The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-07-28
Startling Phenomena.


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Startling Phenomena.
From tie Belmont, o., Chronicle
Wm. McComas, highly respectable and
wealthy farmer, with one son lad OF Is
wears, and wife, lives four miles west Of
Bridgeport on the Cadiz pike, IN one OF the
handsomest new residences in the county and
il withal one of the most reliable men in his
community, truthful and fully responsible.
He has recently moved into his elegant resi-
dence-yet not fully finished. About week
ago a young girl in the employ OF the family
went to the cellar, and soon thereafter spg'
OF in barrel OF fine cider In the cellar gave
way; calling for help Mrs. McComas res
pended but found not only that 1t was impos-
slble to stop the waste of the cider but that
the spgots from four barrels OF vinegar had
also hcw out and the contents OF the I'VE bar
rels were run upon the cellar moor. ms IN
cident, unlmporant in itself at the time, as.
sumed some significance in the peoples eyes
in the light of recent events which are meas.
ureably charged to it. On Monday after din.
ner Mrs. McComas heard disturbance in
her large pantry, stored full OF good things,
and suppOsing it to be rat attempted to AUNT
II out and discovering large number OF
things stumbling and tumbled from her
shelves, called in the assistance OF her son,
who also failed TO discover his ratship, and
becoming a little concerned at the way things
were acting in the pantry, started to black
smith shop near by for his father who speedi-
" came to find some-tO him-ineXplicable
doings in the pantry trultcans, Jelly.cups,
tin ware, butter.crocks, indeed everything ID
the room seemed on the move toward the
floor From an adjoining cupboard dishes
were flying to the floor IN groups ana pairs,
some large crooks containing family buffers
were turning topsy turvy and spilling their
contents on the floor. The top crust was fly.
ing from pies and large number OF freshly
baked loaves Of bread were breaking into
flakes and crumbs and flying about promls
cuously until the light loaves were broken to
bits Mr.. MCComas at once summoned some
of his neighbOrs to witness the strange freaks
"A number OF whom, including Isaac lay
! lor, Thomas Majors, Eli Bailey and Isaac
Steer came and witnessed the mysterious
FRANKS. among which were the following: A
| large feather bed was carried from the Earth.
est side of a second room up stairs across that
and another room and down winding stair
way and deposited in the room below. The
family Bible was thrown number OF ieet
upon the floor. A piano stool was torcioly
thrown well across the room and the piano
suddenly moved from the wall toward the
! center Oh lIlc IDDlHs ~ lii 80 nS"'h
was overturned on the floor. a teakettle filled
with water and large crock filled with fruit
were tossed from the stove to the floor. All
the beds in the house were thrown on the
| foor-somc n number Of times after being re-
placed. 4 large tank of cream and several
crooks of milk were O'erturncd in the cellar.
Wardrobes filled with winter clothing had
their contents scattered in confusion over the
rooms After the apple and other butter
crooks had turned upside down number OF
times they were set in tubs TO protect them,
and some of the heaviest of them leaped clear
of the tubs and turned mouth down on the
ground.
Bureau drawers, after beng again and
again replaced, jumped from their places
alICh,lng in some instances, number OF feet
of One large upper drawer had maize one
lump too many and was badly wrecked. The
doors were generally closed when the dem
onstrations began, and Mr. McCOmas says
they were forced open in every instance. One
bed had Jumped to the floor a number oil
times. and was replaced by Mr.. Baiiey-mcan
while the large pitcher and bowl on wash
stand IN the room went crashing 10 the floor
spilhng the water without breaking the YES
sells, while the stand moved from the wall anc
its drawers went flying to tie floor, followed
by the bed. one bunch of plates made a mum
her of trips to the floor without breaking
though a number of others were. Some o
| the bed .stcads were number OF times movc(
about brlskly. Chairs, tables and furniture
, were overturned and upset all over the house
r a number of tlmes-with general tossing
/ upside down OF everything In the house. Top
flew from fruit cans, and their contents ming
b: led with the mass OF displaced articles on th
, .loor of the pantry. \ valuable clock dowi
| stairs and another up, we're thrown from th'
maptcIs 10 the ilOor-thc most valuable on
, falling out straight from the wall To the foo
I lighting on It's face. These things occurred 81
under the eve Of some one of The observer
= present, and con menced on Monday after dir
| ncr and stopped at : T.. VI. and began al \.
Tuesday. and closed mainly at noon of tina
Iday. Large numbers of people witnessed tn
procccdings, the interest being intense. On
e correspondent was on the ground Tuesday a
10 tcrnopn-saw the debris of the affair and II
attendant confusion, which really was sorrow
full enough Ia behold. Nj. McComaS Is ma
n of much more than ordinary gooa sense. an
q. lake. the thing quite philosophicaily, auoIt
.,r a, the same time the fullest facilities f.
lall 10 ialhom the mystery. lie Is somewh6
I inclined to give credit 10 some noNious Val
n orS arising from the vinegar and the pecullI
/ soil in which II sank for the strange develop
i mcui. But the solution will doubtless
found ia a peculiar electric condition Obtain
4 ing at the time with, lcrhaps, some pecuiia
a magnetic influence underlying the hSus
lcrcating cammotion in the electric wor..
= lie what Il may, the ficis as stated are uul
G attcs,cd 10y some Of the best people IN lie
mont county During Monday night ali VI
T. l"ouict on the Potomac" the family renal
ing IN the house Future developments WI
| he duly noted.
viii some wise man rise and eNp!ar
lSpiri,ualisis needn't apply. That part va
ishcd whcn the cider ran away.
= raiilesnake introduced himself into q
!, h.J where Duncan Hunt and wife of Lapor
- ,..;... . fan lavs 400 He was fir