The Age of Wonders.
From the Lynchburg Virginian.
We copy the following singular article from the Lexington, (Va.) Intelligencer. Our distance from the scene of action, as well as the vagueness and miraculous nature of the reports which have reached us, totally disqualify us to form any opinion on the subject –
That Dr. McChesney’s house has been assailed, is evident – that the assailants are invisible, is equally agreed – tho’ opinions differ, as they well may, as to the source from which the assault proceeds – some, falling in at once with the superstitious belief of a supernatural agency, and others attributing it to human efforts.
The editor of the Lexington paper remarks, that he has never seen any person who witnessed the extraordinary scene himself, or who had derived his information from Dr McChesney, but from others who say that they had heard the occurrences related by the doctor. But a gentleman, known to be of strict veracity, was in this place a day or two since, who not only confirms the statement made by that paper, but goes still further – declaring that he himself was an eye witness to the events which he relates – that, not only stones, which are invisible till they strike, enter the house, and like the locusts of Egypt, infest the very “kneading troughs,” but articles of furniture are suddenly pushed from one end of the room to the other with incredible force.
The family, annoyed in this manner for one or two days, removed from the house, but the evil followed them wherever they went; and we understand that they have again returned home to abide the issue. – Mrs McChesney has been injured, by one or two blows on the head, and her comb has been several times knocked off, without injury to her person.
Without intending to account for so strange a circumstance, or to decide upon its truth, “we tell the tale as it was told to us,” and leave our readers to make their own conjectures.
Lexington, (Va.) April 15.
It is related, that some day last week and from sources invisible, the house of Dr McChesney, in the upper edge of Augusta county, was assailed with stones of various sizes, some of them so hot as to hiss when they fell in water; in broad day light, for several successive days, the visitation of these stones were repeated. The windows of the Doctor’s house were all broken. – Some fell on the roof and bounded off, others entered through thick plank that had been used to close up the broken windows; that Mrs McChesney had been struck by two, one had cut her head severely; the ladies of Dr McChesney’s family had become so much alarmed as to leave the house.
At intervals these stone visitations are said still to be repeated. The house is represented as situated in an open space, where it would be impossible for any one to approach within stone throw without detection. This account we have received from gentlemen of the first respectability, but who were not themselves eye witnesses – nor did they derive their information from Dr McChesney himself, but from those that stated they had.
Superstitious fears are much excited in some that attribute these showers of stone to a supernatural cause. For ourselves, we doubt not the house has been stoned, the window broken, &c.; but cannot think otherwise, at least for the present, than that it is the mischievous work of some person or persons (perhaps servants) about the house.
Phenix Gazette, 28th April 1825.
Chapter XVII. From the year 1825 to the year 1833.
The subject we now approach demands a new chapter, if not a whole chapter. But yet an apology, or at least a precedent, is required for introducing it. Therefore, we shall first give a brief account of some wonderful occurrences a hundred and ten years earlier, in England, citing Southey’s Life of Wesley as our authority.
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These disturbances continued till the end of January, 1716, and then ceased. During the latter part of the time they occurred by day as well as at night. No solution of the mystery was ever discovered. Southey remarks that “An author who in this age relates such a story, and treats it as not utterly incredible and absurd, must expect to be ridiculed; but the testimony upon which it rests is far too strong to set aside because of the strangeness of the relation.” So we say in regard to the following narrative.
Dr John McChesney, an intelligent physician, lived on his farm about a mile north of the village of Newport, Augusta county, and the same distance west of the main road leading from Staunton to Lexington, by way of Middlebrook and Brownsburg. His wife was a sister of Thomas Steele, who lived on the main road, a mile from Dr McChesney’s. Mrs Mary Steele, widow of Capt. William Steele and mother of Thomas and Mrs McChesney, lived in Rockbridge, two miles west of Midway.
William Steele, a son of Thomas is now (1889) one of the few surviving witnesses of the occurrences to be related, and to him we are indebted for all our detailed statements. He was a child at the time, six years of age, but distinctly remembers what he saw and heard; and, we may add, his veracity is unquestionable. His testimony before any tribunal in Augusta county would be implicitly believed.
In 1825, Dr McChesney’s family consisted of his wife, four young children, and sundry negro servants, one of the latter, a girl named Maria, probably eight years of age. One evening in January or February, while the white family were at supper, Maria came in from the kitchen, which was 20 or 30 feet from the dwelling, very much frightened apparently, and saying that an old woman with her head tied up had chased her. Little or no attention, however was given to this incident. But Maria continued for some days to complain of being frightened when by herself, and other circumstances connected with the girl attracted the attention of the family. Soon after this, vollies of stones began to descend upon the roof of the dwelling house, and continued to fall at intervals, in day-time and also at night. The stones averaged about the size of a man’s fist, and some of them were too large to be thrown by a person of ordinary strength. Occasionally, some of the stones were hot, and scorched the dry grass on which they fell.
