and talk some
hours with you, as in times past. One doc
trine of yours, and of many more,-namely, no
happiness can be found in any or all things in
the world: that, as l have sixteen years of my
own experience which lie fatty against it, l
want to talk with you about it. Another
thing is, that wonderful thing called by US JEFF
frey. You won't laugh at me for being super
stitious if l tell you how certainly that some
thing calls on me against any extraordinary
new affiiction but SO little is known of the
invisible world that |, at least, am not able to
Judge whether it be friendly or an evil
spirit"
AS to the causes of these disturbances, DR..
Clarke has the following :-"For a consider
able time all the family believed it to be a
trick but at last they were all satisfied it was
something supernatural" "Mr
John Wesley believed that it was messenger
OF Satan sent to buffet his father for his rash
promises of leaving his family, and very i'm
proper conduct to his wife, in consequence of
her scruple to pray for the Prince of Orange as
King of England" \ "With others
the house was considered as haunted"
CDR. Priestley thinks the whole trick
and imposture. 1t must be, on his system of
materiallsm; but this does not solve the diff
Guilty. it only cuts the knot" II "Mrs
Wesley's opinion was different from all the
rest, and was probably the most correct she
supposed that these noises and disturbances
portendcd the death of her brother, then
abroad in the East India Company's service
This gentleman, who had acquired a large for
tune, suddenly disappeared, and was never
heard OF mOre,-at least, as far as | can find
from the remaining branches of the family, or
from any of the family documents"
These disturbances, though not so persist
ent as those of Tedworth, extended through
two entire months,-a period sufficient, it would
SS0'--j - - A'ei4A1 ~ S1OhS olOul-
hearted as the Wesley's to detect any impos-
ture. And, unless we are to suspect Emily
Wesley OF a superstition which her letters are
very lar from Indicating, phenomena of a some
what similar character accompani d her
through long lifetime.
DIR. Priestley, with all his skeptical leanings,
speaking OF the Epworth narrative is fan to
admit that cit is perhaps the Observation-Disclosures
and the best told story of the kind that is
anywhere extant" lie enters, however, in.
to an argument to prove that there could be
nothing supernatural in it for which his chief
reason is, that he could see no good to be
ans wered by it. His conclusion is, "What APP
pears most probable at this distance of time, in
the present case, is, that it was trick of the
servants, assisted by some of the neighbors !;
and that nothing was meant by it besides puz.
zllng the family and amusing themselves :"
supposition which DR.. Clarke rejects. He
says, expressly, "The accounts given of these
disturbances are circumstaDtial and authentic
as to entitle them to the most implicit credit
The eye and ear witnesses were persons of
strong understandings and well cultivated
minds, untnctured by superstition and in some
instances rather skeptically inclined" And
he adds, Nothing apparently preternatnral can
lie further beyond the verge OF imposture than
these accounts: and the ercumstantal state
ments contained in them force conviction of
their truth on the. minds of the increduous."