A Shasta County Spook.
Anderson, August 7th. There is a great deal of excitement here about a ghost visiting a house some twenty miles from here. Its antics are peculiar, and it personates a child. All who live in that section are convinced that it is a veritable ghost, and are badly scared and are leaving. No one is able to find any one who has seen it, but lots of men can be found who say they “saw a man who did see it.”
Daily Alta California, 8th August 1885.
Shasta’s Spook.
Incidents and facts of the mysterious affair.
Worse than table-tipping and more of it – Statements of officials – Cavorting spirits – Etc.
Some time since an article appeared in a San Francisco paper in which were described certain mysterious phenomena said to have occurred on a farm nine miles from Millville, Shasta county. According to the article in question stones were thrown into the house, doors opened, furniture moved, etc., and many other things done – all without a visible cause. To ascertain if there was any foundation for the statements referred to, a letter was written to the Postmaster at Millville, asking if the statements as published were credited by the general public, and requesting his own opinion on the subject. The gentleman replied as follows – the note being on file in the Record-Union office:
Millville, August 16, 1885. The statement is supposed to be true by the general public. The family is in town, and same things occur. Respectfully, L.E. Baker, P.M.
Another letter was directed to the Justice of the Peace, making similar inquiries, and that official replied in the following letter:
Milmlville, August 18, 1885. Yours of August 14th has been duly received. The newspaper article referred to of the 10th inst. is substantially correct, but does not contain an account of one-half of the strange doings which have taken place at the Fisher ranch near this place. The manifestations stated were seen and witnessed by upwards of twenty persons of good standing in this neighbourhood, and to doubt their statements would be very difficult. These statements are generally believed by the people of this neighbourhood to have taken palce, and more besides. I cannot doubt the veracity of the many persons who have stated to me personally that they saw those occurrences in open daylight. I therefore believe them to be true. Respectfully, yours, William Pullen, Justice of the Peace.
The strange doings are described in detail in the East-side Times of August 8th, published at Millville, and in the following language:
Millville is just now the center of the sensation of the day, the cause being the supernatural exhibition which has been taking place for the past two weeks on the ranch of Peter Fisher, situated on the Tamarac road, ten miles from town. It is a case without parallel in the annals of spirit manifestations heretofore known. We shall endeavour to clearly state the facts as they exist – facts to which many of our prominent people are ready to swear, having been witnesses to the strange manifestations.
We will premise by stating that the house is situated on a slight rise about 250 yards from Old Cow creek; the nearest building is the barn, fifty yards away; no trees or shrubbery are nearer to the house than the orchard, which is at the bottom of the rise, some fifty yards away. The temporary cabin is on the opposite bank of the creek from the house.
Two weeks ago Thursday, while Mr Fisher was away from home, the first manifestation was made. It was in the shape of rocks being thrown. Jim Fisher, the fifteen-year-old son, was fishing in the creek, when small rocks began falling around his line, scaring away the fish, and caused him to quit fishing and go up to the house. His mother took Jimmie to task when he got to the house for throwing rocks into the front room which faces the creek, several rocks having been thrown in on the floor. The boy denied throwing the rocks; indeed, it would have been impossible for him to have thrown the distance from the creek. On the return of Fisher the phenomenon continued in the shape of rocks falling on the kitchen floor, the rocks appearing to come through a small opening where a window pane was out, and were never seen until after they were heard to strike the floor. This fusilade kept up at intervals for two days before other manifestations appeared.
The next doings was the moving of pictures, the opening of an umbrella on the front-room table, the throwing of the bedclothes and mattress off of a bed. Although a strict watch was kept, no forms of any kind were seen; and what made it still more mysterious all the manifestations were made in the daytime.
