The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-11-17
A Baltimore Mystery.


The ringing Of bells in a house on North
Stricken street, above Cooke, says the Bal
timore Sun, which has caused little SEN
sation in the northwestern section of the
city during the past week, still continues
20 agitate the residents of not only that
portion Of the city, but on account of the
publicity given to the affair the curious in
such matters from all sections of the city
visit the locality for the purpose of solving
the mystery. There has been no positive
solution as yet of the exact cause of the
ringing, although the matter has been in
vestiqated by several scientific men. A
servant girl in the house it is considered
exercises some unknown influence over the
bells. It is said that she never approaches
the wires but they vibrate. The gentlemen
in the house being convinced that the girl
did exercise some influence ovor the bells,
watched her movements for some time
and noticed that the bells were much more
effective whenever the girl was near them,
and at night, after the girl retired in the
third story of the house, there was not SO
they generally ceased their clatter until the
girl comes down stairs in the morning
She was spoken to about the matter and
acknowledged that she had been discharg-
ed from former position on account of the
bells ringing, apd her supposed connection
with it. She added that at another place,
beside the one from which she was
discharged, the bells cid the same thing,
but as the family were Spiritualists they
did not mind it. The girl is very much
worried over the matter, but says she is
powerless to prevent it, as she is an invol-
untary bell ringer and she knows it, and
will probably lose here present place on
this account.
The house is a fine looking, three-story,
brick building, and has never been occupi-
ed before the present tenant moved in
The girl is of very dark color and halls
from Virginia. Electricity has been tried
on the wires, thinking 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 house, and while it was detached
the bell did not ring, but the wires vibrated
all the same. At times during the night
the bells have become so annoying that
they had to be muffied in order that the
occupants Of the house could sleep. The
bells began to ring in this way on Monday
last, and continued to do so at intervals all
through the week. One member of the
family had his hand cut in trying to pre-
vent the wire from vibrating. Spiritualists
attribute the ringing to spirit power, and
are quite anxious to get into the house for
the purpose Of investigating The matter,
but have been refused, and so many curl
GUS people have gone to visit the premises
that policeman had to be detailed to keep
off the crowd. Mysterious as the ringing
may be, there is no doubt, however, that 1t
is caused by some perfectly natural agency
Several members OF the Academy of
Sciences have visited the house, but their
scientific researches have failed to solve the
mystery, and all the newspaper reporters
give it up. 1t will be interesting to know,
however, whether the spirits will continue
to ring when the colored girl leaves her
situation.