American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-09
A North DeYenshire Legend.

A work entitled sIhe N0rth-DeY0n
Scenery Book" recently published in
England, furnishes number of North
Deyonshire legends, one of which deserves
place in Howitfs History of the Super
natural We quote:
nNot many years ago an old man was
living in the village who possessed a fid-
die and was able to discourse merry music
upon it. There was large upstair-room
in his house which was called the dan
cling chamber, and here the boys and mai
.dens of Combmartin used toassemble once
a month, and dance, and talk, and firt in
their honest country fashion, and other
wise enjoy themselves after their days
work
"When the fiddler was dead, his daugh-
Ter married, and her husband continued
to live in the old man's house. But as
the husband could not play the fiddle the
dancing-chambor was of no use, and it
was consequently converted to ordinary
domestic purposes.
"The alteration had scarcely been COM
pletcd when the house became suddenly
uninhabitable., Every night the most
fearful noises rang from the floor to the
roof-noises as though score of horses
were galloping up and down the old dan
cling chamber, to the accompaniment of
the loud cracking of whips and other SINH
lar unnatural sounds.
$50 that as you may suppose, the fami-
ly got but scanty rest at night; and were
nearly driven to their wits end by fright
and perplcxity.
''At last the husband bctook himself to
the parson of the parish, and asked for
advice and assistance in so disagrceable
state of affairs.
"The parson suggested that such kinds
of alarming noises were frequently caused
by rats, and counseled him to procure the
services of an expert in the killingof such
unpleasant yennin. =
'In about a week the man again paid a
visit to the rectory, ovedontly wrought up
to pitch of desperation by his broken
sleep and troubled dreams.
cit was rats, he said; they had hun
ted in vain for such things; it was "a spir-
it-whoso, he couldn't tell, but there was
no doubt that it was areal spirit; and the
only thing to be done was to have it laid
by the parson. If, he added, itshould be
too strong for one parson, he hoped the
rector would be good enough to get two
other clergymen to join him, for he had
been assured there was no spirit so power
full as to be able to stand out against the
united powers of three parsons.
"The rector, however, declined to re-
vive the old custom of exorcism; and
consequently his parishoner went home
with a troubled and an angry heart
ga few days afterwards he came back
once more, with gleeful countenance,
and said that the spirit was laid, and that
he himself had been able to affect the de-
sired result.
Partly swayed by the absolute necessi-
ty of doing something to penetrate the
mystery, partly persuaded by the sensible
exhonorations of the rector, he and his
wife had instituted another thorough search
in the haunted rooms, and, after much
ripping up of roof and floor and waistcoat
they discovered an old silk waistcoat be-
longing to the deceased fiddler, snugly
concealed in the thatch immediatelyabove
the dancing chamber In one of the
pockets of this garment were two halt
crowns.
sit became, therefore, Immediately plain
to them that the old mon had been troub-
led at the loss which his family had sus-
tanned through the conccalment of his
hoard; and that the above mentioned
noises were the unnecessarily strong
means which he had taken to draw his
daughters attention to the hidden trea-
sure.
''In proof of this opinion it happened
that hcneeforward the disturbance totally
ceased; and to this day, happily for the
inhabitants of the cottage, the spirit ha.
remained at rest"
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