Mr Fisher being afraid that some of the family might be hit by the flying stones, removed his family and household goods to a camp on the other side of the creek, 250 yards from the house, and built a temporary cabin. After the removal the manifestations at the house continued when any of the members of the family were present. On one occasion Mr Fisher and John Mears went to a bedroom door, and on trying to open it found it locked; they turned the key in the lock, and even then could not open the door, and proposed to break it in; but, pending doing so, went down into the orchard, and on coming back in a few moments found the bedroom door not only unlocked but partly open. A clock had been placed in a satchel and the key left in the lock, but on a member of the family going to the satchel they found the key gone, and it was missing for three days, when suddenly the eleven-year-old daughter, Annie, felt something gliding down her back, and on investigation it was found to be the lost key; and on unlocking the satchel a string was found tied so tightly around the clock that it had to be cut to get it off. The windows had all been nailed down securely, when suddenly while the family were all present, one of the windows shot up its full length, carrying the nails with it. Sticks as well as stones began to be thrown.
These strange acts continued until Tuesday afternoon without anyone being hit by the flying stones or sticks. On that afternoon D.P. and William March were present, and, while sitting on the back porch, heard six or seven rocks fall on the kitchen floor, the door of which opened on the porch, and the rocks could not have been thrown from the outside by mortal hands without their seeing them. The Marchs went home, and about 6 o’clock the editor put in an appearance on the scene of action.
We found the family in the orchard about forty yards from the house, and down a short bank. Just as we arrived the first rock that struck anyone was thrown, striking the girl Annie, who was sitting under a tree, on the right ankle. It was a rock about the size of a large peach, and, although it seemed to come from a distance, it did not leave any mark on the ankle. From this time on all the manifestations seemed to centre on or around this girl Annie, although nothing further occurred that evening. We went up to March’s and stayed over night, and the next morning returned with the whole March family, and were informed that that morning (Wednesday), before our arrival, the girl had been struck three times on the same right ankle, twice by stones, and once by a stick; one of the stones seemed to come through a cooking stove, the girl having her feet under it at the time. These manifestations occurred at the cabin to which the family had removed. The family all came up to the house and we remained there some three hours, when business compelled us to leave for home; during that time the house was struck three times by rocks, and the girl once in the ankle as usual. We then started for home, and shortly after our departure quite a fusilade of rocks fell in and about the house.
At 5 o’clock that (Wednesday) afternoon a delegation of Millvillites put in their appearance to down the spook. Soon after their arrival, while Arnold Graham was talking to the girl, a small rock the size of an egg fell between them. An adjournment was then had to the cabin for supper. The next new phenomenon then occurred. It was the taking of the girl’s straw hat from her head twice and throwing it sixty feet, lighting crown down both times. While the girl was eating supper, a half-gallon soap can, one-third full of soap, flew and struck her on the ankle, and no soap was spilled. After supper Annie was sitting holding a willow stick about three feet long in her hands, when it was suddenly snatched from her grasp by unseen hands and thrown across the camp. A pitch-pine stick four feet long was also thrown across the camp.
The Millville delegation divided for the night, part sleeping at the camp and the remainder taking up quarters in the so-called haunted house. The night at the house was passed quietly, as none of the family were present, in fact as yet no manifestations had been made at night. At the cabin, however, a slight manifestation was noticed for the first time. David King, who is a brother-in-law of Fisher, was sleeping with the two little boys when he was awakened by the pulling of the bed clothes. He sat up in the bed and seemed to see a figure at the foot of the bed with outstretched hands. He edged towards the foot of the bed and finally grabbed twice at the apparition, but grasped only the air, the figure disappearing.
In the morning the manifestations again began, and Thursday was a regular field day for the spook. Rocks and sticks fell frequently, and on going to the neighbourhood of the house the girl’s hat was taken from her head four times and thrown from her; she then put on Abe Webb’s hat, and it was treated in the same manner twice; she then took Arnold Graham’s hat, and it received the same treatment once. The hats always went off in front of the girl; always went the same distance of sixty feet, and always lit crown down. On several occasions she had her hands crossed over the hat when it left her head; a light breeze was blowing, but it would even go against the wind in its flight. A close watch was kept to see the hat leave her head, but no one ever saw it start, although twice it was seen when about two feet from her head, and once it seemed to circle around in the air before alighting: on all the other occasions it was not seen until it struck the ground. The girl was struck once during the day by a stone, which was found to weigh eight pounds, one ounce.
