(From ‘Throwing of stones and other substances by spirits’ by William Howitt, citing Professor Perty of Berne and his ‘Mystiche Erscheinungen’.)
In the 16th century, according to Torquemada, a great throwing of stones took place in Salamanca from the roof and steps of a house, which occasioned much annoyance and inconvenience, but hurt no one.
It will be as well to give a few more particulars of this case than Perty has done. In the first place we must not confound this Torquemada with the infamous Thomas de Torquemada, the great inquisitor […] The present Antonio de Torquemada says that, when he was a youth at the university of Salamanca, a widow had in her house four or five maids, two of whom were celebrated for their beauty. There was a rumour, however, that in this house a kobold (Trazzo) haunted, and played a variety of tricks, much to the annoyance of the inmates. Amongst others was that of throwing about stones from the roofs in such quantities as to alarm them greatly.
The news of it came to the ears of the Corregidor, and he proceeded suddenly to the town, accompanied by twenty other persons, and ordered an alguazil and four men to examine the whole house and roof thoroughly, descending into the cellars with torches. Nothing could be discovered. Upon this the Corregidor turned to the widow, and told her that no doubt the cause of the disturbance was, that the girls had lovers who played the pranks, and the best way to be rid of the hauntings was to look well after the maids. The widow stood confounded at this address, knowing well that this was not the case, and that the stones would probably be thrown again.
The Corregidor and his attendants now left the room, still jesting on the occasion of the stone-throwings; but just as they had reached the bottom of the steps in front, came a heap of stones rolling down after them, that would have filled four hampers. They came smartly between their legs and about their feet, yet without hurting them. Instantly they hurried back into the house to discover the rogues, and once more he ordered the alguazil and his men to make a rigorous search of the whole house. Again, as they passed out, there came a tremendous shower of stones upon the portal of the house, which bounced from it, and fell amongst their feet. In vain did they look whence they came from; and the alguazil, seizing one of the largest stones, flung it over the roof of an opposite house, saying, “If thou be the devil or a kobold, fling this stone back,” and it was hurled back, and passed close to his eyes instantly.
The stone-throwers were afterwards exorcised by the priests, called Torres-menudas.
The Spiritual Magazine, January 1865.
From the “Compendium Maleficarum” of Francesco Maria Guazzo, of the Order of St. Ambrose ad nemus; (1608) quoting from “Jardin de las Flores curiosa” of Antonio de Turrecremata, (1570):
“At Salamanca there was a matron whose house was popularly said to be haunted by stone throwing. The Mayor of the city was incited by this rumour to test for himself whether the persistent report concerning that house was true, or whether it was not rather invented by the servants in order to cover some naughty pranks of theirs; for there were among them two young girls of no mean beauty, and it was suspected that the whole of this story had been fabricated in order to facilitate their meetings with their lovers.
“So the Mayor went to the house at the time when the stoning was said to be most frequent; and there went with him no less than twenty of the townsmen, some of whom he sent with a light to search the upper part of the house to see who it was who threw stones at the servants. They searched diligently everywhere, and came back and said they had found nothing at all alarming. He then decided to examine the cellars, to which some steps led down from the dining room, and to spend some time in a further search in that direction. And lo! hardly had they reached the place before there was a great noise and stones began to be hurled at them and swept them off their legs, but without harming them.
“So they were sent again to see where this shower of stones came from; and although they found no one in the place, the shower of stones kept falling. This went far to confirm the opinion which many had formed, that the phenomena were all due the devil’s work and magic; and this belief they more stoutly maintained as the stones kept falling about their heads. Some of them there rushed from the house in terror; but one of them, feeling bolder at a safe distance, took up and carefully noted the appearance of one particular stone and threw it into the house, saying: “If this came from you, O demon, throw the same stone back at me.” And when this was at once done, there was no more room for doubt that the house was haunted by demons as the Matron had said.”
Above taken from the 1929 translation by E.A. Ashwin, published by John Rodker. It seems to have everything; the falling stones; the two young girls associated; the orthodox “and Lo!” together with the assumption by the prevailing orthodoxy that there was “no more room for Doubt.”
Doubt, The Fortean Society Magazine, vol II, no. 28 (date unclear).