Devil; Witchcraft -- Great Britain; Witchcraft -- United States
A carpenter gave it as his opinion that the house was going to tumble
down, so Mrs. Golding removed to Mrs. Gresham’s, her next door neighbour,
and her effects were also removed as quickly as possible; but the demon
followed with them.
‘Among the things that were removed to Mrs. _Gresham’s_, was a tray full
of china, &c. a japan bread basket, some mahogany waiters, with some
bottles of liquors, jars of pickles &c., and a pier glass, which was taken
down by Mr. _Saville_, (a neighbour of Mrs. _Golding’s_): he gave it to
one _Robert Hames_, who laid it on the grass-plat at Mrs. _Gresham’s_;
but, before he could put it out of his hands, some parts of the frame on
each side flew off. It raining at the time, Mrs. _Golding_ desired it
might be brought into the parlour, where it was put under a side-board,
and a dressing glass along with it; it had not been there long, before the
glasses and china which stood on the side board, began to tumble about and
fall down, and broke both the glasses to pieces. Mr. _Saville_ and others,
being asked to drink a glass of wine or rum, both the bottles broke in
pieces before they were uncorked.’
This made the poor lady very nervous indeed, and she could no longer stop
in a house where there were such doings, so moved to that of a niece, Mrs.
Pain, but while they were picking up some of her things to store away, ‘a
jar of pickles that stood upon a table, turned upside down, then a jar of
rasburry jam broke to pieces; next two mahogany waiters and a
quadrille-box likewise broke to pieces.’
Mrs. Golding doubtless thought that her troubles were ended, for
everything was quiet in her new abode till about eight o’clock in the
evening, when there was ‘the Devil to pay.’
‘The first thing that happened, was, a whole row of pewter dishes, except
one, fell from off a shelf to the middle of the floor, rolled about a
little while, then settled, and what is almost beyond belief, as soon as
they were quiet, turned upside down; they were then put on the dresser,
and went through the same a second time; next fell a whole row of pewter
plates from off the second shelf over the dresser to the ground, and being
taken up, and put on the dresser one in another, they were thrown down
again.
‘The next thing was two eggs that were upon one of the pewter shelves, one
of them flew off, crossed the kitchen, struck a cat on the head, and then
broke to pieces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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