The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-01-17

appeared without visible hands. At first
it was supposed that some eYil-disposed
person was the cause of all this annoyance.
A watch was set, but no visible cause
could be seen by the watchers, and yet the
strange mishappenings went on. Milk
was emptied from the pans in the closely
guarded cellar, and butter disappears from
the crooks. Glass was broken from the
windows of the little home in broad day
light by unseen hands, and the curtains
went up in flames. The hair on the heads
of the little members of Mr.. Dagg's family
was shorn short by invisible shears. Ev-
cry effort Of Mrs. Dagg to arrange things
about the home was opposed by the evil
spirit. Sometime ago Dir. Dagg called to
his aid bls spiritual adviser in the hope he
might be able to exercise the wicked sprite.
But when he opened the Scriptures to ex-
pound Their consultations the book was re-
moved out of sight, and afterwards found
in the oven. This strange happening so
atfrighted the man hat ON Bonded knees
he implored God in prayer to interpose in
behalf of the afflicted family, but without
avail. Mr.. Dagg, like Saul of old, in his
extremity next resorted to an old woman
known as the witch Of Plum Hollow. and
after a long seance was told his misfortunes
were due to the black art practiced by a
neighboring widow. The widow was taken
to the lonely farmhouse, and in the pre-
sence of those drawn hither by the strange
rumors denied all knowledge Of the art.
The strangest part of this strange story is
this ghoul, sprite, spook or whatever ir is
can be seen only by Mr. Dagg's children
sometimes as an ugly, undesirable black
monster, at other times as an angel of light
in refulgent garments. To Mr.. and Mrs.
Dagg and those who visit the place, it con.
ceals its identity, but conyerses in audible
tones, at times full of tenderness and pa
thos. At other times it is heard TO sing
some familiar hymn, and its rich soprano
voice fills the house with melody. At 9th
er times it throws off its angelic nature and
then its ancouth, blasphemous language
fills all present with ~unearthly horror. From
whence or why this demon or spook that
haunts tie home of Mr.. Dagg is an insolu-
BILE mystery to the simple people up in
Pontiac. Whether or not this strange
story, vouched for by a number who have
visited the place, has foundation in fact,
we do not know. This we do know, how
ever, that on Saturday night last, at a late
hour, some ghoul, spook or human being
on the open street, near thecenter of Woods
town, gave vent to a torrent of oaths, ep-
ithets and curses as black with offensive
ness as the filth drained Though the sew
ers of hell. Such language as we heard
ought to make the spook of Pontiac blush
for ignorance and the demons of the low
est pit turn pale for shame. We have
heretofore heard tell of profanity that has
the smell Of burning sulphur, but never
before have we realized its fgurative mean
ing. How any human being can become
SO low in the moral scale, so lost to all self
respect. SO fearless of eternal consequences
as to use such language and at such an
hour can not be solved by human under
standing. There is nc moral or legal rea-
son why the natural right of peacefulness
and slumber that belongs to every one
should be disturbed by such a night ghoul,
and why our watehmen on Saturday nights
permit such things We can not understand.
JOSIAH.