Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-03-18
The EIaunicsa school House at
NeWbEryp0rt.

las recently occurred in NeWbuly-
port, in the northeastern part OF
Mas assachusetts, a series of manifes-
tations which seem to add some
thing to the weight of evidence.
These manifestation take place in
a school house. The building is of
the "district" type, being one story
in elevation, with an ordinary shin
gled pitch roof. 1t has four win
dows of common size, fitted with
green blinds on either side, and the |
entlance-door, at the end opening
upon the street. The house is sur
rounded by half an acre of bare,
gravelly yard, and it is in the midst
of neat and populous neighbor-
hood, abont a third of mile from
the principal street of the town.
For the past two years the school
has been taught by Miss Lucy n.
Perkins, young lady of unex-
ceptional wit and intelligence. She
is of q somewhat nervous tempera-
ment, but only enough to distinctly
relieve her from a charge of apathy.
Without being disposed to ascribe
what she sees and hears TO the ir-
huence of malign spirits, she is too
keen and sensitive to permit the
troubles to take place without
strenuous and well directed at
tempts to discover the secret.
The previous teachers had ex-
pelieneed annoyances similar in
character, but they had all been of
lesser force and Importance.
Since she first took charge of the
little community, the disturbances
have steadily increased until they
. have reached their present semi.
tragic character. They began ii
the usual way; knocks were deliv.
cred with more or less frequency
on the floor, walls and ceiling, anC
upon the furniture of the schoo
room. The teacher for. many
months calmed the fears Of her pu-
pills by intimating that the noises
/, were the result Of natural causes
but the troubles gradually become
. so great the impression went abroad
that the school house was haunted
The attention of the older peo
pie was not generally attracted t,
the reputed phenomenon until quit,
recently, and it seemed that as tn,
excl. ement arose, the trouble an,
hubbub auglnen cd corresponding
ly.
The most common disturbance
which now agitates the school, is ;
violent pounding which seems to bt
upon the floor, walls and ceiling
and which varies in power from til,
strong to the, prodigious. 1t com
mences when the school first opens
and on some occasions it continues
without intelmission for the whole
session, two hours and n half. At
other times it comes at irregular
intervals, beating now n rapid vol
Icy Of dcadened blows in the aisles,
wains and cotings and closets. At
still other times the blows subside
into simple, sharp knocks, which,
like the louder sounds, have q ro-
wing disposition. In the gairet
there seems still another sort OF
noise OF tho same class. 1t seems
that somothing Is being continually
thrown upon the ceiling of the
school room, md this manifestation
is interspersed with sounds resem-
bling the driving of nails and the
dropping of boards and so closely
are real sounds initiated, that all
who have heard them invariably
recognize thou. 1t is not infre-
quent that the volume of blows is
SO great that the rccitations Of the
scholars are interrupted, and the
teacher obliged TO await the pleas
ure of the powers that be before
proceeding with her lessons.
The school room is ventilated by
means of circular aperture in the
centre of the ceiling, which aper-
ture may be covered and uncovered
at will by means of trap door, two
feet square.
This is managed by the teacher,
by the use of cord, which de-
scends into the school room, and
which is commonly fastened to q
small clcat nailed to the moulding
Of the window frame, in the centre
of the partition. The opening and
closing of this ventilator seems to
be a matter Of special aggravation
to the genius of the garnet, for the
attempts to raise the trap are fire.
quently resisted. On day in Octo-
Der Miss Perkins pulled the cover
up in the usual way, and fastening
the cord, as she was accustomed to
do, by winding it, sailor-fashion,
about the strip of wood. She had
hardly done so when the ventilator
was slamed violently down and the
cord unwound. She again raised
the cover and it was again closed.
Determined to circumvent her en-
eny, she tied q large knot in the
cord, and, after drawing it down
for third timc, she pressed the
knot into the cleft made by the side
of the cleat and the swell of the
moulding. The knot was uncon-
querable. The cord was violently |
pulled and stretched in mysterious
efforts to loosen it, bnt the teachers
device was too effective, and the at
tempt soon ceased.
Upon the teachers desk are two