The Baltimore County union., 1883-06-30
STRANGE PHENOMENON.
Showers OF Stone from n Cioar Sky Great
Excitement In Cowantown and
Vicinity.

Mansel Tweed is the owner Of mill
for grinding flint rock into powder and
preparing il to be used in the manufac-
turc OF porcelain ware and for other
purposes. The mill is situated on the
White Clay creek, about two and a
half or three miles north OF Newark,
Del, and has been in operation about
two years. Its capacity is not very
great, but small as it is the supply of
flint rock in the immediate vicinity Of
Of the mill has been exhausted and the
proprietor has been Obliged to obtain
il at some distance from home. To
this end Mr.. Tweed waited upon James
Crow, a citizen OF the Fourth district
Of this county, who owned farm stua-
ted on the Big Christiana creek, not
far from its junction with the Little
Christiana, and about thrce.fourths Of a
mile north of the road leading from
Fair Hill to Newark, and tried to pur-
chase lot of flint stones and rock
from him, but was unsuccessful in max
ing bargain. He subsequently sent
one oi his quarrymen to Mr.. Crow,
who was then in i'll health, for the same
purpose. This gentleman, whose name
is Robert Ferguson, in the course of
his conversation with Mr.. Crow intiina-
ted to him that he might as well let
| Tweed have the stone, for he (Crow)
would not live very long anyhow, and
Tweed would get them after Crow was
dead
Mr.. Crow died n few months ago,
anil Mr. 'ENr...1 cutk..np.nti,, ,,,,v,t H., oil
the stone, which are To be found in
rather dense piece OF woods no, far
from Crows house, from his executors,
and on Friday, the first of this month,
sent 4 lot of men to the woods in order
10 raise the stone, which are scattered
over the surface Of several acres OF the
woods, and prepare them for transport
tation to the mill.
During the early part of the day, all
went well; but O'Clock in the after
noon the woIkmcn were startled and
badly frightened by the fall of quite
number Of stones OF various sizes, WHICH
apparently fell from the sky, ard seemed
to lie propelled by some supernatural
| agency. Or to state the matter differ.
emily, seemed To have been raised TO 4
great height by some supernatural power,
and TO have reached the earth by the
force Of gravitation. The quarrymen
seemed to have been too badly fright
ened to investigate the matter very
thoroughly, and il seems strange that,
though the stones fell close BY them,
none OF the workmen were struck. The
stones continued to fall every afternoon
during the first week in June, and on
Thursday of last week quite a severe
shower of them fell all around the quar-
rymen. The shower was repeated on
the Friday following, but fortunately
no one was killed or manned, though
one large stone weighing several pounds
struck the hat brim OF one OF the work
men. Sometime last week Robert
Crow, the son and executor OF James
Crow, who had been quite skeptical in
regard TO the strange phenomenon,
visited the woods TO make an invcsiiga-
ton, and while there one Of the falling
missiles fell at his feet with such force
as to bury itself in the ground. He is
now said ~ be firm believer in the
supernatural propelling power Of the
phenomenon in question.
The quarry is said to have been visit
ed by James Mackey, member OF the
Levy Court OF New Castle county, and
two intelligent neighbors OF his, who
thought to frighten the quarrymen by
throwing few small stones in hori-
zontal direction, through the under.
growth in the woods, As they approach
ed them; but failed to do so, and were
told by the quarrymen that the stones
did not come from that direction, but
fell pcrpendicularly, as before stated.
One stone weighing about six pounds
is said to have been seen falling through
the top Of tree that is estimated TO be
sixty-fve fee, high.
This strange occurrence has caused
great excitement in the ncighborhood
where it has happened, and, though
much talked about, seems as yet to be
entirely unexplained, il indeed it is
susceptible of any satisfactory cxplana
ton or solution.
II may not be improper to add, in
connection with this mysterious mani
festation of the occult forces OF nature,
If such il is, that the farm on which
the quarry is found was the scene Of 4
bloody murder forty-cight years ago,
committed by one Elizabeth Waggoncr
upon her aged father, whom she stealth
lily approached in the dark Of evening
as he was cutting feed for his horses in
his barn, and nearly severed his head
from his body with broadaxe. She
was tried At the spring term of the
Circuit Court for this county in 1890,
and acquitted on the ground Of insan-
ity.
The time was when this mysterious
falling OF stones would have been con-
nected with the uniimely taking off OF
John Waggoner, but, so far as We have
been able TO learn, no person has been
known to associate the two events.
The most singular part Of this strange
affair is that no one has been hurt by
the falling missiles. II the stones are
thrown by an intelligent ghost for the
purpose Of intiicting punishment upon
those engaged in the quarry, it has de-
mons,ratcd its inability TO hit them,
and might as we'll give up the matter as
a bad job.
bI-Napkins are interpreted by Bos.
ton Courier writer rs indexes of locali-
ty. The Bostonian uses his vigorously.
It is spotless, but much rumplcd at the
end Of dinner. His energy has con-