Shortly after noon the Millville delegation started for home, and the family began to prepare to come to town; a perfect matinee took place for over one hour, one manifestation following close after another, the family having in the meantime returned to the cabin. A small satchel had been prepared to bring along, and set against the wall; on going to look for it a moment later it was found hanging on a nail in the rafters. It was taken down, and was again missed, when it was found hid under a carpet sack in the corner of the room. A broom was thrown across the room. The little girl was sitting in a rocking-chair alongside of her uncle, when the front slat of the rocker fell out, striking her on the inevitable ankle; it took all Dave’s strength to spring the slat back in its place. The girl said, “Uncle Dave, it pinched me,” and on taking down her stocking a small red mark was seen on the ankle. Fisher called Dave out to see where a pint bottle had been hid in a knife box, and covered up with potatoes, the top potato having a string tied around it.
On Dave’s return to the cabin the rocking-chair was found standing on the bed and firmly wedged between the bed and roof. Dave King and the girl then seated themselves in the cabin, and the next thing seen was that one of the pillows turned around in its place and started for the foot of the bed. Dave grabbed it and returned it to its place. Soon after Fisher brought in one of the children, which had gone to sleep, and placed it on a pillow in the centre of the bed. He had hardly done so before the pillow turned up on end, rolling the still sleeping child off onto the bed, and remained on end until laid down. The girl hung her hat on the bed-post and it was soon missing and was found under the bed clothes. Dave King drank a glass of milk and set the glass on the table, looked away for a moment and the glass was missing. It was found lying on the bed. Two butcher-knives were lying on a bench, when all at once one was seen standing point down on the girl’s shoulder. Soon after a fence-board, eight feet long, was discovered laying across the back of the girl’s neck.
Immediately after this last occurrence the family started for Millville, and the mother, daughter Annie and two younger children have since remained at the residence of David King. The father and son returned to the ranch, and we are informed that since the departure of the family no disturbance whatever has taken place. It seems as though all the manifestations centred around the girl Annie, and when she is not present nothing is observed.
Many seemed to doubt the truth of these occurrences at first, and attributed the first manifestations to human agencies, concocted by persons who wished to possess the Fisher place and expected to scare Fisher into selling; but the later acts, which have been witnessed by so many different persons, dispel any such theory. Among those who have, in addition to the Fisher family, witnessed some of these various manifestations, are the following: J.K. Mears, John Welch, D.P. March, Wm. March, L.W. Kidd, Lee March, Wm. Shules, Mrs D.P. March, Bell March, Lily March, David King, Arnold Graham, Joe Connelly, Williard Welch, Wm. Williamson, Tom Harrington, Abe Webb and Ernest King, and any or all of these are willing to make affidavit to the truth of these facts as stated.
The “Times” Editorially Says: The all-absorbing topic of conversation of the week has been the curious manifestations that have occurred at Peter Fisher’s, in this township. It is evident that the acts are caused by supernatural causes; what they are, none have as yet been able to divine. In fact the local savants have given the matter up and do not try to explain the matter, but only state the facts as they are known to exist. Christians, Spiritualists, atheists and materialists have all been represented among those who have seen this wonderful phenomena, and those who have gone to scoff and declared that they would catch the spook, have come back convinced that it is beyond their comprehension. A curious fact is that, with all the queer and dangerous manifestations, the girl, who is the central point at all times, has never been injured in the slightest degree. She is a bright girl, 11 years old last month.
Sacramento Daily Union, 29th August 1885.
Explanation (?)
A week or two ago the San Francisco Chronicle published an account of some strange phenomena occurring in Shasta county, at the residence of one Peter Fisher. We were told that, among other strange doings, “the chairs moved from one end of the house to the other, and the quilts and mattresses on the beds were rolled up and moved off the beds and across the floor;” that Mr Fisher returning home, and finding his family greatly frightened from the singular disturbance, “loaded his gun and tied the chain of his watch-dog to the outside of the door. He then directed his children to sit down, locked and bolted the front door, and sat with his gun in his hand. The door instantly flew open and a shower of stones, sticks and missiles of all kinds fell beside him on the floor;” that the family moved to another cabin, the neighbours assisting them, and that the disturbance followed them to their new home, “and played there all the pranks which it had formerly indulged in at the family mansion. Stones came into the house; the doors sometimes remained closed despite every effort, and again all of a sudden burst open as by the power of an invisible spirit. They were compelled to vacate that house also and camp out in the orchard on the south side of the creek.”
