Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1881-06-04

could see nothing TO assure HIM that IL was
ANYTHING more than figment OF his own
imagination In about 4 week afterwards
his barn was burnt and his cattle all died
The crcckeryware in his house, without any
/ visible agency. was thrown upon the floor
and broken. His money disappeared The
heads of his turkeys and chickens dropped
of. and chunks of burning roOd would leap
from the fireplace, several feet, upon the
floor. endangering the building unless
promptly replaced. Soon the annoyances,
which were then destroying his peace, as
sumed new form. The sound of a large
pair of shears could be distinctly heard in
| his house, clipping in the form OF half
moons-and other curious figures, his blan-
/ kets, sheets, c0unterpanes, boots, saddles,
/ clothing. &c. This was not done all in one
night but the operation of clipping contin-
/ ued for upwards of three months, small
portion OF it only being done at time.
/ But the inexorable shears never being silent
twenty four hours ata time
Py this time these strange proceedings
were spread through the country Tor thirty
miles around, and attracted in an especial
manner the curiosity of the citizcns OF
Smithfcld. One witness testiies as to sce-
Ing boot which rs it stood upon the floor,
seemed whole and entire but lifted Ivy the
ton heightened into a long spiral slip, a
state to which it had beer brought in an
instant. whenc the leg Of the wearcr, by
invisible means" An old Presbyterian la
DIV of Martinsburg testified that having
heard OF the clipping that was going on at
Iivingstcn's to satisfy hey curiosity she
went TO Liyingston's house Before enter
ING the door she took from her head her
new black silk cap, wrapped it up in her
silk handkerchief and put itin her pocket
TO save it from being ciiPped. After 4 while
she stepped out again to go home and hav-
ing drawn the handkerchief out OF her
rocket and opened it found her cap cut
/ into narrow ribbons" Many other similar
phenomena are stated and testified to by
many witnesses. ..A a.
clipring hsd now aroused the country for
many miles around. Three daring and adj
/ yenturous young men from Winchester came
to Smithiicld declaring their utter unbciet
in the reports and offered 10 sleep in the
house all night and to face the Devil HIM
\ self if he was the author OF thcsc doings.
BIT 50 soon as they became comfortably
seated in the house, large stone was seen
to proceed from the fire place and TO whirl
around the floor with great velocity, when
they took to their heels and made their es-
cane. The condition of poor Livingston
had bv this time become deplorable. He
had lost much rest and his imagination was
so worked upon by his nocturnal visitor,
that his health began visibly TO fail. He
applieA 10 three nrofessed conlurers, but
/ their incantations were all in vain.
/ Shortly after this, Livingston had a
dream. lie Thought he was climbing high
mountain and had great difficulty in the
ascent. lie had to labor hard, catching at
+ roots and .b,.shes, and moving forward
/ slowly bythcr aid; when reaching the sum
/ nit he saw an imposing porsOnage, dressed
"ia robes" as lie described H. After con-
/ tcmplating. for some time, the person in his
! view. he heard voice saying: This i the
man who can relieve YOU" His wife heard
him eroanng in his sleep, and she awoke
him. Whcreupon he communicated 10 her
his dream and said be did. not know OF any
minister yhe were r5to, b'tl would make
inouirv IN the morning. The result of
these inquiries led him to visit an Episcopal
minister. who then resided in Winchester.
But he derived very little satisfaction from
this visit. and returned home much disap-
pointed He was then advised to see the
/ NcSherrv f;lmly, who were Roman Catho-
lies. + no ~csidcd upon fine estate called
Retirement. about one nile east OF LectOwn,
at which place the Priest was often in the
habit of stoplfing, while discharging his
spiritual functions in that ncirhbcrbo0d.-
Late in the evening of the same day, Mrs.
McSherry saw man coming to her house;
! shc met him at the gate, when he told her
4 thrt he wanted 90 500 he Plest She
informed him that The Priest vas not at her
.house but there would be church in Shcp-
herdstown the following Sunday, when he
would have an opportunity OF seeing hlm.
/ Mr.. and Mrs. McShcrry. in company with
Mr.. Minghini went 70 church on the APP
pointed dav. ard there they saw the man who
had cnquired for the Priest, and who proved
10 be Livingston. As the Priest appeared
at the altar. dressed ~ Eia cGnOniclCs, Liy-
/ ingston seemed TO be perfectly overcome
Hevopt bitterly and exclaimed loud enough
to be heard hy ihc small congregation
'tbis i the very nan stv ~ my dream
he is the one that the voice told ne would
relieve nc from my troubles When the
service was over he promptly c2ilcf on the
Priest. and told him his sad story; but the
Priest. the Rev Dennis Cahill, laughed at
him. and told him it must be some of his
neirhbors, who were plsguing him, and that
he must 20 home and keep a strict watch
for them. Richard McSberry and Joseph
Minghini who were present .. the inter
view. were much moved by The c'd mans
tears. and tried to comfort him. After much
uree"t persuasion Father CahIil, accom-
par;ed tv NJ. McSherry and Mr.. Minghini,
agreed to visit LiyiugstOn's house, and to
enquire into the strange transactions which
he had related. They found his story
corroborated. not only by the family, but
bv most Of the persons with whom they
coDverscd in Smithfeld. Father Cahill re-
sorted tc the remedy Of fsprinkling his house
with holy water, which did not, however,
exercise the troublesome visitor from the
building. but IL was followed by a deposit
of the money on the door-sill which had
been previously taken away. The strange
Clipping still continuing after that time, it
was determined by Father Cahill 70 have
Mass celebrated in the house, which vas
dore ard Livingston was relieved from
all the annoyances Of his ghostly visitor
From that time until he left Virginia, he
had frequent communications with the spir-
itual world. and many facts are related where
those communications were realized IN a
very striking manner But as these throw
no light upon the simple historical fact
which it is tie purpose Of this article "a
elucidatc. no further reference need be
made. 10 them.
From this time, and for full half a centu-
~ afterwards. this town was universally
XT,,.rI-- 1tir, - % (1inf