The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-24
THE GEORGIA SENSATION.
THE MYSTERIOUS D0INGS IN AP-
LING COUNTY.

hered. we published a brief paragraph stating
| that strange and supernatural manifestations
had taken place at Surrency, In Appling
| County, one hundred and twenty-six miles
from Macon, and about sixtyfrom Brunswick.
| MIR. Surrency is gentleman well-to-do In the
world, and Is universally regarded as one Of
the most honorable citizens OF the county, and
It would seem bis house would be tho last one
ghosts would select In which to play mischief.
WHAT MR.. sURRENCY SAYS.
Snon after daylight Mr.. Surrency came Into
the room and proceeded to tell from the De-
ginning what had taken place up to that time.
On Friday evening, q short wnileb before dark.
the family were greatly alarmed by sticks OF
wood iying Into the house and falling about
the floor, from directions they could tell moth
Ing about, and without any human agency
thew could see or find out. The wood wonld
fall before being seen, and what made the
mystery more mysterious, the room In Whicn
the wood was falling had all Its doors and WIN
dows closed. This was IN the front room;
Soon after dark they stopped falling and
was succeeded by brickbats, which fell at
snort Intervals throughout the night In
every room In The house. Mr.. Snrrency, bis
wife. two grown daughters, Mr.. Roberts, q
clerk and a Baptist minister by the name Of
Bitch, we're present, and with The exception
of the minister. who got upon MS morse and
left, they all remained awake the whole
night. notwithstanding tho windows aud
doors were tightly closed, and no opening
| LETT 10 any portion OF the house, the bricEbals
| continued TO fall; but although sometimes Just
missing, not one struck any person.
BOTTLES AND GLASS TAKE A
Soon after the bricks commenced falling,
bottles, vases and glassware generally CON-
| menced jumping from their usual places, fall
| ing and breaking. Mr.. SurreDcy seeing the
destruction going on, directed q negro man TO
take four bottles containing kerosene OIL out
| of the house and place them In the yard. No
sooner hsd he set them down when one few
ing the oil in every direction. The whole
family saw this. It eeemed to come down
from the ceiling overhead, and indeed every
thing else falling did 30 Observation-Disclosures
Ia 10 say came straight down from above.
These strange antics continued with
scarcely one minutes interruption untll
daylight Saturday morning.. when they
ceased, leaving the house nearly bankrupt In
crockery and glassware, and q large quantity
of brlckbats aud blllets of wood around the
floor. That afternoon, or on Saturday, 18Th,
thew commenced again pretty much IN the
same manner, and doing about what had taken
place the night previously. The family, which
mad now been Joined by many neighbours,
watched every nook and corner Of the house
to detect and, If possible, to unrayel Inc mys-
terry. But 30 quickly would pitchers, tum-
blers, books and other articles jump from their
POSITIONS and dash to the floor the eye could
not follow, and broken fragments were the
first things seen, except In one Instance, and
that was a pan of water and some DOCKS; tney
we're seen to start.
CHAIRS, SHOES AND CLOTHING
were tumbling about the house as II the hand
of q verltable witch or unseen devil was pres
ent. But the greatest mystery and most In
expllcable incident of this day was the escape
Of 8 lot of ordinary clothes hooks from q lock-
ed bureau drawer. They also fell on the floor,
the drawer remaining tightly closed as usual.
Nothing else of special note occurred to-day.
All got quiet at halfpast eight o'clock Saturday
night.
As stated above, our special reporter arrived
before daybreak and heard the story OF Mr..
Surrency, as above related. 8. soon as he
got through with 1t he stepped up to the
OLD ANIL CLOCK,
and was about relating how rapidly the hands
had travelled around the dial when the ghosts
were about, on the previous day. All eyes
were turned 10 it, and much TO their astonish-
ment the hands commenced running around
at the rate of about five hours a minute. It
was q thirty hour weight clock, and alter see
ing 1t run al this rate for q short while our re.
porter determined TO at least solve this mys-
tery. He stopped The clock, carefully a
ined the machinery, and found 1t not only 10
perfect order, but nothing whatever unusual,
inside or out. he could not for the life OF
him see the slightest thing wrong about 1t.
TIE MAaNET THEORY.
It has been suggeeted that there may be a
large magnet about or under the house, but
magnets do not attract wooden substances,
and, besides, while the clock Yves running at
its rapid rate Mr.. L.. had his watch In his pock-
ct. which kept on Its usual way, and was not
In the least affected. he set the clock right,
when 1t continued to keep correct time up to
the time he left.
A RED-HoT BRIcKBAT.
Nothing else unusual occurred until seven
teen minutes before twelve O'Clock, when the
performances reopened by q pair OF scissors
jumping from the table TO the floor. At
that time Mr.. Lindenstruth was sitting In a
chair, when, without the slightest Fremont
ton, q large brlckbat fell with great
force right beside him, breaking In two. he
Immediately picked up q piece Of 1t and hand
ed it to Mason, and both found 1t hot. Then
taking up the other piece he tried two or
three times to break 1t by throwing 1t on the
floor, but failed. He then laid this second
half on the sill of q window In the room, In.
tending to bring 1t home. Resuming his seat
near the front stoop, he was again startled by
the piece he had placed on the window falling
at bis feet, and once more breaking Into TWO
pieces. He did not pick it up again. At
twelve o'clock g smoothing Iron Jumped from
the fire place about Six feet into tie room. 1t
was replaced, and again jumped out. he
noticed that the iron was also hot; but this
may have been heated at the fire.
A SHOWER OF CORN.
At about this time dinner was announced,
when the family and many guests walked out
to the table. Soon after being seated an ear
OF corn, apparently from the ceiling overhead,
fell between Mr.. James Campbell, of Macon,
and Mrs. currency; striking the floor with
great force 1t broke In two, scattering the
grains all round the room. Later in the day
another ear of corn fell In another room,
striking near Mrs. Burns, a Northern lady,
who at the time had an Infant In her arms.
Soon after this, whilst Mr.. D. M. McGauley,
Allen Walls. Robert R. Prestell, G. C. Esson,
John, NJ. Walls, J. W. Roberts and Daniel
Carter, OF that nelghborhood, and Campbell,
Lindepstruth and Mason were standing in the
front FOOD, a chamber glass was smashed into
fifty pieces in the centre OF the room. They