Further continuing the narrative as given in the Chronicle, we were told that “a rocking chair was moved across the room and placed against the ceiling and remained fastened there for some time, until at last pulled down by two of the men. The little girl while standing on the floor had her hat carried out of the window in plain sight of all. One of the boys ran and fetched it back again and put it on her head. It was no sooner on than it was again carried out of the window. One of the boys then put his hat on the little girl’s head, and in less than one second it was carried out in the field nearly 100 yards distant. Stones fell into the building. When cast out they were at once thrown back into the house. At one time a stone which came through the stove struck the little girl on the ankle. She screamed and complained of being bruised, but was found not to be severely hurt. The stone was weighed by Joseph Connelly and found to weigh eight pounds and one ounce. A short time afterwards this girl was struck on the shoulder by a butcher knife. It stood erect on her shoulder in the presence of the whole crowd;” and much more of the same sort.
Now come’s the sequel, as given in the Chronicle’s editorial columns – the explanation (?) of the entire business – the solution of the cause that drove an affrighted family from their home. The excited neighbours flocked in from all parts, when, “finally,” the Chronicle gravely assures us, “the little girl was detected throwing stones and sticks and performing other tricks which had amazed the visitors to the house. So ends the latest Spiritualist sensation.” The little girl’s tricks explain it all – the rocking-chair business, the shower of rocks, the butcher knife trick and all! Talk about gullible Spiritualists; if they can excel the average gullible skeptic, we are prepared to surrender.
Golden Gate, 29th August, 1885.
The Shasta Ghost: Or the psychic girl of the Sierras.
Mr John Allyn, of St. Helena, recently visited the scene of the occult disturbances in Shasta county, and on Sunday last gave the result of his investigations before the Society of Progressive Spiritualists at Washington Hall in this city. The disturbances commenced at the Fisher residence, July 23d, and were substantially the same as those heretofore published in the Chronicle and copied into the Golden Gate. After the family were driven from their home through fear, the disturbances followed them to Millville, nine miles distant, where they were witnessed by many people of that place. They had ceased just before Mr. Allyn’s arrival, after continuing for a period of about four weeks.
Mr. Allyn interviewed a number of eye-witnesses, and took down their statements in writing. He found the Fisher’s plain, well-to-do farmers, of good reputation for veracity and integrity. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fisher, a son, William J., aged 14; a daughter, Annie, aged 11, and two smaller children.
Annie Fisher, who is conspicuous in these phenomena, Mr. Allyn found to be a bare-footed, plain country girl, with bright black eyes, but nothing remarkable in her appearance. The Fishers are not religious people; neither are they Spiritualists, never having witnessed any of the phenomena usually attributed to Spirits; but were inclined to doubt the existence of the soul; nor did they know of any mediums or clairvoyants among their ancestors.
The house where the disturbances first occurred is located in an open plain, without a tree or shrub for several hundred yards, the nearest being a peach orchard about 200 yards to the south. Three watch-dogs were kept about the house, rendering it impossible for any stranger to approach without his presence being known to the family. We will now give Mr Peter Fisher’s statement as taken down by Mr. Allyn and signed by Mr. Fisher and his wife:
Statement of Mr and Mrs Fisher.
July 23d, the first day of the disturbance, rocks were thrown onto the roof several at a time, commencing at seven in the morning, and continuing at intervals through the day. The older children were up the creek fishing, when a stick eight inches long was thrown into the front door, and the mop pitched in through the open window, and the broom thrown out of the front door. The shears, eight inches long, were found standing points downward on a table, but the points did not penetrate the wood sufficiently to support them. A number of feats were repeated several times during the day.
