The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-10-05
VOX CIamantis.

A voice has been heard in the valley of the
Kennebec. Our exchanges tell how Wins
low has heard and trembled, how Fairfield
has stood aghast, and how fair Watervie has
shuddered through all her groves of elms,
unprotected from degrading fear by the pro-
fame learning of her university or the proud
towers of her new cotton mill. A voice of
mystery and of terror,-a voice of lamen-
tations and of warning-uoI ct prgterea
nihil! Wherever that solemn sound has
penetrated there are pale faces and beating
hearts, and dismay has fallen on all the peo-
pie where its gloomy echoes melt away on
the lagoons of Palermo and the desert rocks
of imperial Rome. AnLipodean China bris-
ties with pig-tails which fright has erected !;
romantic Sidney and gay Belgrade no longer
pour crowds of revelers through their gilt
tering streets. The very dome of the state
capitol is shaken. The venerable and sedate
Watervile Mail holds up both hands at the
phenomenon and says:
Waterville has ghost! A real no mistaken
article, with voice like rebel yell, and heard
all the way from Fairfield Village to Ticonic
LAY uOW d mOdu dS VI Ouc III ulI0 ulStTtSS,
then shrek like the voice of lost soul, and
anon yell of despair or rage-but all perfect
ly hair-raising and blood curdling. To people
on the west side of the river it appears to be
located on the east side, while on the east side
it sounds on the west side.
1t has been heard at night for several weeks,
and gets worse and worse. The alarm and ex-
citement has grown steadily, especially among
the French population at the head of the Falls
who are sure that it is the spirit of the poor
FreIchman who was drowned just above Col
lege Rips while ago. A great company, a
mighty host, with guns and pistols and clubs,
were out last night, and though they heard the
voice they saw no bodily shape. Some scofin G
unbelevers say it is nothing but bog cat,
others say it is screechowl; we are nom
committal and say nothing.
The nature of the subject naturally leads
to lyrical style, but by stern effort we
return to prose and to serious reflection.
That man is curious and nexplicable being,
is hardly a. novel doctrine, but it certainly
receives an extraordinary confirmation when
we find that in Maine, in the year 1875, there
are still very large number of people who
are very seriously disturbed by the occurrence
of an unusual sound in waste place between
two villages. Superstition as an active men.
tai trait is commonly supposed to have disap-
peared decades ago, leaving slender residu-
um of lucky and ominous dreams, and of new
moons porterding good or evil. But let a
cry be heard that cannot be readily explained
on the hypothesis of loon or "bog-cat," a
wild students howl or ''old Bill Aliens fog
horn", disappointed ofice-seeker or {
wolverine, and behold, here returns super
stition with its staring eyes and trembling
limbs, as weird and awe-inspiring if not al
dangerous and cruel as when it exercised
devils and burnt witches. The sound mus
be.caused by dead Frenchman wandering
about and clamoring for burial louder than
the famous Guibord, a murdered traveller,
lost spirit or devil in torment. Soon, un
less the excitement subsidies, we shall hav'
the whole internal hierarchy, all the wtche
and wizards of Walpu rgis night and Glen
dower's miscellaneous collection, made III
of
ga DRAGON and o finless fish