Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-02-15
GQurtestrr 9ailp spp.
From Owens FOOTBALLS"
THE GHOST OF THE WESLEY PARSONAGE.
GRAVE DISTURBANCES IN THE PARSONAGE
AT ELLSWORTH.
H.
1710 and 1917.

was violently thrown upon the floor and dash
ca all IN pieces; but nothing was seen. My
1ather then cried out, 'Sukey, do YOU not
near all the pewter is thrown about the
Kitchen But when they looked, all the pew
ter stood in its place. There then was a loud
knocking at the back door. My father opened
1t, but saw nothing. 1t was then at the fore
door. He opened that, but it was still lost
labor. After opening first the one, then the
other, several times, he turned and went up to
bed. But the noises were so violent over the
house that he could not sleep till four in the
morning.
Several gentlemen and clergymen now ear
! nesty advised my father to quit the house
But he constantly answered, No; let the devil
flee from me; l will never flee from the devil
But he wrote to my eldest brother, at London
to come down. He was preparing so to do
when another letter came, informing him the
disturbances were over, after they had contin-
ued 1.-THE latter part of the time day and night
from the second of December to the end Of
January"
The journal of Mr. Wesley, SEN, H. 247,
fully corroborates his sons narrative, adding
some further particulars. He notices that, on
the 23d December, in the nursery, when his
daughter Emily knocked, it answered her.
On another occasion, he says, 81 went down
stairs, and knocked with my stick against the
Joists of the kitchen. 1t answered me as often
and as loud as l knocked but then | knocked
as l usually do at my door,-1-1 2, 8, 4, 5,
60; but this puzzled it, and it did not an
swer, or not in the same method, though the
children heard it do the same exactly twice or
thrice after" This corresponds with what
MIR. Hoole said about "its knocking Mr.. Wes-
ley's knock"
On the 10Th of December, he says, "The
noises were so violent it was vain to think of
sleep while they continued" So, again, on
December q, he adds, "They were so bolster
Gus that did not care to leave my family y
as he wished to do, to pay visit TO his friend,
Mr.. Downs.
He says also, II have been thrice pushed by
an invisible power, once against the corner of
my desk in the study, a second time against
the door of the matted chamber third time
against the right sideI of the frame of my study
door, as | was going in"
AS to the dog, under date December 25, his
record is, "Our mastiff came whining to us as
he did always after the first night of its com
ing; for then he barked violently at it, but was
silent afterwards, and seemed more afraid than
any of the children"
The letters corroboratng the various details
are too long and too numerous to be here
Transcribed. l extract, as specimen, from
one written by Emily Wesley, afterwards
Mrs. Harper,) to her brother Samuel She
says
Il thank you for your last, and shall give
you what satisfaction is i'll my power concern.
ing what has happened in our family. | am
so far from being supeTsttious, that l was too
much inclined to infdelity SO that heartily
rejoice at having such an opportunity OF con-
vincing myself, past doubt or scruple, of the
existence of some beings besides those we see.
A whole month was sufficient to convince any
hOHV Of tha realifxy of no thi,,,r md
ways of discovering any trick, had it been
possible for any snch to have been used. l
shall only tell you what | myself heard, and
leave the rest to Others
my sisters in the paper chamber had heard
noises, and told me of them; but l did not
much believe till one night, about week after
the first groans were heard, which was the be-
ginning. just after the clock had struck ten,
l went down stairs 10 lock the DOORS which /
always do. Scarce had l got up the best
stairs, when | heard noise like person
throwing down a vast coal in the middle of the
fore kitchen, and all the splinters seemed to
fly about from it. | was not much trighted,
but went to my sister Sukey, anpwe together
went all over the low rooms but there was
nothing out of order.
"Our dog was fast asleep, and our only cat
in the other end of the house. No sooner was
l got up stairs and undressing for bed, but |
heard noise among many bottles that stand
under the best stairs, ust like the throwing of
great stone among them which had broken
them all to pieces This made me hasten to
bed. But my sister Hetty, who sits always to
wait on my father going to bed, was still sit
ting on the lowest step on the garnet stairs, the
door being shut at her back, when soon after
there came down the stairs behind her some
thing like man in loose night gown trailing
after him, which made her fly rather than run
TO me in the nursery.
"All this time we never told my father of it,
but soon we did He sn lied, and gave no an
swer, but was more careful than usual from
that time to see us in bed, imagining it to be
some OF us young women that sat up late and
made noise His incredulity, and especially
his imputing it to us or our lovers, made me- |
own, DESTROYS of its continuance till he was
convinced. AS tof my mother, she firmly be-
lieved it to be rats, and sent for horn to blow
them away. laughed to think how wisely
they were employed who were striving half
day to fright away Jeffrey flor that name
gave it) with horn.
"But, whatever it was, l perceived it could
be made angry; for from that time it was so
outrageous, there was no quiet for us after ten
at night. heard frequently, between ten and
eleven, something like the quick winding up of
jack at the corner of the room by my beds
the creaking of the iron work. This was the
common signal of its coming. Then it would
knock on the floor three times, then at my sis
ter's bed head, in the same room, almost al
ways three together, and then stay. The
. sound was hollow and loud, so as none of us
, could ever initiate.
at would answer to my mother if she stamp
ed on the floor and bid it. II would knock
when l was putting the children to bed, just
I l..
pretending to scare Polly, as l was undressing
them, stamped with her foot on the floor; and
Immediately it answered with three knocks,
just in the same place 1t was more loud and
fierce if any one said it was rats, or anything
natural.
could tell you abundance more of it, but
the rest will write, and therefore it would be
needless. | was not much frightened at first,
and very little at last; but it was never near
me, except two or three times, and never fol-
lowed me, as it did my sister Hetty. have
been with her when it has knocked under
her; and when she has removed it has follow
ed and still kept just under her feet which
was enough to terrify a stouter person."
Under date January 10, III, Mr.. Samuel
Wesley, Jr., wrote to his mother, propounding
certain questions, to which she most satstac-
torily replied, adding. "But, withal, desire
that my answers may satisfy none but your
self; for / would not have the matter impaired
to any"
From memorandum of Mr. John Wesley,
detalllng the general circumstances, of
which most il not all the family were frequent
Witnesses, extract as follows -
Before II came into my room, the latches
were frequently lifted up, the windows clat
tered, and whatever iron or brass was about
the chamber rung and Jared exceedingly.
"When it was in any room, let them make
what noise they would as thew sonet;rae Jid