The second day a rocking-chair was put into the seat of another, and some children’s clothes thrown into them. These things were not seen to move, but found in this condition in the sitting-room, while during the time that they were so placed a sharp watch was kept on the children to see that they did not do these things.
The bedroom was done up, beds made, and the one window fastened down with a ten-penny nail over the top on the inside, leaving it open four inches for ventilation at the bottom. Half an hour after the bed was made up, the window was shoved up full height, the nail was twisted off, the bed appeared as if a man had tramped over it. Mr Fisher was sitting in the sitting-room in front of the only door entering the bed-room and felt sure that no one entered it through the door. Rocks from one to three inches in diameter were thrown onto the roof, and into the kitchen through the open window; no glass was broken.
Two sacks containing feathers were hanging on a nail in the porch off the kitchen. These were put on a chair in the yard, and moved back, and put into a basket in the girls’ bedroom off the kitchen – these sacks were moved back and forth up to the time we left the house.
A small clock four inches high was taken from a shelf in the girls’ room and hid. Afterwards it was found and put in a cigar-box, and the lid nailed down and put into a satchel and locked, and the key was hid under the tablecloth. After that the satchel was found unlocked, and tied with a string, and the clock hid. Afterwards it was found in the fire-place in the sitting-room, covered with ashes and rubbish – the remains of a fire. Afterwards it was found hid in a mattress of a bed, and this was repeated many times. During most of the time a sharp watch was kept on the children to see that they did not do these things.
Two pictures 12×16 inches hanging on the wall in the girls’ room were found in the bed between the mattress and the slats on which the mattress rested. The girls had not been in the room during this time.
The boy’s school-books were thrown under his bed and covered with clothes.
Saturday the beds in three different rooms were thrown into disorder, the covers doubled over from the foot and the head; in the boy’s room the straw mattress was rolled off the bed. During this time Mr. Fisher kept a close watch, sitting where he could command a view of both of the doors to these rooms, but detected no one doing these things. They were repeated until Sunday towards evening when the family left the house to escape the annoyance.
I asked Mr. Fisher if he was much alarmed. He replied that he did not lose much sleep, but Mrs. Fisher said she did; and while laying awake one night her youngest child was jerked from her arms to the foot of the bed.
The family then moved into a cabin across Cow creek, a large-sized mill stream. They went as a refuge from these annoyances, concluding the house was haunted. They were afraid the children might be hurt with flying rocks and missiles.
On Thursday, the bed in the cabin was thrown into confusion, the covers rolled up on the center of the bed. There was no one in the cabin, the family sitting under the trees outside, in full view of the cabin door.
Next, the family were cooking outside the cabin, when sticks from six to eighteen inches long of old timber, that appeared to have been driftwood, were thrown about the camp. One, a forked one, eighteen inches, went directly over Annie’s head within six inches, rising for fifteen feet and then dropped on the ground. After this Mr. Fisher took the family to his brother-in-law’s, about six miles distant, and returned with his boy, William, to the cabin.
On Thursday the family returned to the cabin, except Annie, who remained. On Sunday Mrs. Fisher’s sister-in-law returned with Annie, and with Annie went to the house, when rocks were again thrown onto the roof of the house as before. Then they went to the camp over the creek.
On Monday rocks and sticks were thrown about the camp and cabin. Mr. Fisher saw a satchel locked and the key put into Annie’s dress pocket, soon afterwards the key was thrust down the neck of her dress, making her cringe, and dropped down on the ground.
On Tuesday, Mr. Fisher and a neighbour, Mr. Marsh, went to the house. Mr. F. went to feed a pig, leaving Mr. Marsh and the family, including Annie, sitting on the back porch, when sticks and stones were thrown into the kitchen over their heads. Mr. Marsh gathered these up, but could see no one, although there was nothing to conceal anyone who could do the throwing. The same day they went to the peach orchard and were gathering peaches, when a stone nearly as large as a goose egg fell with a rustle through the peach trees, hitting Annie on her ankle causing a sharp pain – her ankle had been previously sprained and was tender. Afterwards three rocks fell on the roof of the barn where some peaches were spread out to dry. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher saw the stones.
