Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-04-19
MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS.

The effect of certain sounds upon the
mind is often very curious. We do not
allude to the ordinary phenomena of
speech, singing and music, where the
sound producing apparatus is tolerably
familiar. and its distance from the nearer
estimated with near approach to accu
racy. The effect is only "mysterious"
where there is any doubt as to where the
sound comes from and how it has origin
ated; the Imagination then begins, and
sometimes works itself up to very singular
Authorizations. Night or darkness with
out night, has much to do with this mat
ter. When we cannot see the sound pro-
ducing agent, conjecture is apt to run
wild, and ghost stories often depend on
no better foundation than this. For in
stance, certain sounds may frequently be
heard at night, coming from the air above,
but from an invisible source-a kind Of
whistling or prolonged cry, the producers
OF which are known in certain parts of
England as "whisters." Some legends
make it out that these whistlers are
ghosts, some e,l spirits, some Wander
ing Jews. But the truth is that the
sounds proceed from birds, such as wild
geese or plovers, which are in the habit
OF flying in tlocks by night, either for the
purpose Of reaching distant feeding
grounds, or during their annual migra-
tons. The cry, which is usually uttered
by the "leader" during these nocturnal
blrd-tights has, from ignorance OF its
cause, been regarded as weird and mys-
FERROUS by superstitious folks, who asso-
ciate it with impending evil.
Sir David Brewster gives an excellent
account of a mysterious nj ght sound which
would have frightened many persons, but
which proved innocently harmless when
tested by steady observer. A gentleman
heard a strange sound every night, soon
after getting into bed; his wife heard it
also, but not at the time when she retired
little earlier than he. No probable
cause could be assigned; and the effect
upon the imagination became rather un-
pleasant. He FOUND sometime afterward,
that the sound came from a wardrobe
which stood near the head of his bed.
He almost always opened and closed this
wardrobe when undressing; but as the
door was little tight he could not quite
close it. The door, possibly affected by
gradual changes Of temperature, forced
itself open with sort Of dull sound which
was over in an instant From the lady
not being in the habit of using that ward
robe, the mystery became associated with
her husband only. Many a ghost-story
would receive its solution by little at
tentiOn to the sounds resulting from the
expansion and contraction of woodwork,
such as doors, panels, wainscoting and
articles of furniture. Heard at night,
when all is still. the sudden creaking of
furniture in room is apt TO be some
what startling, until one comes to know
that it is simply due to the weather"
Sound being generally more audible at
night than in the daytime, is often ex-
aggerated by those who overlook that fact
humboldt specially noted this when list
ening TO the cataracts of the Orinoco, and
traced il to the differences in the humidity
OF The air. The atmosphere is sometimes
more than usually transparent and some
times more than usually Opaque to sound
as well as to light; DR.. Tyndall has re-
Gently proved this in a striking way, IN
relation to the audibility of fog signals in
different states of the weather A little
mystery is also due 10 the fact that we
sometimes know that sound is being pro-
duced by an object visible to us, and vet
We cannot hear it. The chirp of the
sparrow is inaudible to some persons
others, who can hear it, cannot hear the
squeak OF the bat and all of us are at the
mercy Of kind of tone.deainess {analo-
goes in some degree to DR.. Daltons color
olndness), in regard 10 sounds of acute
pitch. a singular case of visible but in
-atittiofe-- drumming occurred during thu