Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-29
SHASTA'S SPOoK.
INCIDENTS AND FACTS OF TIE
MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR.
Worse Than TabIe-Tipping and
More of It-Statements of OH
cials-Cavorting Spirits-Etc.


from Millville, Shasta county. According
to the article in question stones were
thrown into the house, doors opened, furni-
ture moved, etc, and many other things
done-all without visible cause. To
ascertain if there was any foundation for
the statements referred to- a letter was
written TO the Postmaster at Millyille, ask
ing if the statements as published were
credited by the general public, and request
ing his own opinion on the subject. The
gentleman replied as follows-the note be.
ing on file in the REcoRp- UNION office:
MELVILLE, August 16, 1885.
The statement is supposed to be true by
the general public. The family is in town
and same things occur. Respectfully,
i. Z. BAKER, p. NJ.
ANOTHER OFFICIALS STATEMENT.
Another letter was directed to the Justice
| of the Peace, making similar inquiries. and
that official replied in the following letter
MILLvILLE, August IS, 1885.
Yours of August 18th has been duly re-
ceived. The newspaper article referred tc
| of the 10th inst. is substantially correct
but does not contain an account of one.
| half of the strange doings which have
| taken place at the Fisher ranch near this
| place. The manifestations stated were seen
and witnessed by upwards OF twenty per.
sons of good standing in this neighborhood
and to doubt their statements would be
very difficult. These statements are gener-
! ally believed by the people of this neigh,
| borhood to have taken place, and more be
| sides. | cannot doubt the veracity of the
many persons who have stated to me per-
| sonally that they saw those occurrences in
open daylight | therefore believe them to
| be true. Respectfully, yours,
WILLIAM PULLEN,
Justice of the Peace.
THE MILLvILLE TIMES ACCOUNT.
The strange doings are described in detail
in the East-Side Times of August Sth, pub
| lished at Millyille, and in the following
language:
AIillyille is just now the center of the
sensation of the day, the cause being the
| supernatural exhibition which has been
taking placefor the past two weeks on the
ranch of Peter Fisher, situated on the Tam
arac road, ten miles from town. 1t is a case
without parallel in the annals of spirit
| manifestations heretofore known. We shall
endeavor TO clearly state the facts as they
exists-facts to which many of our prom
inent people are ready to swear, having
been witnesses TO the strange manifesto
TONS
We will premise by stating that the
house is situated on a slight rise about $50
yards from Old Cow creek the nearest
building is the barn, fifty yards away no
trees or shrubbery are nearer to the house
than the orchard. which is at the bottom of
the rise, some fifty yards away. The tenn
porary cabin is on the opposite bank of the
creek from the house
Two weeks ago Thursday, while Mr.
Fisher was away from home, the first man
Hesitation was made. II was in the shape
of rocks being thrown. Jim Fisher the
fifteen ear-old son, was fishing in the
creek, when small rocks began falling
around his line, soaring away the fish, and
caused him to quit fishing and go up TO the
house. His mother took Jimmie to task
when he got to the house for throwing
rocks into the front room. which faces the
creek, several rocks having been thrown in
on the floor. The boy denied throwing the
rocks; indeed, it would have been impossi-
bic for him to have thrown the distance
from the creek. On the return Of Fisher
the phenomenon continued in the shape of
rocks falling on the kitchen floor. the rocks
appearing to come through q small open
ing where q window-pane was out. and
were never seen until after they were heard
to strike the floor This fusilade kept UP
at intervals for two DAYS before other mani
festations appeared. The next doings was
the moving of pictures, the opening of an
umbrella on the front-room table, the
throwing of the bedclothes and mattress off
OF bed. Although a strict watch was kept,
no forms of any kind were seen; and what
made II still more mysterious all the mani
festations were made in the daytime
Mr.. Fisher being afraid that some of the
family might be hit by the flying stones,
removed his family and household goods
to camp on the other side OF the creek,
$50 yards from the house and built tenn
porary cabin. After the removal the man
ifestatiOns at the house continued when
any of the members of the family were
present. On one occasion Mr. Fisher and
John Mears went to a bedroom door and
on trying to open it found it locked they
turned the key in the lock, and even then
could not open the door, and proposed to
break it in; but, pending doing so. went
down into the orchard, and on coming back
in few moments found the bedroom door
not only unlocked but partly open. A
clock had been placed in satchel and the
key left in the lock, but on a member of
the family going to the satchel they found
the key gone, and it was missing for three
days, when suddenly the eleven-year-old
daughter, Annie, felt something gliding
down her back, and on investigation it was
found to be the lost key and on unlocking
the satchel string was found tied so
tightly around the clock that it had to be
cut to get it Off The windows had all been
nailed down securely, when suddenly.
while the family were all present, one OF
the windows shot up its full length, carry
ing the nails with it. Sticks as well as
stones began TO be thrown
TbpSp gfror1On optc outir,r,o1 nail
day afternoon without anyone being hit
by the flying stones or sticks On that
afternoon D. ?. and William March were
present, and, while sitting on the back
porch, heard six or seven rocks fall on the
kitchen floor, the door of which opened on
the porch, and the rocks could not have
been thrown from the outside by mortal
hands without their seeing them The
Marchs, went home, and about o'clock
the editor put in an appearance on the
scene of aetien----.E Q yie+ind the tsrliiv-irl
the orchard about forty yards from the
house, and down short bank. Just as we
arrived the first rock that struck anyone
was thrown, striking the girl Annie, who
was sitting under tree, on the right ankle
1t was rock about the size of large
peach, and, although it seemed to come
from distance, it did not leave any mark
on the ankle. From this time on all the
manifestations seemed 70 center on or
around this girl Annie, although nothing
further occurred that evening. We went
up to March's and stayed over night, and
the next morning returned with the whole
March family, and were informed that that
morning "wednesday, before our arrival,
the girl had been struck three times on the
same right ankle, twice by stones, and once
by stick; one of the stones seemed to
come through cooking stove, the girl hay
ing her feet under it at the time. These
manifestations occurred at the cabin to
which the family had removed. The
family all came upto the house and we re-
manned there some three hours, when bust
ness compelled Us to leave for home: dur
ing that time the house was struck three
times by rocks, and the girl once in the
ankle as usual. We then started for home