On Wednesday Mr. Marsh’s family were present when rock-throwing occurred, but nothing else. The same evening eight men came from Millville, when all with the family repaired to the camp. At candle light they built a large fire. Annie was sitting by the bright light when a stick of stovewood and a piece of pitchwood, three feet long, were thrown, hitting Annie’s lame ankle, causing her to cry out, but producing no permanent injury. At the same time a cane was thrown from Annie’s hand with a jerk, about ten feet; and her hat was thrown from her head about thirty feet, lighting on the crown. Mr Fisher saw these things as well as the visitors from town. The hat which was thrown many times, was uniformly thrown against the wind, although the breeze was light at the time, and always lighted on the crown. When the children were undressed for bed the clothes were thrown violently against Mrs. Fisher and a little nephew, who was present at the time. Mrs. Fisher said that Annie told her that when in the peach orchard she saw a spirit child go before her, climb over the fence and disappear.
On Thursday forenoon the family and Millville people were at the house, when Annie’s hat was thrown out about sixty feet into the yard several times, no one saw her hands move, and she was requested to hold her hands together, which she did, and still her hat went as before. Then a boy put his hat on her head, putting her hat on his own head. She held her hands on her head over the hat, but still it flew off into the yard as before. But her hat remained on the head of the boy. Rocks were thrown on the roof as before. At 12 M. the Millville people returned home, except Mr. D. King and his son, fourteen years old, who remained with the family. They then went to the camp, when a butcher knife eleven inches long was seen standing point downwards on Annie’s right shoulder. Then Annie was hit on the lame ankle by a rock weighing about ten pounds, causing her to cry out, but producing no serious injury. Then a fence plank seven inches wide and seven feet long was seen on Annie’s shoulder, one end tipped up above her head; it then slid off onto the ground. This was seen by Mr. Fisher and Mr. King of Millville, as the latter told me in Millville. Then Annie was sent into the cabin and was sitting in a rocking-chair, and Mr. King requested to watch her. He was sitting in the cabin when the pillow started to move off from the bed. Mr. King caught it; Annie was entirely out of reach of the bed. Then Annie was sitting in the rocking chair in full sight of Mr. King, when the flat slat between the legs of the chair dropped out on the floor, hitting the inevitable ankle. Then a small black hand valise, which Mr. Fisher saw on the floor beside of the room, was next seen hanging on a nail on a rafter of the cabin too high for any one but a tall man to reach. It was then taken down and placed on the floor, and soon disappeared. It was found in a corner of the cabin with a carpet-sack thrown over it so as to hide it.
A box 12×6 inches, containing knives, was standing by a tree in the camp, when Mr. Fisher saw it covered by a mat ingeniously braided with roots, and a dish-cloth. He called Mrs. King’s attention to it, when they heard a noise of moving furniture in the cabin. They looked into the cabin. Annie was standing in the door; the large rocking-chair was on the bed wedged in under the rafter so as to render it difficult to remove it from its position. After dinner, about 3 P.M., the family were sitting by the table. Annie was drinking coffee out of a saucer when it flew out of her hand on to the bed about five feet away, without spilling the coffee. A tumbler flew from the table to the bed; also a plate was thrown in the same way.
There were many other mysterious things done which were not thought worth while to write out in detail, as they scarcely add to the significance of what is above written. The above is true in substance and detail, and is rather understated, and nothing exaggerated to the best of our knowledge and belief. Peter Fisher. Nancy Fisher. Written at Fisher’s residence, Aug. 16, 1885, by John Allyn.
Testimony of J.L. Nichols.
After the family were driven from their home, they took up their residence with Mr. David King, a blacksmith of Millville. Following is a statement of J.L. Nichols, a druggist of Millville, as to what he witnessed at the King residence. (We may add that Mr. Fisher, after leaving his wife, Annie and the two young children, with Mr. King, went back to his ranch):
He said he paid close attention to the mysterious phenomena for two hours, at the house of David King, August 14, 1885, in the presence of Mrs. Fisher and Annie Fisher and Mrs. King. Saw several articles move swiftly through the room, from points where no one could reach them. When they struck, there was a noise like that produced by a sharp blow on a table, with the knuckles. Saw the feather duster a moment before it started lying on the sewing machine. It went feathers foremost through the door of the house and porch, and about twelve feet into the yard and alighted with the aforesaid detonation.
