The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-05-23

An ENOrcist Wanted.

with which the Fox family opened the
Sprltuallst campaign at Rochester many
ago years how crockery took to itself
wings and flew away; how bricks started
out of the walls; how bells broke into
spontaneous Naturalization /; in fine, how
the lives of the family were plagued till
they could have issued new edition of
Fox's Martyrs These stories had their
day, then died, and the spirits left the
breakage of China to be done IN the le-
gitimate way by the-cat.
But now, suddenly, the devil seems to
have broken loose in Lafayette, near Syr-
acuse. Mrs. j. +. Clark writes to the
papers of the latter city, saying that re-
markable demonstrations have lately TAX
en- place in the family of one Johnson
1t appears that this family consists of an
elderly couple and their grandchild, a
girl of eight years growth, they are
'quite respectable" people, and cannot
understand why they have been selected
for these Economical doings.
The first thing these people noticed was
ludicrously annoying: their salt dish
and pepper castor were filled with water
"a most unreasonable joke. Then the
dishes began to break themselves, and it
was impossible to lay the phenomena to
the charge of the cat, for it would have
required feline regiment to do the dam
age that befel the luckless household !;
they would lift themselves from the
shelves. go circling through the air. and
bring up in a fragmentary condition on the
floor or domestic hearth. The tables
next began to take exercise, making the
tour of the room with the most provok-
ing GOODNESS, and if by chance they were
loaded with dishes, they would turn over
and lie down on their burden. The pro-
prietors put stop to this manifestation,
however, by mailing the peripatetic fur
niture to the side of the house. But
then the chairs caught the exclusive ma
mia they would rise from the kitchen
floor, and, without asking permission, go
TO the woodshed. 1t is noticeable that
they never troubled themselves about
coming back Pals of water next be-
came Objectionable in their habits, upsett
ing their contents upon the floor. Mrs.
j. F. Clark says:
"At one time Mrs. johnson set an
empty pail on the floor, and on crossing
the room it followed her much vexed ,
she gave it a push, exclaiming, go back
where you came from 1t obeyed, but
immediately returned to her, crossing the
room three or four times"
1t will be seen by this extract that Mrs.
Johnson was on terms of agreeable famil-
iarity with her domestic utensils.
AT last when the kettles in which the
family food was cooking insisted on spill
ing their contents much TO the aggrava-
ton of the family hunger, and when ev-
erything seemed to be breaking up, the
perplexed housewife determined to adopt
a new system. Collecting her most val
liable glassware into baskets, she proceed
ed TO tie them to the wall with ropes
While attempting to do so coffee pot
deliberately sailed from the cupboard
and struck her in the back. Naturally
irritatcd by this cowardly act, she called
the young child, and instructed her to
hold the beligerent pot down upon the
the floor, while she herself finished lash
ing the baskets to the wall but the cot
fee pot was to strong for the infant an
she was forced tie let it go. TPbit Mrs
pered thing at once flew uhe latter very
Johnson again, upon wbe stove savina
properly threw it ira, woman ANNOYED
"Pll see if
of it - A., =.
programme was a fantasia by the bed.
This useful article would roll its clothes
into ball, put them underneath the bed
stead, then scatter its bowels Of straw
about the room, leaving not spear Of
stufing inside of the tick. Mrs. John
son, who is certainly a plucky woman,
sewed the bed up with stout Irvine but
when, flushed with anticipated victory,
she turned to put away her needle, the
work was ripped out in twinkling and
the straw fell in rustlirg shower about
the floor.
For some time the controlling spirits Of
these antics kept Sunday with old fash
Toned New England propriety, and there
was quiet on that day. But, about two
weeks ago, Mrs. Johnson sat down and
began to read her Bible aloud. Pres
emily she heard noisy rapping on the
stove; but she had become to much ac.
customed to household diaJlerie 10 mind
this much, and she only raised her voice
the louder. Upon this the rapping be-
came SO violent that the good woman
was forced to give up her devotional ex-
ercise; then voice spoke and said !" /
will burn your Bible. will burn your
Testament, | will break you stove in pie
ces, | will break your windows, l will
tear up your floor -after which inco.
herent and impious remarks, the Bible
was hustled about the room till it was
pretty much torn in pieces. Subsequent
ly two other voices joined in the ghostly
task Said one " 1t is the spirit of this
chld's mother who is doing all this. -
No." said another. +" it is the devil"
\ third remarked pleasantly, !" it is one
OF your neighbors.''
These singular performances attract
crowds Of people, says Mrs. J. +. Clark
IN the Syracuse paper, (Which, together
with the ruinous operations going on,
seem more than human patience can