The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-03-22
Strange Actions at a SkOwhegan
Farm Home.
INANIMATE OBJECTS SAID TO BE
IMBUED WlTHLlFE.
twateryille sentlnel.)


the peculiar happenings in the eastern
part of the town it may be of interest to
readers of these pages to learn just what
was actually claimed to have taken
place and the stories are told by the eye
witnesses when interviewed. A party
of three, including the reporter, took
trip to the scene of action, Monday, and
the result of the various interviews is
here given.
On the CROSS road from Wesserrun-
sett bridge to Malbon's Mills about a
mile from the bridge, on what is known
as the Abel Patten place, lives the family
of John Mckinney, farmer, we'll to do
and hard working, there being in the
family besides himself and wife, girl
IA years old, named Cora Parker, who
lyes with them and goes to school, and
1t is around these last named two per
sons that the story centers. Up to last
Monday, the Il inst . the course of farm
life on this place had pursued an I'M
eventful path, and then things began to
happen The Mckenney family, follow
ing n farmer CUSTOM had had pop corn,
Sunday night, and lett in the dish were
quite a number of unpopped kernels, old
maids as they are called, which were set
away on pantry shelf Monday morn
ing these were gone, but nothing was
thought of 1t as there are more or less
rats around the place and the absence of
the corn was laid to them until Mr.. Nc
Kenney went into the pantry for some
thing, and heard the kernels of corn
striking around his head as if thrown
by someone, the corn striking the walls
and ceiling and dropping to the floor
Next dish of boiled rice that set upon
one of the pantry shelves got busy and
large chunks plastered themselves on
the wall as If thrown by an energetic
arm Then an empty tomato can hurl-
ed itself on to the floor and Mr.. Mcken-
ney picked 1t up after its second trip
and weighted it with an iron wedge that
was handy. whereupon another can sit
ting beside the first followed the exam
pie of the first one and turned a sOmer.
sault on to the pantry floor. About
this time the tea kettle, which had been
putting peacefully away on the stove,
got into the game and made a flying
leap into the middle of the floor,
throwing of its cover and dumping it's
contents on the kitchen floor A little
later the Parker girl. getting ready for
school, where she carried her dinner,
had spread biscuit cut in halves, when
a sudden antipathy TO each other seized
the pieces and they flew to separate
corners of the room This was followed
by the teakettle which repeated its first
stunt and when Mr. Mckinney returned
it to the stove. vaulted into space third
time smoking set on the table got
dissatisfied with its resting place and
tried for the window but only got part
way, falling on the floor. A butcher
knife jumped from table and buried
its point in the kitchen floor where it
stood quivering Plates leaped from
the pantry shelves and scattered them
selves in fragments on the floor.
SO things went on until Wednesday
last when Mrs. Mckinney telephOned to
a negnbor, Mrs. c. R Sawyer. and ask
ed permission to go up there as she was
somewhat unstrung by the events of the
two preceding days, and she and the
Parker girl went up to Mrs. Sawyer's.
Things in the Sawyer household became
endowed with life soon after the arrival
of Mrs. Mckepney and Cora Parker and
at 80 m, Mrs Sawyer telephoned to
her husband, who works at the village,
to come home, which he did and these
are the things he saw happen, told in In
terview.
Soon after he had got into the kitchen
and was listening to az account of what
had occurred, a hairbrush sprang from
the kitchen table onto the floor A toy
fatiron which lay on the floor jumped
about ak feet and hit the stove and a
moment later a plaster paris COW shot
6 81 fall 10
the floor A nursing bottle left its place
on the table and landed six feet away
An iron bolt flew against the window as
If shocked by such doings and was try
ing 10 escape. Two chairs tipped over
and fell under the table and some of the
other of the dining chairs imagined they
were rocking chairs and swayed back
and forth on their legs. A box of tai
cum powder fell from mantel and the
contents were thrown nearly eight feet
onto the Parker girls dress. A thimble
took turn about the room and settled
on the dressing case.
And so things went on until the de-
parture of Mrs. McKenney and the girl
when things quieted down as abruptly
as they commenced That night at Nc
Kenney's the girl WAS washing the sup
per dishes when two tea cups, one of
them half full of water leaped to de-
strnction on the kitchen fipor, the stove
covers doing rag time 10 keep things
moving.
A l. Sanford, mail carrier on one of
the rural routes, accompanied by his
wife, called at Mokenneys, Thursday
night, and he says he saw a doll start
from where it was standing in a tumbler
on the mantel and strike the floor A
piece of quartz flew across the room,
across bed, and finally came to rest on
tine window sill Curling tongs which
did some hair raising stunts we're snap
ped onto a drapery, pendant from a
a shelf, from where they took a trip
across the room and stopped in the win.
dow draperies.
The next day Cora Parker went to Mr..
Sanford's home, endeavoring to escape
from the scene of the now obnoxious
demonstrations, aud nothing out of the
ordinary was noticed at either the
Mckinney farm ar at Sanford's place
until Mrs Mckinney went over to San
ford's after the girl, and went into the
the house. whereupou the curling tOngs
at this place got into action and plunged
through heavy paper lamp shade where
they were left and now hang
The scene of these occurrences has
been visited, by one If the local spirit
ualsls who gives his opinion that the
disturbing element ia tho spirit of the
Parker girls mother, warning her TO
lead "A better life None of the parties
mentioned before and who were inter
view ed are believers IN -piritualism, and