He saw Annie fall on the floor in a trance condition. Felt of her wrist, it was pulseless for about a minute, then it was more rapid than in the normal condition. When I had hold of Annie, felt something resembling electricity pass up my arms. Watched closely but could detect no trick, and was unable to explain the mystery. Did not see the beginning of the movement of articles, but saw a moment before they started, and Annie was entirely beyond reach of them. Saw the mattress lying down smooth on the bed; a few moments after, it was raised up in a ridge sixteen inches high in the middle. No one was near it. I looked under the bed and assured myself there was no one there. Several billets of wood and stones flew about generally alighting on Annie’s lame ankle, with a gentle touch. She would exclaim, “Oh!” but did not appear to be seriously injured.
Statement of David King.
The next and last statement is by Mr. King, who is vouched for by his neighbours as a thoroughly reliable man:
Mrs King and Annie Fisher were sitting on the front porch, when a hand axe, or large hatchet, was thrown by an invisible power eighteen feet from the kitchen porch, hitting Annie on the sprained ankle which was inflamed and swollen. She cried out, but was not seriously hurt.
A boy’s hat was on the head of the bed which was in the sitting room, Annie sitting on the foot of the bed out of reach of the hat, when the hat moved rapidly across the room, angling from corner to corner, and was wedged in between the table and the wall of the room.
Mrs Fisher’s child’s stocking flew from an isolated position around Mr. King’s arms and dropped in the woodbox.
A feather-duster was lying on a sewing machine in the sitting-room. We were watching Mr. L. Nichols’ hat placed on Annie’s head. She was standing just outside the front porch on the ground when the feather duster flew past us through the front door, feathers foremost and struck the ground twelve feet from the porch in the yard.
A hat flew from Annie’s head on to Minnie Winegar’s head, and then hit Mr. Nichols.
A rocking-chair was setting near the kitchen door out of the reach of Annie, when the cushion flew and struck Minnie Winegar, a girl of fourteen summers, in the breast. Annie was thrown down on the floor when Mr. King placed a pillow under her head. She was then set on the bed by Mrs. Nichols who placed her arm around Annie, when she was jerked away and laid on the floor in the middle of the room.
A piece of a barrel stave, ten inches long, was thrown from the woodbox on the back porch, and struck near the front door. The stick was then put back and flew out and struck the table with a loud slap, and fell at Mrs King’s feet. A piece of stovewood rose out of the woodbox and struck Annie on the lame ankle with a gentle touch.
Saturday things were moved much as before. The mattress was rolled up with the pillows. It was unrolled and thrown against the wall. A rock, large as a man’s fist, rolled off from the main onto the shed roof which was not so steep and stopped.
Annie’s hat was thrown off as before, she was then thrown upon the floor. Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. King took hold of her but could not lift her from the floor. Mrs. King said it appeared as if some invisible power held her to the floor. Mr. Fisher then took hold of her and said she appeared as heavy as a large man. Annie said there was something holding her to the floor.
Then a valise was moved from near the door and was laid on a desk;; all was entirely out of reach of Annie. Mrs King placed a hat on a bed-post – it was thrown off three times – they were closely watching it, and were sure no one touched it. A bread-pan was thrown across the kitchen with a crash, and several other utensils were thrown about. A clothes-brush flew from the bureau across the room. A butcher-knife flew from its place in the kitchen about twenty feet. A parasol came off the bed and stood up on the floor until Mr. King took it. The feather duster was laid on the bed by a lady visitor, who started for home – soon the duster was seen ten feet from the bed standing on the floor, feathers uppermost – it stood until Mr. King took it away. Many other similar things were done before they left Sunday evening for home.
