The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-08-17

weighing twelve and the other SIX
pounds, were thrown off the bread box
in the same room. During the evening,
for space of about fifteen minutes, moi
ses were heard in the basement like the
throwing about of brickbats and rub
bish, and on going in all sorts of things
were found scattered in confusion on the
floor. In the milk house there were
found various articles piled up in the
milk trough three feet high-such as
crock lids, boxes, kegs, brickbats, broken
crooks, boards, an old hat, and u small
box of lime which had been for months
in the basement part Of the cellar on a
bench. The latter was found in the milk
trough in the spring house, lime and all.
A box of plasterer's hair, which was
kept in the cellar proper, was also in the
milk house. A crock of pickles, which
had been standing by the milk trough,
was found in the trough. Mr.. Silver
carried the rubbish from the basement,
and found one of his vinegar barrels
leaking. He had five of them in the
basement. He took enough vinegar out
to fill up one of the other barrels, and
bunged the leaking one up tight as he
could, and set it up on end to prevent
further leakage. This ended Saturday.
On Sunday there was more upsetting
of milk, breaking of crooks, and over
turning of barrels and boxes. The vim
egar barrel which had been bunged up
the previous evening was thrown over
and the vinegar spilled. A candlestick,
with q candle and an egg, were thrown
off the sink in the kitchen. A keg of
pickles was turned upside down, and the
pickles scattered over the floor. Crooks
of molasses and of preserves were over
turned, brooms thrown down, chairs and
benches moved about, the family Bible
thrown from the bureau to the floor, the
mantelpiece swept of ornaments and
toys, feather bed shifted out of its
place on the bed, and the dining-room
table turned quickly and completely
over in its tracks, while the father and
mother were looking on.
On Monday bucket of water stand
ing on bench two feet high, in the
kitchen, was upset The feather bed,
pillows, and holsters Of bed were scat
tered about the floor, and other repeti-
tions performed of the previous days ex-
periences.
This is all Benjamin Silver personally
witnessed; but in addition, he says that
Leander Case, farm hand employed by
Samuel Silver, saw crock fly from the
window into the basement about three
feet. In company with Mary Silver
and the boy Pontius, Case also saw an
empty gallon-and-a-half crock rise
straight up about foot, and then fly a
distance Of four feet and break in pieces.
Mary Silver and the boy saw axes
thrown about. a sack of corn which was
tied up thrown off a box, and come un-
tied SO as to let the corn run out, besides
many other things of similar kind.
These accounts are attested by Case, Ma
ry Silver, and the rest of the family as
correct. Nothing remarkable seems to
have occurred after Monday.
1t would naturally be inferred that
there was some connection between the
little boy Pontius and the phenomena,
as in nearly every instance they were
only observed when he was in or near
the house; but Benjamin Silver is con-
vinced that he has had no active agency
in producing them. At this distance,
and with the imperfect information we
have of them, we can only record them
as among the curious events of the day
without attempting to theorize concern
ing their origin.