The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-11-04
PuZzler for the Baltimore Acade-
my Of Sciences.


The ringing of the bells in a house
on North Stricken street. above Co0ke,
which has cansed little sensation in
the northwestern section of the city
during the past week, still continues
to aeitate the residents of not only that
portion ofthe city, bnt on account of
the publicity given to the affair the
curious in such matters from all s"c-
tons Of the city visit the locality for
the! purpeseof solving the MYSTERY
There has been no positive solution rs
yet of the exact cause of the ringing,
although the matter has been inves,i-
gated by several scientific men. A
colored servant girl in the house it is
considered exercises some unknown in
f1uence over the bells. 1t is said she
never approaches the wires but they
vibratt. Tho gentleman who resides
in the honse being convinced that the
girl did exercise some influence over.
the bells, watched her movements for
some time and oiced that the bells
were much more affected whenever
the girl was near them, and at night,
after the girl retired in the thir, story
of the house, there was not SO much
ringing; also that asont twelve O'Clock
they generally cease their CHATTER until
the girl comes down stairs in the morn.
ing. She was spoken to about the
matter and acknowledged that she had
been discharged from a former. posi-
ton on account Of the bells ringing
aud her supposed connection with it.
She added that at another place, be.2
side the one from which. she was dis
charged, the bells did the same thing,
hut as the family we're spiritualits they
did not mind it. / The girl Is very
much worried over the matter, bht
says she is powerless to prevent it, AZ
she is an involuntary bell ringer and
she knows it, aud will probably, lose
her present place on this account.
= The house is a fne-(0oking, three.
story, brick building, and has never
been occupied before the present ten,
aut moved in. The girl is of very dark
color ard halls from Virginia. Elec-
tricity has been tried upon the wires,
that the ringing may have
been caused by that agency. but the
electricity had no effect. The wire
was detached from one of the three
bells in the honse, and while it was de-
tached the bell did not ring, but the
wire vibrated all the same. At times
during the night the bells have become
so annoying that they had to be mufned
in order that the occupants of the
house could sleep. The bells began to
ring in this way on Monday morning
last, and continued to do so at inter
walls all through the week. One mem
Der of the family had his hand cut in
trying to prevent the wire from vibra-
ting. spiritualists attribute the ring
ing to spirit power, and are quite anx-
ious to get into the house for the pur-
pose Of investigating the matter, bnt
have been refused, and so many curl
GUS people have gone to visit the
premises, that a policeman had to be
to keep off the crowd. Mys-
FERROUS as the ringing may be, there is
no doubt, however, that it is caused by
some perfectly natural agency. Sew
eral members of the Academy of Sci
ences have visited the house, but their
scientific researches have failed to
solve the mystery, and all the newspa-
per reporters give it,up. 1t will be in
teresting to know, however, whether
the spirits will continue to ring when
the colored girl leaves her situation.
Baltimore SIM.