Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-06-13
STONE-THROWlNG GHOSTS.
yoLLEYs FIRED BY UNSEEN HANDS
AT JACKSON CENTRE, PA.

Uncanny happenings dI Cuo Iato
home of Deacon Harrison, in Jack
SOD Centre, Mercer county, Pa,
have thrown that hamlet into a
state of disorder and the staid
Presbyterian residents of the place
are attributlng TO malicious dis
embodied spirits phenomena that
they are at a loss to account for
by earthly logic. Jesse Harrison,
a wealthy farmer of that vicinity,
died inIFebruary last, leaving wife
aud several children. \ sale to
settle the estate took place early
IN March, but Mis-. harrison and
her children continued to occ py
the homestead. At that season OF
the year it is the custom OF Mercer
county farmers to MAKE maple
sugar, and one day "a Mrs H'rrl
sou and family were boiling down
"sap" the peculiar mystery that
has since stirred the usually coma.
tose village into a whirI OF ievellSh
excitement was developed. While
stirring Ere under the sap kettle
Mr.. McElsee, the aged father OF
the widow, was startled by show
er of stones, which came apparent
ly out of the air and struck the
siIe of the house and ground near
him. The strange occurrence "a
alarmed the family that they fled
iuto the house and bOlted the
doors. Without cessation the
stones continued falling for half al
hour. When the fnmily attempted
to resume their labors later in thf
day the stOne-throwing recJmmenc
ed with greater force, and with II
| regular Interruptions was kept u
until evening. The nelghborS were
told this strang story, and although
the Harrisons are reputable peo
Die there we've many wise confer
ences and sad shaking Of heads IN
quiet farmhouse that night.
Last week men from the neigh
boring farms appointed themselves
az a guard to patrol the premises
This guard has since been kept NJ
and, although the patrolmen hear
and see the stones fall, they cannot
trace the source from which they
| come. During the evening while
the cows are being MIXED pebbles
fall INTO the milk. buckets or strike
the ANIMALS. Stones tall at the
teet of various men bers of the fam
| ily who are performing dutlesaoou'
tbe household, and fly through
windows with no apparent force
and even drop from the ceilings.
But stone.tnrowing alone does
not seem to satisfy whatever IN
Auecne is at work. Within the
mast week a new freak was devol
oped. Whenever the family sa
down to the table the latter, in
sort of drunken trcnzy, will VAT
to the other end of the ROOM
Chars will fall over and the clocl
will mysteriously Jump from tn
shelf into the coal.bOX below, whit
the fuel will rattle as if possessed
of life. The spring.house has ais
received attention, and broken milk
pans and general confusion attes
the visitation of the strange power
Even at digit, when the doors an
windows are securely barred, stone
will roll along the floors and tn
kitchen. furniture will reel a u
change positions as though goIn
through a ghostly quadrille. III
animals IN the barn have been Oa'
" frightened by the falling
y stones, and the windows IN I'll
; building have been completed
smashed from this cause. a
though many persons have bee
L struck by the flying mirslles, the
d force is not great enough to inhl
q injury. Spirtualists in the nelg
! boring towns pretend to expla
q the mystery by attrlbutlng IL
u some deceased member OF the fan
&c " who is offended at somethlI
) the living relatives have done, O'
o. this meets with little credence'