The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-02

Interesting Session Of the Valley Ministers
md l>cacons' Meeting ~ Further Antics OF
tho Ghost The Mystery Still Unexplained.
RrcRANAx. VA. Jan. @th, 1871.
The Ministers and DcaconS Meeting
nl the Valley Baptist Association has Just
,.loSca here a session OF more than usuai
interest. Despite the snow and s!cet the
,,tcrdancc of delegates was good, ana the
congregations quite Large.
Tho meeting was in session from Thurs
J,y morning until sunday. during Whlch
,;,nc earnest discussion was had on the fol-
iowinr themes. which were presented IN
wcll-diccstcd. carcful!y.writtcn ESSAYS:
"ncmonacsl rosses>ion"-Rev. j. R..
Harrison, c>SayiSt.
TO Whom Does the Pulpit Belong
tho pa<to- or the Church: beacon l.. l.
Hardy. Hill -,
:. should praycr-Mcctn@, be Held IN
Mined Assemblies. or t"0hncl 10 "ather-
inrs OF Church Members -Dec"h l.. d.
"Was Jesus Amounted More than
once Dir. J. 4. Johnston.
"Can Christians Read Without injury
Novels and the Light Literature OF the
pa, :"--ryot. 6. J.. Cock.
=" l. fine Atonrmrut 81 Christ Necessary
Wiinouf II >"-prot. J. =. Turner.
The discussion of ihcs" essays was par
,;rina,rd IN hv Rcys. J. K. Harrison. W.
!; f,;tt. George {. Thrsshcr. j. W. Jones,
md Ery. MIR. Hart of The Presbyterian
Church: Captain l.. +. Hardy. Professor
{. l. Cooke. Deacon smith, Professor
Joseph \. Turner, and Major Rock. Inc
congregations would come through Sleet
and slu>h, and remain uutl! 10 CLOCK 1T
night, deeply interested.
,h. meeting adopted resolutions cX-
prrSsivc If their regret n The removal OF
Rev. II. y. y. station 10 kentucky, and
warmly romEcnding him TO those among
whom his lot may hr cast.
The next meeting iSappcinted for Thurs
day before the fifth Sunday IN April next
At Mount Pleasant Church, III Roanokc
county.
UnJc-tcrday Rcv.J. VIM. Jones preached
morning and evening 10 very large congfe-
,.l,luu~. The delegates We're entertained
With the pro,crtiNI hospitality OF this good
old burg.
vs.. hrArd Great complaint OF scarcity OF
money, owing chiefly to the breaking Of
The canal and the inability OF the farmers
fo Get their produce % market. but we
r.ri1ynly saw nothing Ike scarcity 1t the
houses Wn visited.
When the Valley railroad and The Clifton
Forge railroad form 4 junction here, and
the canal j. extended and improved, this
GOOD old town will rise with fabulous ra-
.ridiiy. Some Of your Nirhmond capitalists
would better come up AMI invest III vacant
town lots. But know that your readers
are impatient Ia hear something more OF
the freaks uf 1.-The ghost.
Your correspondent failed TO "iuter-
ia - u
raj times 10 II" house. and waited with
~h;rpen"d i,cnciland convenient note hook.
1'pYliap> hi> "hust>hip is arcr>c 10 being
brought into contact with reporters: II all
events, ne chose not 10 manifest himself
While we were in The hnu>c. But he has Nv
40 means ceased his visits. and we ret from
Mr.. Thra-hrr and his cslimablc lady. ana
from the delegates 10 the ministers and de&-
cons meetings who stayed ut their house,
,he following particulars since our last res
yrrrt Ten days AGO he begun 10 change his
Yu't.C> again. Since then he has only
knocked at the doors once or twice, has been
visible but seldom. and has pcrsiStcntly
refused 20 talk-dcclning either to begin
conversation or TO answer questions. But
n. hs> Lcrn even more annoying than he-
Tore. a. his manifestations have been tnstd,
II the house and more violent than ever.
He has taken great tAllcv for turning beds
tnDsy-tlIrvy, scattering the bedding over
the floor. throwing chips and Trash about
the house. farming over barrels OF apples,
a.. rhi> had been carried on persiStcntlv
:or several days, and miuy OF the manilcsta-
ions were OF such character rs to confirm
c!iaSr who believed that the little Girl
Anna prmg-Wi> AT the bottom o.! i;
though it was evident that il >he was
criminal, she had active ConlCdrralcS,
A. MANY Of the things were done when She
was either absent from the house or under
she immediate eve of Sir. aud Mrs. l llrashcr
Eut since last Friday the mystery has thick.
s'ncd. That morning, Mrs. Thra>her. after
>,riug the rooms all cleaned up, locked
zach door, then locked the out doors. and
pltting all OF the keys into her pocket.
went INTO her kitchen, where, with Anna
l'ring and all who were about the house,
She remained for in hour or so, and Oh re-
turning TO the house found The doors still!
icc;icd. but the beds tunt!ea up, chips and
rash scattered all ever the house. and two
large sticks of wood crossed in the middle
Of her chamber floor. 1hi, was repeated
several times during the day.
That evening. when the families and thci!
guests were all assembled in the dining
COON. large chips would fail into the room
ana passage without any one being able to
detect where they came from. These de-
>nonstrations were kept up pretty actively
while Mr.. Thrasher. his guests, and Anna
Iring were at church, shat night Rev.
Mr.. Nhitescarver and Deacon Smith, o!
Dlacksburg, were sleeping together in 4
room up stairs. Mr. WhitcScarvcr was
awakened by seeing Il man enter the room
and walk up to the foot of the bed. Taking
him tor MIR. Thrashcr, he was about to al.
dres, him. when he suddenly turned and
walked rapidly out of the room. Mr.. Smith
awo6e just then, and also heard somewhat
heavy footsteps descend the stairs. Mr.
WtileScalver says that when the man
turned to 90 out. he perceived from
his size and dress that it was not Mr..
Thi7sshcr, and Mr.. Thrasher AYERS that he
did not leave his chamber after lighting his
guests to bed. About the same hour. Mr..
and Mrs, Ihra>hcr both saw their chamber
door open and shut live or six times. The
docr MRS found unlocked the next MORN
M, Notwithstanding it had been carefully
locked when they retired. The same night,
Mr.. Dolman, a deacon III the baptist
Church. BotetOurt county, who WAS sleep
ing III another room, was awakened by find
ing The coyerlids of his bed rapidly rising
and falling. He could neither see nor hear
any one when he jumped up.
Saturday night Mr. WhtcScarver, being
sick, did not 90 out TO church. lie was
lying on the sofa in the parior, while Mrs.
Fhra>her, Anna Prin@, and the children
were in the dining-room, with the door be-
tween them open. Suddenly acra>h WAS
heard in the back passage. Mr.. White
S"arver ran into the dining-room, and on
opening TIE door they found in the passage
= large billet OF wood. They saw stick after
Stickial', but could mot detect where it came
from, until they gathered up eight or ten
sticks, which burned very readily, and had
no Sutphur0uS od0r. Going up stairs they
found the beds trmbled, is usual, but
searched in vain Tor the visitor. Just vs.