Some Facts Relating To Weinsberg.
There is a house at Weinsberg, that, some thirty years ago, was inhabited by a vine-dresser, named Bayer; it had formerly been used as a wine-press, but no traces of this purpose now exist. For a space of forty or fifty years, there has been heard nightly in this house, between the months of December and February, sounds, like those made by coopers and wine-pressers; and they were not only audible to the inhabitants of the house, but to the whole neighbourhood. And what is most remarkable, is, that the louder these sounds are, the finer does the vintage prove; insomuch, that a neighbour of the vine-dresser’s – the late common-councilman Muff – founded his speculations on this conviction, and thereby made his fortune.
Bayer, who had married a daughter of the last possessor of the house, was bent on discovering the cause of the noise; and frequently went, armed with a hatchet, through all the places whence it seemed to proceed, but he could never find any means of accounting for it; and his father-in-law was wont to say to him, “Leave it alone; it has been longer here than we have.”
Frequently, too, the door opened, someone appeared to enter, and there was a sound of shuffling feet in the room. This, however, has only happened once to the present inhabitant, when he was sleeping in the upper storey. His door opened – shuffling feet approached him, and then retired – but he saw nothing. So, if one sits up in bed, the better to observe – or the neighbours rush out – or a person passes the door, the noises cease; but only to recommence the moment afterwards. This is a fact, to which numerous witnesses can be produced.
That these noises should be persisted in for forty years, by the various persons who have dwelt in this house, nobody can believe; besides, they are poor vine-dressers, who carry on no trade in wine, and could have no interest in doing it. If any one imagines that the thing was contrived by Councillor Muff, for his own particular ends – a suggestion that no one on the spot would entertain for a moment – it must be remembered that the noises were heard long before he resided in that part of the country; and are still heard, now that he is dead. Besides, all his neighbours were aware, how, during those months, he used to watch whole nights at the window, for the purpose of regulating his speculations. He made no secret of the thing; others might have followed his example, if they would; but they only laughed at him, whilst he grew rich.
He died; but the wealth which he had accumulated, by the aid of the inhabitants of the mid-region could not defend him from becoming one of them himself. He was one of those who came from the land of shadows, to entreat Mrs H—‘s prayers. She was never acquainted with him.
In the winter months of 1830 and 1831, these noises were little heard, as I at the time informed several of my friends; and accordingly, the vintages of those years were very indifferent.
This is taken from Catherine Crowe’s 1845 translation of Justinus Kerner’s “The Seeress of Prevorst” (originally published 1829, although there must be later editions as this mentions 1830/1. ), pp. 316 -318.