Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-10-05

HANDS.
Philadelphia. Oct. frank Worley OF
Gwynedd, picturesque suburb of Philadel-
phia, is wondering whether his house il be-
witched. His neighbors do not speculate
upon the subject. but firmly believe that the
house is under an occult spell. Worley is .
grain dealer of this city and treasurer of the
Commercial Exchange. For days past the
house has been the scene of startling mani
festations. Mirrors crack to shivers without
o. flies out of the windows without the inter-
position Of human hands. Everything break
al lie has now been carried from the house; ;
but this was not accomplished until scores of
brittle things had been reduced to wreck.
When one of the family went to the cellar
a week ago several fruit jars were found
living broken near the windows. No one
knew anything about them, and it was not
known where to place the blame. Later in
the evening Matthew, a son of Mr.. Worley,
says that while standing in the yard an emp
ty glass jar came flying through the cellar
window as though it had been thrown out.
As soon as the door leading to the cellar was
opened several crashes were heard and the
glass and chnaware in the house began rat
thing at a terrific rate, several glass cups
bursting as though heated beyond the power
of endurance. Father and son then went in
TO the cellar, where it seemed as if all the
hundreds of jars of fruit we're trying to see
which could burst the quickest. Upon ex-
animation nothing could be found which
would cause them to break, except that some
Of them we're a little warm, and it was
kk ,,,1, Al r.st koI Tod Cotn rdoxr
night the strange proceedings began again.
Crockery and glassware on the shelves began
to rattle, the lamps shook, and everything
bore the appearance Of an earthquake, with
the exception that there was no shock or jar
to the house.
Tuesday the brittle articles began Waiting
around the rooms and shooting through the
windows and doors. Miss Ella Wilmer,
Mrs. Theodore Foles and George Casner re-
manned at the house for over an hour and at
the end of that time saw the glass over pic
lures hanging on the walls break in mystic
rious manner The windows were left open
and a glass cup and two glass chmneys
placed on the table in the centre of the room
gave warning shake and suddenly dsap-
peared as though shot from a cannon passing
through the windows and striking the ground
fully 80 feet away. Almost hourly similar
happenings took place, and the unaccounta-
bic doings are vouched for by Mrs. Annie
Lewis, Mrs J. Wiltbank, DR.. d. c. Land,
William Leanord and others.
BY this time the rumors that Mr.. WOrley's
house was bewitched penetrated into the
neighboring towns, and every train brought
new recruits to view the workings. The
yard was filled with all varieties of brittle
ware, and the light things in the house had
all been spirited away. Wednesday
night curious change took place
in the programme, and instead of
shooting out of the windows and doors the
articles began to fall from the sideboards and
tables, smashing to pieces as they struck tie
floor The house was beginning to look like
a wreck. and old carpets were spread on the
floors to catch the debris as it fell. so that it
could be carried away.
Thursday started in fair. and proved to be
the most eventful day of the week. At about
10 o'clock in the morning, as the little adopted
daughter of Mr. Worley was carrying glass
dish from the dihing-roon into the kitchen, it
broke with crash and cut her hands severely
in several places. Dishes were placed on
tables, and people watched them for few
moments, when the dishes would either slide
to the floor or dart out of the windows. As
the windows were kept closed it made havoc
with them, and over score of panes of glass
were broken in this manner. About noon as
Matthew Worley was standing with a small
china platter in his hand, he says that it be-
gan to move in a circle. He let it go, think
ing it would fall to the floor, but instead 1t
went through a window and struck the road
about thirty feet from where he stood.
Toward evening affairs became much worse,
and by Thursday night ha -dly an article
made of earth, glass or marble was left entire
II the house.
A large platter, two feet long, one-fourth
of an inch thick, and weighing several pounds,
which was living on the table while supper
was being prepared, shot through the window
and fell into the yard, broken into eleven
pieces About the same time six oil lamps,
placed in chandeliers in two different rooms,
FIJI crashing to the floor. The people In
that vicinity became frightened, and it was
thought best to take the brittle articles from
the house Thomas Jaquettes, butcher of
Gwvnedd. volunteered to take them away.
and while they were being paced in wagon
several mirrors broke. One marble statue
was seen to fly to pieces after it had been
placed in the wagon. Every breaksble
article was then removed, and the disturb
snces ceased.
Subsequently all of the debris vas gathered
up and dumped in an adjoining field, where
1t now lies. 1t is estimated that over 1000
persons visited the house yesterday. Glass
ware was taken in and laid on the table,
while an excited crowd waited several hours
and were rewarded at 1906 o'clock in the
morning by seeing it fall to the floor, dive out
OF the door and burst in the air. Mr.. Morley
s,ys that his actual loss will be about $500.
OF the 800 jars of fruit in the cellar $50
were demolished.
Various theories are being brought forward
as the real cause of the phenomena. Among
those who have the least tendency to believe
in spooks the general opinion is that the
house is bewitched by magnetic influence.
This influence, they say, comes from the lit
tie girl who was adopted BY Mr.. and Mrs.
Morley. She is IL years of age, of a very
nervous nature and has been living with the
family for about six weeks. She was taken
from home in this city, and these people
think that her eerie look seems to indicate
that there is something exceedingly strange
and weird about her. Others, however, con-
meet the strange happenings with the recent
earthquakes in Charleston. Several scien-
tific men from this city called at the house
yesterday and informed Mr.. Morley that the
phenomena was due to an electric belt pass
/ ing under cistern in the cellar. York
| Star.
! Alaska has INDUCED herself amid all the
tremors and tumults of the past August with
what may prove to be a frst-class volcanic
eruption. Ships hundred miles away are
epveloped in darkness with the rain of vol.