The Potteries Examiner : — 1877-03-31 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

DEATH OF THE DEVIL.  A story which recalls some of the Satanic apparitions that are so dramatically used in the " Ingoldsby Legends" has lately appeared in the Italian newspapers, and giros us at once a strunge mixture of the humorous and the tragic, the knavish and the superstitious. A rich proprietor in ('errors, a goodly-sized town in the province of Lognmo, was on his death bed. lle was a man of advanced opinions, and in his last moments, notwithstanding the entreaties of his relatives, he ref used to accept the services of a priest. By some means or other, however, shortly before death the priest of the parish was introduced to the bedside of the mori. band man tint, finding that his spirit.' consolations were still refused, be left in n rage, saying to the sorrowing relatives around that when the "reprobate" had died the devil would come in person to seize the corpse and emelect it to the place of torment. Two days afterwards the family were watching over the lifeless body, when there was heard—quite in the legoldsby fashion—a noise that made the hearts flutter; there became perceptible the smell of sulphur, without which, as we ell know. It. S. AL never comes to earth: and there was seen in the doorway the Evil Spirit, dressed in scarlet. with an immense toil, and doubtless, though the remrits say nothing of that, with cloven hoof, horns, and all the other marks by which the enemy of nein is figured in old plates or conceived in popular imagination. Away went the mournmis helter-skelter, and Lucifer was left in possession of the room. But fortenately. otly for a moment. An old servitor of the fatuity, probably. "no advanced man" like his departed master, bearing the screams, rushed into the room revolver in hand, lie either did not believe in a personal devil, or, believing, thought he would attempt to rid the world for ever of its scourge, and fired three shots at the searletclothed and long-tailed visitor. Each of these bullets hail its billet in a vulnerable body; the psentio.Satan fell to the ground; and by the time the runaway relatives had summoned up sufficient courage to retnrn and face the object of their terror, it had been discovered that the intruder was the sacristan of the parish, who was rapidly giving np the ghost. It wants very little help from the fancy to imagine what would hare taken place bet for the iutervention of the brave old servant and the revolver. The disguised sacristan. baring frightened away the family, might have spirited away the body. Then all that part of Italy would bare been full of a revival of one of the many medieval stories which narrate bow old Nicholas bad appeared in person to pOSSPAA himself of the wicked, and the distressed relatives would have been persuaded to gives goodly share of his riches to the priests, in order that masses might be said and propitiatory .sen vices held. The Church would have been strengthened by the iulluened the tile had upon the minds of superstitious people. and men of " advanced views- would receive a warning which might be expected to have an effect. Happily, the material weapon upset the little scheme, and. of course. the discovery of the devil had farther results than the tenth of the sacristan. Four priests have been arrasted for complicity in the trick, nail they will doubtless receive a punishment which will deter them from playing any more tricks with the Father of Lies.--Manehrster Examiner.  ATTEUrt TO BLOW A HOUSE ti.—A labourer, I named Fair, who lived at Parkgate, Sheffield. made a most deliberate attempt, on Sunday night. to blow up. house, with the intention of murdering his wife. Having opened a ventilating grate underneath the window of the mom where the inmates were sitting, be put .n two pounds of blasting powder, attached a fusee, which he lighted, and ran away. Fortunately his act was seen by some men, who first averted danger by cutting off the lighted fare, and then pursued and captured Fair, afterwards handing him over to the police. Fair was married only six weeks ago; his wife's first husband had been dead but a fortnight. They quarrelled, and a week since Mrs. Fair left her spouse, and went to live with some friend, in the house referred to. Fair was charged at Rotherham Police-court, on Tuesday, with attempting to murder his wife and other persons, and -remanded.