Mrs. King said that after the phenomena she was walking with Annie to a neighbour’s house. Annie had a cane and was limping, as her ankle was still swollen. Suddenly the cane was jerked away flying twenty feet; she walked off without limping and suffered no more from the sprained ankle. Annie told her she saw a spirit walking by the side of her who told her they would not be troubled any more with the strange proceedings.
Golden Gate, 5th September 1885.
The Shasta Spook.
Eds. Record-Union: The Shasta spook manifestations having been denounced as trickery, I wrote a note on the matter to L.W. Kidd, charged by the Anderson Enterprise with being connected with the deceit, and he replies that there is no truth whatever in the Enterprise’s statement, and that there is no sell or trickery in the mystery, so far as he is aware. Since you have published an account of the doings, it might be a matter of justice to all concerned to state briefly in your paper that it is authoritatively denied that the Millville manifestations are the result of trickery on the part of any one concerned. Respectfully, E. E. Carey. Bullard’s Bar, September 10, 1885.
Sacramento Daily Union, 18th September 1885.
The Millville spook has broken loose again. He has grown communicative now, and draws pictures of himself on a slate, writing under them “this is me.” The reports do not state what these pictures look like.
Chico Weekly Enterprise, 25th September 1885.
The Shasta Ghost.
The East Side Times published at Millville, Shasta county, in its issue of October 3d, referring to what is known as the “Shasta Ghost,” says: “The ‘Spook’ is having a regular circus up at Fisher’s this week. In fact making it too uncomfortable for the family to remain home long at a time.” In this case, a thorough system of investigation should be instituted by a committee of the most intelligent and thoughtful people of Millville and vicinity. Here is a marvelous fact, if fact it is, worthy of serious consideration. The Millville editor could do himself or his paper no greater credit than to undertake the work of investigating the phenomena.
Golden Gate, 10th October 1885.
Queer Things.
Every once in a while queer things happen in some out of the way quarter of the world, that seem beyond the comprehension of man. The last demonstration of an unseen force comes from Shasta county. Some boys belonging to a family named Fisher, were out fishing, when stones were thrown at them from all directions. They ran home, when they found that the same thing had happened there. The furniture of the house was thrown around in all directions by some invisible power. A rocking chair took itself up to the ceiling, and the strength of four men was necessary to get it down. A little girl went out in the yard and was found with a plank some twelve feet long sea-sawing on her head. The family built another house to get clear of this power, but it followed them. These things are attested by hundreds of people, who flocked there to see them.
Whence comes this force? Is it an illusion, or is it real? Men have argued that life itself is an illusion; that there is no real human existence. Perhaps you, reader, are the inhabitants of some of the myriads of worlds that we see; or think we see, circling around in space, and having fallen asleep are dreaming that you are on a planet called Earth, where death is the inheritance of all; and on this death and sin cursed world you dream of a long existence! We know – that is, if we know anything – that we dream dreams sometimes in an instance that seem so real that they puzzle us for a long while, and that would require weeks and months for the events to transpire! Are these dreams dreams within a dream? Would you be astonished to wake up and find yourself an angel, with wings, and that you had fallen asleep for an instant, and seemed to become a man, and that there was no such planet as Earth? – no such creature as man? It would be an interesting dream to relate to other angels! In that case would you suggest to the Almighty the wisdom of making man? Life is so real, yet so unreal!
But there are queer, unaccountable things happening on this planet. Are they only unaccountable because of our circumscribed knowledge? Will such demonstrations as those which took place at Shasta, and which are by no means new, became plain to us under the light of future acquired knowledge? When the savage, with his “untutored mind,” saw an eclipse of the sun, he thought it some special act of the Supreme Being, given as a sort of warning to his particular village. Will those who are to come after us, and who will have mastered all the laws of nature, and of Nature’s God, look upon us of the nineteenth century as savages, with untutored minds? The spiritualists do queer things, the mind-readers do unaccountable things, and queer, unaccountable things seem to come upon us occasionally. Some people swallow them all down, because they are mysterious and unaccountable, and some pooh-pooh them for the same reasons. How queer it all is.
Weekly Colusa Sun, 22nd August 1885.
