This account is quoted from the Harbinger of Light, Melbourne.
Stone-throwing by spirits in Australia.
By A Mueller, M.D.
Amongst the varied phenomena of Spiritualism, not the least interesting are those spontaneous “unimplored” tokens of Spiritual existence, presented not unfrequently to people who know nothing of Spiritualism, but who, seeing acts performed before their very eyes that imply intelligence, are forced by the merest common sense to assume that they emanate from intelligent, though invisible actors. In No. 42 of the Australische Zeitung of last year, an ably-conducted German weekly, appearing at Adelaide, a most interesting instance of such spontaneous manifestations is recorded as having occurred at the German settlement of Julia Creek, South Australia.
But before giving a translation of the report, as communicated by a correspondent to the editor of the paper, I must make a few remarks on the would-be satifical manner in which the editor introduces this report to his readers, since it is highly characteristic of the unphilosophical spirit in which this most philosophical nation has hitherto received the facts and science of Spiritualism. The article is headed – “Ghosts acting in open daylight, hu! hu!” – the latter exclamation intended to express the mock fear of himself and readers at this announcement; and the worthy editor then goes on to say, that though he knows his correspondent to be a most respectable and truthful man, he cannot agree with him as to the facts alleged to have taken place; that the whole affair must be illusory, founded on mistake and faulty observation. He scorns, of course, the very idea of spirits having anything to do with it, and actually asks his readers’ pardon for laying the story before them for the benefit of the few who might be inclined to believe it.
He is evidently a true child of his age and nation, of that rationalism which was but the initiatory stage of the materialism that has now taken such firm root in Germany amongst all, and especially the best educated classes. From its savans, than whom no higher authority exists for the German, the dictum has gone forth that spirit, since it cannot be weighed in scales, or distilled in a retort, and is inaccessible to our ordinary sensual perception, is therefore non est, a mere name for effects produced by “a fortuitous combination of atoms,” and that the belief in spirits, though it has been common to all times and all nations, is nothing but a foolish superstition none but idiots can maintain in this our enlightened age. The spiritual world which has asserted its reality so plainly throughout all history, and revealed itself with such overpowering force during the last three decades of our own century, is henceforth, by universal consent, voted out of the universe. Learned treatises are written to prove the “daemon” of Socrates a perpetual hallucination of the exalted clairaudient sage. The numerous proofs of spirit-agency recorded in the Bible are held up as mere myths, devoid of any foundation in fact. Such men as Jung Stilling and Justinus Kerner are quietly ignored, and even the admonition of the great Goethe – “Die Geisterwelt ist nicht verschlossen, / Dein Herz ist kalt, dein Sinn ist todt,” is looked upon as a mere poetical phrase. We must, therefore, excuse the editor of the Australische Zeitung that he cannot reconcile himself to the facts of the subjoined narrative written by an eye-witness.
“Whoever has but the least conception of the universe, must agree with the great English poet when he says that ‘there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.’ Scarcely anybody, however, will credit that in this ‘so-called’ enlightened nineteenth century things should occur in which those invisible powers that are said to inhabit the realms of space play an active part. Yet such must be the case, for only a few weeks ago an occurrence has taken place here illustrating but too forcibly the existence of such unsubstantial beings, and their occasional intermingling with the human world. But let me narrate to you the strange facts as communicated to me by an eye-witness, a man as respected and truthful as he his courageous and free from any superstitious fear.
According to him, it was on a Saturday (date unnamed) that the daughter of one of our farmers, named Eisen, thirteen years of age, had been sent to Friedrichswalde to receive the religious instruction which had to precede her intended confirmation. The distance being from eight to nine miles, the girl was afraid to go alone, and an elder sister was therefore told to accompany her. Whilst returning home, after dark, the two girls found themselves suddenly and persistently pelted with small stones. They tried their best to discover the perpetrator of this wanton mischief, but in vain; no human being was within sight or hearing, yet the pebbles came down upon them. At last they became thoroughly frightened, and traversed section in breathless haste, but no matter how fast they ran, stones and pieces of earth would rain upon them, without however inflicting any pain.
On the following Saturday they had to go again, and again on their homeward journey the pelting was repeated. But there was one thing in their favour this time which they had taken care to secure – it was broad daylight, four o’clock p.m. Surely now they would be able to discover who was so persistently bent upon annoying them. Whenever a stone struck them, they gazed at once, far and near, in the direction they had felt it come from, and whilst so doing would actually see some more flying towards them from the same direction, but neither there, nor anywhere within their sight, were they able to discover the slightest trace of their tormentor. At last curiosity and wonder were again overcome by fright, and their quiet walk turned into a run. Exhausted and breathless they told the story of their strange adventure to their parents, who likewise became alarmed lest the stone-throwing should actually be continued right into the house. This fear, however, seemed groundless. All remained quiet that night and the following morning.
At one o’clock p.m., the family were together in their sitting-room, when all of a sudden the dreaded visitation took place. Stones came flying in through the door. All rushed out at once, surrounded the house, and searched every nook and corner that might serve as a hiding place to the unwelcome visitor; but whilst not a trace of any human being could be found anywhere, they actually saw stones and pieces of brick thrown into the room from points apparently close to them. Bewildered and disheartened, they returned into the room and closed the door, but their astonishment was boundless when they found the stones passing through the door like bullets, without breaking a single fibre of the wood, and rolling a distance of eight to ten feet to the opposite side of the room. This was kept up with intermissions till nine o’clock p.m., and then ceased suddenly, to be commenced again at one o’clock p.m., on the following day, with a vigour that entirely eclipsed the previous day’s performance. The stones now literally rained into the closed room from all possible directions, passing, not only through the door, but also through the ceiling and walls of the room; yet, instead of riddling these, causing not the slightest visible hole or crack in them.
But unpleasant as it must have been to be an inmate of this truly haunted house, it was most remarkable, that these flying missiles of an evidently intelligent power, did not hurt any one, that whenever they struck any of the inmates, especially on the head or face, they would touch as lightly as features, though striking the floor the next moment with apparent force and rolling away on it for some distance. Equally remarkable was the fact that the throwing seemed to require the presence of the younger of the two sisters mentioned. Struck by this, a brother-in-law of the girl, living about half a mile from the place, proposed to take her to his own house. He did so, but was very glad to get rid of her again on the next morning, for scarcely had he entered his house with her, when the throwing commenced most furiously, and from all directions, first with stones and pieces of earth, and then with chips of wood. Here, likewise, all attempts to fathom this perplexing mystery were totally unavailing. When the numerous pieces of wood, which strewed the floor were collected and thrown into the fire, they were scarcely burnt before coals were flying about. Finally even pieces and crumbs of bread, which a little child had left on the table, were taken up by invisible hands and scattered about the room. This lasted until one o’clock that night; on the next day the girl returned home, and the throwing with her.
For five days it was kept up here almost continually. Sleep was out of the question during all this time; in fact the unfortunate family was kept in such a state of excitement and consternation that scarcely the most necessary food could be prepared. On the last day especially, and evidently intended as a grand finale, such quantities of stone and earth were thrown into the place, that they had to be shovelled up. Then finally came chips again, some of which Mr Eisen whilst cutting wood outside, actually saw taken up and thrown into the house immediately after their falling from the axe. The only inmates of the house which the ghostly visitation did not disturb in the least were the dogs, not even as much as a bark being heard from them during all the time it lasted. Another noteworthy feature, perhaps the most suggestive of all, was the invariable cessation of the disturbance whenever the family engaged in singing and prayer.” – Harbinger of Light.
The Spiritualist, 15th June 1877.