Another Big Ghost Yarn.
A Big Scare Near Milford.
The Milford News of Friday publishes this statement: A family living on the road between Milford and Farmington, has been the centre of a great neighbourhood excitement for ten days past in consequence of a wonderful manifestation of spiritual influence in and about the house where they reside. It commenced on Sunday afternoon, January 7th, and continued throughout the day and night, all day on Sunday and on to Monday night when the visitor took his leave and promised to trouble them no more; though the knowing ones think him a liar and believe that he will come again when it suits him.
On the afternoon mentioned the women of the family – the men were not at home – were greatly alarmed by the falling of brickbats against the house for which they could not account. The bats were visible, they rattled and banged against the house, but no propelling person or power was visible or could anywhere be found. Search was made of all places where a person might be concealed but in vain. The bats flew and fell about apparently of their own accord. Giving up the search, the women sheltered themselves in the house; but even then the bats followed them, for some of them came into it through the impervious and unperforated walls, when all the doors and windows were closed and securely fastened!
These remarkable and unaccountable phenomena led the women to think that invisible spirits from the other world had paid them a visit, and they awaited the return of the men of the family in a greatly perturbed spirit.
The men returned towards evening but even their presence failed to check the ghostly manifestations. Besides the brick-bats, an old-fashioned iron kettle which had been thrown away and was laying out in the field, came into the house without the aid of visible hands and took its old accustomed place on the hearth. One of the women commenced preparing the supper table but had scarcely begun, when the job was taken from her by invisible hands and neatly and expeditiously completed.
The bucket of milk which one of the boys brought in from the cow-pen and sat upon the table, was almost immediately dashed off as though the invisible visitor was offended. The looking glass hanging on the wall suddenly turned its back upon the family and its face to the wall. A print of butter on the tea-table was divided, or torn in two by the same unseen power, and one-half of it dashed to the floor, and still more wonderful the prints of the ghost’s fingers on the butter were left, as plainly visible as though it had been done by a human, material hand! The truth is, the devil was to pay generally.
Of course all this, and much more, could not go on without alarming and exciting the whole neighbourhood so that after supper the nearest neighbours began to drop in, though many of them with hair on end, and eyes starting from sockets; but they came without in the least embarrassing the spirit, ghost or devil – whatever it was – who kept right on with his pranks. Beds were thrown from steads, the covers pulled off, chairs turned over, garments plucked from their hanging places, and even the sacred, Holy Bible thrown from the table to the floor.
During the next day the excitement spread for miles around, and on Monday evening some thirty or forty persons came in to witness the wonders. Even all this crowd was not sufficient to banish the mysterious and invisible visitor. The manifestations were continued much as before. Hearing enormous racket two or three of the bravest men ventured up stairs to see what was going on but they could only discover the chairs, beds, and bed clothing moving about and turning topsy turvy without any visible cause. A great noise of the rattling of dishes was heard in the cupboard and on opening the door every dish was bottom upward and piled one upon another. Buckets of water were brought into the house without hand and quietly put down in the middle of the floor. All these and many other performances were carried on in the presence of all the people assembled. A young woman, member of the family, finally went to her bed but soon came down stairs in great trepidation, stating that the covering was forcibly snatched off of her as fast as she could put it on. The father sent her back to her bed and one of the men stood at her room door to see it done but a great light so frightened him that he left his watch and tore down stairs.
Soon things grew more quiet and after a while the girl came quietly down stairs and told the family and friends that she was no longer afraid, that the ghost was gone and had promised to trouble them no more. She stated that it was the spirit of a man and that his business was with her, but what this business was she would never tell to any living person. She said that after going the second time to her bed the spirit took her by the hand before she knew it, and twisted a small cord or string around her finger after which all her fears vanished and she saw and conversed with him. She described him as a man with long hair hanging down his back, of fair and handsome features, and attractive to look upon, dressed neatly in black cloth coat with white vest, though the sleeves of the coat were as though they had been cut off just below the shoulders and white linen slips covered the arms. His business was with her, and now having settled it to his satisfaction he would trouble them no more! Since that time the manifestations have ceased and the family and neighbours rest in peace!
The young woman is not in very sound health, and all the excitement in the case evidently comes from her in some manner. It is a renewal in a new place of the old spiritual manifestations humbug. The family is well known to us.
Smyrna Times (Delaware), January 24th, 1877.