Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-03-02

Witehcraft and sorcery R%edivivus-
Mysterious and Inexplicable Affair.
Readers Of newspapers are seldom called
upon to peruse detailed accounts of SUPER
natural occurrences. Superstition went
out as the printing press came in, and yet
we have a plain, circumstantial account OF
a seemingly supernatural affair to lay be-
fore the readers Of the Inquirer this morn
ing. We say seemingly, because be be-
lieve that there is some trickery in the
case, though thus far it has bufied de-
lection.
In South Fifth street, in the old district
of Southwark, stands an unpretending
three.story brick house; the front apart
ment Of the first floor is used as a dry
goods store, and the remainder of the
building is occupied as the dwelling place
Of the proprietor Of the store and his fami-
ly. These people have lived in this house
for the past ten years, and have found 1t
comfortable residence until last Thursday
evening, when their troubles began.
Three young ladies OF the family, after
having retired for the night in their usual
apartments, the third story front room,
were awakened by a Gathering on the
floor, and on rising to ascertain the cause
Of the noise, they found that their combs,
brushes, head dresses, etc., had been
thrown upon the foor; they replaced
them on the top OF the bureau and again
retired, and again the articles were thrown
upon the floor. They arose a second
time, somewhat alarmed. To heighten
their trepidation, a lo~oking-glass jumped
from the wall into q for corner Of the
room, and was shivered to pieces. They
awoke their father, and he came up stairs
to be ~astonished by the mantle ornaments
jumping from their accustomed positions
and waltzing around the floor. There
were strange k~nockings in the ceiling and
walls. There was no more sleep for the
family that night.
With daylight they became calm, but
while the lady Of the house was placing
the breakfast dishes, a saucer sprang from
the table, flew against the wall, and was
broken into a dozen fragments. The
members of tho household, who are not
over nervous. partook of their morning
meal, and commenced the business Of the
day.
On Friday Eight the annoyances began
again doors few open with great ylo-
lencc, an ivory ornament jumped from q
table through a pane of glass, and clat,er-
| ed on the pavement below. The mantle
ornaments again became excited, and
chased over the floor; pictures became
loosed from their f~astnings, and few
across the rooms with remarkable velocity,
at times dashing the glass to pieces and
damaging the frames, and in other in.
stances sustaining no damage from their
rapid transit and sudden stoppage.
Not liking to have the ornamental fur
niturc destroyed, the pictures and mirrors
were unhung, and placed upon the floor.
But this did not deprive them Of their
powers of locomotion. One large look
ing. glass took a zig-zag flight across a
room, brought up against an opposing
wall, and was smashed out of all the sem-
blance Of a respectable reflector. It was q
night Of horror to the afflicted inmates Of
the haunted three-story brick. Next
morning their plates jumped from the
dresser, and dashed themselves to atoms
against floor, walls, and ceiling. The
morning meal had to be partaken from the
laps Of the haunted people. During Fri
day they removed all their pictures, look
ing glasses, and valuable mantle orna-
ments to the house of n neighbor, where
they still remain.
The master and mistress OF the family
being communicates to the Baptist church,
impaired the circumstances Of their
strange visitation to their pastor, and on
Saturday evening that gentleman, accom-
panied BY another clergyman, went to the
haunted dwelling to pass the night. With
one Of these clerical gentlemen we had q
protracted interview. He is a very clear
minded scholar. has received q collegiate
training, and during his studies paid con-
siderable attention to the seeming pheno-
mena Of natural philosophy. He assures
US that he entered the haunted dwelling
with the belief that the inmates were the
dupes Of trickery, and he left the house
yesterday morning p~erplexed in the ex-
IRENE.
Soon after he entered the parlor a hymn
book was projected from a table and
thrown with violence against the door.
With his o VII hands he picked up the
book and replaced it before his eyes the
volume was seized by an invisible force.
and for O second time thrown across the
room, and q Testament sent TO keep it
company. Again the books were re.
placed, and again sent whirling around
the room, at times making the entire cir
cult Of the apartment; then they would
Hy of at a tangent and come 10 q full stop
violently against the wall. Bibles, Testa-
ments, and hymn-books were endowed
with strange powers Of volition during
several hours Of Saturday night.
Both the clergymen present did their
best to discover some trick by which the
inanimate objects were made to circum.
navigate rooms in so mysterious a manner,
but. In vain ; they could discover no clue
to the mystic movements.
Many other mysterious manifestations
took place on Saturday evening q writ
ing slate was projected against the ceiling
and broken to atoms; the model Of a boat
was sent sailing through the air, and
finished its aerial voyage by a violent butt
against the wall. The we'll known pic
ture Of the late President Lincoln and his
son Tad, was taken from a nail on the
wall, by the unseen force, sent diagonally
across the room with great swiftness, and
dashed against an opposite wall with such
force as to break the glass, crushing the
picture into minute pieces. Over this pic.
ture hung a green baize bag, such as legal
men carry; the picture, although hanging
under the strings Of the bag, was removed
as stated, while the bag itself was undis-
turbed. A young gentleman present
who expressed himself an unbeliever IN
supernatural phenomena. was roughly
jostled by strong, though invisible hands.
The violent manifestations continued ior
about three hours, when they ceased.
Yesterday morning they began again.
A ,eryan, Of the family whilc cleansing
the dishes. had a tumbler fly up from the