Reports of the stone-throwing circulated through the county, and hundreds of people from miles around came to witness the spectacle. On some days the yard was full of people, on all sides of the house, eagerly watching to see where the stones came from; but all retired without making any discovery. The descent of stones did not occur every day, and visitors on the off-days generally went away incredulous about the whole matter. During the whole time Maria complained of being chased and frightened.
As Maria seemed to be the center of the disturbance, Dr McChesney concluded to send her away, and ordered her to go to the residence of his brother-in-law Mr Thomas Steele. While she was on the way across the hills, Mrs Steele and her children (including her son William), a young white woman, and a negro woman and her children were under a tree in the yard. Mrs Steele was knitting and the negro woman was engaged in washing. Mr Steele was not at home. Suddenly a loud noise was heard in the house, as if it were full of frightened and stamping horses. The white woman ran first to the house, and called to Mrs Steele to come. In the centre of the large room all the movable furniture was piled up promiscuously, bed, bureau, chairs, andirons, etc. While the spectators were looking on and wondering, stones began to fall on the house, and then Maria was seen approaching. She stated as usual that she had been chased by an old woman, and her evident terror was distressing to behold.
Maria was sent home, but the fall of stones continued at Mr Steele’s. The missiles entered the house, how and from whence no one could discover, and broke the glass in the cupboard doors and many plates and dishes. The furniture was severely pelted, and some articles still preserved show the marks to this day.
There was no cessation of the occurrences at Dr McChesney’s. One day in the spring, the weather still cool, the family were sitting around the fire. The persons present were: Dr and Mrs McChesney, Mrs Mary Steele, Mr and Mrs Thomas Steele, their son William, and others. The doors were closed and the window sashes were down, when a stone, seeming to come from the corner of the room, near the ceiling, struck Mrs Thomas Steele on the head. She was the only person struck at any time. A lock of her hair was severed as if by scissors, and her scalp was cut to the bone, causing profuse bleeding. Mr Steele became enraged and denounced the invisible agent for “taking its spite on a woman,” and not on him. He then took his seat in the front door, and immediately was pelted with clods of sod and earth, coming from the inside of the house. He sat there till the missiles were piled around him, and then, at the earnest solicitation of his mother, who cried that “the thing” would kill him, left the spot and was not pursued. The reader will observe the similarity of this occurrence to that related of the Rev. Samuel Wesley.
Wishing to remove the McChesney and Steele children out of the way, they were sent to their grand-mother’s near Midway; but Maria was sent also. Soon the disturbances began at Mrs Steele’s – stones flew about, furniture in the kitchen moved of its own accord, etc., etc. One day a large kitchen bench pranced over the floor like a horse. The children present were at first amused, as the Wesley children had been with their ghost; and young John M. Steele (afterwards Dr. Steele, now dead), proposed to bridle the steed and ride him. They did so, but became so much alarmed at the antics of the bench that young Steele fainted. During this time Mrs Steele’s farm servants found that food and tools taken by them to the fields, disappeared and turned up at the house.
While at Mrs Steele’s Maria frequently complained of being beaten. Mrs Steele took her between her knees, drew her skirt about her, and with a stick struck around as if to beat off an invisible foe. Maria continued to cry out that she was beaten and pricked with pins. The “slaps,” says William Steele, were distinctly heard, but no one could see the vindictive enemy. At last the victim fell upon the floor, exhausted and apparently dead, but soon revived. She continued to be punished as described for many weeks.
Worn out with these troubles, Dr McChesney, as a last resort, sold Maria, and she was taken South. As soon as she left the disturbances ceased and they never followed her in her new home.
An old negro woman lived in Dr McChesney’s neighbourhood, who was reputed to be a witch. William Steele says “she walked with a stick and chewed tobacco,” and that in his boyhood he was always careful to give her the road when they met. It was said that this old woman received some impudence from Maria, who had an evil tongue, and threatened her with punishment. Of course, readers who believe in witches understand now why and from whom the troubles came! We have no explanation or theory to advance. We cannot, however, refuse to believe that many strange things happened, as related, without repudiating all human testimony.
Similar occurrences have taken place in Rockingham, Albemarle and Culpeper counties, the last in September, 1889.
Annals of Augusta County, Virginia, from 1726 to 1871. By Jos. A. Waddell. Second edition, revised and enlarged. 1902.