The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1860-02-22

January."*
The journal of Mr.. Wesley, Scn., (p.
1247.) fully corroborates his sons narra-
tive, adding some further particulars
He notices that, on the 23rd December,
in the nursery, when his daughter Emily
knocked, it answered her. Ga another
occasion, he says, i went down stairs, and
knocked with my stick against the jois,s
of the kitchen. 1t answered me as often
and as loud as I knocked; but then 1
knocked as usually do at my door,.
2,3. 4, 5, 6, 4 but this puzzled it, and
it did not answer, or not in the same
method, though the children heard it do
the samc exactly twice or thrice" This
corresponds with what M. Hoole said
about its knocking Mr.. Wesley's knock.
On the 25th Of December, he says,
The noises were so violent it was vain to
think of sleep while they continued So,
again, on December 81, he adds, They
were so boisterous thst I did not care to
leave my family.'--as he wished to do,
70 pay visit to a friend, Mr. Downs.
He says, also, i have been thrice push
ed by an invisible power, once against the
corner of my desk in the study. second
time against the door of the matted cham
ber, third time against the right side of
the frame of ny study door, as was CO.
: ing in.'
As to the dog, under date December
25, his record is, Our mastiff came whin-
ing to US, as he did always after the first
night of its coming; for then he barked
violently at it, but was silent afterwards,
. and seemed more afraid than any of the
children
The letters corroborating the various
, details are too long and numerous to be
here transcribed I extract, % speci-
men, from one written by Emily Wesley
, afterwards Mrs. Harper,) to her brother
Samuel She says:
i thank you for your last, and shall
f give you what satisfaction is in my power
concerning what has happened in oul
family. am so far from being supersti
,ious that was too much inclined to in
: fidelity; so that heartily rejoice at hav
< ing such an opportunity. of convincing
myself. past doubt or scruple, of the ex
e istence of some beings besides those w
= see A whole month was sufficient t
J convince anybody of the reality of tn
=. thing, and to try all ways Of discovering
4 any trick, had it been possible for any sucl
n to have been used. shall only tell yo
t what l myself heard, and leave the res
:. to others .-
e "My sisters in the paper chamber ha
e heard noises and told me of :hem; but
cid not much believe till one night, abou
O "a week after the first groans were heard
e which was the beginning. Just after th
j. clock had struck ten, l .went down stair
). to lock the doors, which 1 always dc
n Scarce had l got up the best stairs, whe
is I heard a noise like person THROWN
d down vast coal in the middle of th
d fore kitchen, and all the splinters SCENE
f. to ay about from it. I was not muc
u frighted, but went to my sister Sukey, an
n we together went all over the low rooms
but there was nothing out Of order.
ID "Our dog was fast asleep.and our onl
\. cat in the other end of the house. n
d sooner was I got upstairs and undressiE
d for bed, but heard noise among man
IF bottles that stand under thessbest stair
,e just like the throwing Of a great stor
g among them which had broken them a
at to pieces. This made me hasten to be,
Mt But my sister Hetty who sits always
wait on my father gong to bed, was sti
$. sitting on the lowest step on the garr
as stairs, the door being shut at her bac
IN when. soon after, there came down tt
r.. stairs behind her something like man
III a loose night gown trailing after hir
er which made her fly rather than run to n
IN in the nursery.
IN "All this time we never told my faith
le of it; but soon we did. He smiled, al
to gave no answer, but was more careful ths
ID usual from that time to see US in bed, in
nv agining it to be some of us young womt
n that sat up late and made a noise. H
TO incredulity, and especially his imputing
Sc to US or our lovers, made me, own, d
!. fsirous Of its continuance till he was col
er vinced As for my mother, she firm
believed it to be rats, and sent for a ho
er to blow them away. laughed to thir
ry how wisely they were employed who we
h. striving half day to flight away Jeffr'
ne Cfor that name 1 gave iD with horn.
u. "But, whatever it was, l perceived
is could be made angry; for from that tin
en- it was SO outrageous, there was no qui
it's for US after ten at night. l heard fir
no quently, between ten and eleven, som
it, thing like the quick winding'up of ja'
re at the corner of the room by my bee
ill head. just like the running of the whee
,e. and the creaking of the iron-work. Tt
ed was the common signal of its comm
re Then it would knock on the floor thr
Id times. then ut my sisters beds head,
the same room, almost always three
gether, and then stay The sound W
:" hollow and loud, so as none of US cou
ne ever initiate.
W ''It would answer to nay mother if S
'er stamped on the floor and bid it. 1t wou
n % knock when was nuttinr The children