Mysterious Bombardment.
Unsuccessful efforts to detect the source of stone missiles.
During the seven weeks that Mr and Mrs William Ashley and their family have been in their new residence, the lonely Gulf Road near Utica (New York), stones, some as large as billiard balls, have been falling intermittently on the roof of their house or dangerously close to the Ashleys themselves.
A Central News New York message states that the Ashleys, their son Leonar, and his wife, and their daughter Irene, aged six, have been the targets for these missiles, which have fallen out of a clear sky. The child has been struck twice, although on neither occasion was she seriously injured. Most of the stones come straight down and do not fall as if they have been thrown, but the efforts that have been made to clear up the mystery have only resulted in the attacks increasing in frequency.
Some days there is a cessation of the bombardment, and the family hear stones neither crash to the earth off the roof or fall dangerously near to them, but on a number of occasions when the women are alone their appearance outside the house has been the signal for showers of bebbles.
The thicket that borders the house has been thoroughly searched by the family, but nothing has been found that would give a clue to the phenomenon. The undergrowth is thick and can only be passed through by beaten paths. The north and east of the house face open fields that stretch away for a long distance and offer no shelter. The ground slopes sharply to the south, where there is the Gulf Road, and although trees are plentiful they are at some distance from the dwelling.
Most of the stones are large as limes, a few are small pebbles, and sometimes a lump of coal or part of a brick have been used in the bombardments. Scores of visitors have come to the house to see if stone showers would come, and many of them soon had quite sufficient to satisfy their curiosity, narrowly escaping having their skulls broken. Once when the women of the house were fishing at a creek near by a stone splashed into the water near them, and when they went back home there were signs that thieves had been there, but nothing had been taken away.
A warning was found pinned on the door of the house on another occasion bearing the words “William: Beware of enemies. K.P.L.” Members of the family do not know anyone with these initials.
The Sheriff who was consulted was confident that he would speedily solve the mystery, but when he had visited the house he was no nearer doing so than before. The State Constabulary have been asked to help and the house has been watched, but all they learned was that a stone would suddenly drop close if anyone went into the house and that frequently another would come through the window. One or two trees have shown signs of spurs having been used on their bark, but if anyone climbed high enough to throw the stones he would be visible from the house.
The only explanation the Ashleys accept is that if human hands are throwing the stones they are using a mechanical device to hurl them from a great distance.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 18th July 1921.