Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-08-25
Special 7ttegram to TIE Raohter.


have just returned from the now IA
nous haunted mill" located near VAL
| ley Furnace, Barbour county and
which has been mentioned in the REG
IsTER before. l arrived at Valley Fur
mace in the morning, and spent the day
asking questions of the people concern
! ing the strange things which have been
going on there. found that number
of reputable people hud been witnesses
of the unexplainable things reported
and that they were fully impressed with
the idea that the mill is possessed OF
| the devil or some one equally capable OF
making trouble, and causing alarm.
The building is comparatively new,
being only about ten years old, and all
that time has been in operation. 1t Is
| now running the water being low,
| com pelling the owner to keep it going
! night and day TO grind the grists Of
! fered. There has never been murder
or other tragedy either in the mill or
| anywhere about it, so far as any OF the
| old residents know.
Richard Newman, the present owner
of the mill bought 1t nearly year ago
! from B. +. Mcdonald, who operated
| 1t for nearly ten years before. Nc
! Donald says that there was never any
thing TO disturb his peace while he had
! the mill and that he is as much at
loss to account for the strange disturb
/ ha o.
clares that he knows nothing about 1t,
I and to back up his assertion says the
value of the plant
HAS DECREASED oNE-FOUR TIL
within the past six weeks since the dis
| turbances began. People cannot De in
! duced to pass the place after night and
many grists have been carried past the
mill to another ten miles down the
road rather than stop at the haunted
mill. Mcdonald was accused OF know
| ing the cause OF the strange capers and
that he was trying TO BUY the mill back
at reduction, bat Newman tested this
| by Offering to sell at half what it cost,
which offer Mcdonald refused to accept.
There have been many stories told OF
| what has been seen, but | will mine
| myself to the things which actually
! took place while | was there. The
! Devil has been mounted on wheels for
ten DAYS, and his carriage has been
rolling through the mill during that
| time. / visited the mill three nights in
succession, accompanied by James w.
! Polling, a well known citizen who is re-
puted to be honest, not only in Valley
Furnace, but all over the State. He
was the only man in the neigh borhood
who felt no fear and was will ling to go
with me.
The first night, some unseen hand,
with ponderous strength and deGterity
amazing in its accuracy, hurled rocks, old
| iron, glass ETC., promiscuously through
the mill. A large iron spindle, weighing
800 pounds, was pitched several times
onto the floor A large crowbar waltzed
across the floor Of the grinding room,
settling quietly against the wall as
though placed there by human hands.
After resting for few minutes, II again
resumed it's perigrinations and rested
where it started at first.
A SLOW, LOW, HEAVY STEP
was then heard on the floor above and
number OF dry smooth stones, varying
| in weight from three ounces 10 five
pounds, dropped through the ceiling
| without leaving any hole. These show
ers OF stones were not violent The
rocks dropped one or two at time, and
| although they fell all about US, none OF
them hit either, or struck any part OF
the machinery. Several old bolts, which
! Mr. Newman said mad been stored on
| the top floor, fell into the grinding room.
| Old iron weights, pieces ot hammers,
broken picks, used for dressing mill
stones, and other pieces of iron which
would naturally be found about mill,
tumbled to the floor as though thrown
from one side with a rolling motion.
These after lying still for time, would
tumble about the floor as II possessed.
An old milestone dresser's pick, han
die and all, fell TO the floor, and / pick
ed it up. On it was the name OF James
Keyser. / asked II there was such
! person about, and was told tina: he
| lived in town. The next day l showed
the pick to Mr.. Keyser, and he identi-
| fed IL as one he mad lost at the Eng
! lish mill, thirty miles away in Tucker
county, years ago, before the mill here
was built. He declared he had not
seen il before since 1t was lost.
Later, while we we're standing wait
| Ing for something TO turn up, wedge
used to lift the mill stones, hoped from
! the floor to the scales, causing them to
vibriate as though man were jumping
! up and down on them.
Mr.. Newman says that there are
sometimes, demonstrations OF similar
character in daytime, though they are
not usually so violent. We repeatedly
accused Newman OF being responsible
for these strange things, but be has
| frequently denied 1t in the most vigor-
Gus terms and TO make the proof posi-
tive, he went away from the mill
AND LEFT Us ALONE THERE.
The freaks were IS pronounced as be-
! fore.
The next night, Newman pitched the
toll dish into barrel and turned the
barrel over II. The toll dish had been
showing signs Of uneasiness and this
was done TO test IL. Newman, after
throwing the toll dish into the barrel,
started down TO the next floor below,
but before be had gotten half way. the
barrel turned over, and the dish fow
out after him. bouncing along the floor
and striking him lightly In the back as
he reached the foot OF the stairs.
| On the last night / was there, the