LITHOBOLIA; OR, THE STONE-THROWING DEVIL.
THE above is the title of a tract, the first edition of which is exceedingly rare. I find this tract or pamphlet in a private library, not surpassed by any other in the country in the department of American history. The word "Lithobolia" is derived from two Greek words which mean "the casting or throwing of stones." This remarkable pamphlet professes to contain "An exact and true account (by way of Journal) of the various actions of infernal spirits, or witches (devils incarnate), or both; and the great disturbance and amazement they gave to George Walton's family at a place called Great Island, in New Hampshire, in New England, chiefly in throwing about (by an invisible hand) stones, bricks, and brickbats of all sizes, with several other domestic utensils as came into their hellish minds, and this for the space of a quarter of a year. The tract was published originally in London in 1698, and was reprinted in the Historical Magazine, New York, in 1861. "The contents of this pamphlet," says Hon. J. R. Bartlett, "possess an interest from the fact that they are so much in accordance with the manifestations of modern spiritualism. The events recorded in the work are stated to have been known to the inhabitants of the Province, and are upon record in his Majesty's Council Court." Among the persons who were eye-witnesses to the strange things stated to have taken place are, "Samuel Jennings, Governor of West Jersey; Walter Clark, Deputy Governor of Rhode Island; and Math. Borden, of Rhode Island." The facts recorded are, in brief, as follows: An elderly woman who considered herself as having been wronged by a neighbor in a business transaction declared that he should never quietly enjoy the piece of ground unjustly taken from her by his trickery. This woman, in accordance with notions of the age in which she lived, was believed to be a witch. A gentleman who was the guest of Mr. Walton, the unjust neighbor as was claimed, relates, apparently with the utmost confidence in the truth of that about which he gives his testimony, what he declares fell under his own eye. One Sunday night stones were heard to be violently thrown against the house by some person or persons unknown. Previous to this a fence-gate had been wrung from its hinges and violently dashed to the ground, and a fierce assault with stones had been made upon the family by unseen hands. On the Sunday night referred to, although the most diligent search was made for the person or persons throwing the stones, no one could be found, and the conclusion of Mr. Walton's guest was that the hurling of the stones must have been caused by means extraordinary and preter-natural. So violent was the force of the missiles that windows were broken, and even the bars and the hasps of the casements were snapped asunder. The pewter and brass vessels were pelted. Two candlesticks and a large pewter pot were knocked off the table on which they were standing. Some of the stones, on being taken up, were found to be hot, as though they had recently come out of the fire. The throwing of the stones, on the occasion of which we are speaking, continued for four hours, when the gentleman, weary with the excitement and the fatigue, went to bed, but in a short time was awakened by a fearful rattle against the partition of the chamber in which he slept. Not only stones, but a brick was hurled against the door and partition. After a time the wicked spirit or spirits who were supposed to be engaged in this malicious business retired, and coveted sleep came to the disturbed watcher. On comparing notes the next morning with the members of the family, strange stories were related by them. Several of the domestics had seen the spit which stood in the corner of the chimney vanish, then return, and then fly out of the window. A great stone, weighing over eight pounds, which was thrown into the window of the room in which the guest had slept, had been removed below, and subsequently carried back to the chamber, placed on the table, and on retiring from the room its occupant locked his door. Shortly after, the same stone was found in an antechamber, to which it could not possibly have been carried by human hands. During the day, stones of all sorts and sizes were flying about in various directions, to the great peril of life and limb to parties whom they came very near hitting. In the evening, while the gentleman relating these singular circumstances was playing upon a musical instrument, the door being opened for air, "a good big stone," as he soberly assures his readers, "came rumbling in, and as it were to lead in the dance, upon a much different account than in the days of old, and of old fabulous enchantments, my musick," he adds, very quaintly, "being none of the best." All through the week the same wonderful phenomena continued to occur. But the malicious demon seems to have reserved Sunday and Monday for the bolder perpetration of his diabolical tricks. The Sunday night following the one referred to, among other interesting performances, he, or they—for it was impossible to tell whether there was one, or whether there were many—threw two stones, about thirty pounds weight each, against the door and wall of the chamber where the guest was lodged. Whole bricks and parts of bricks were also used for this pleasant pastime. The next night, Monday, the experience was still more striking, literally so, for the gentleman referred to, going into the kitchen to watch the "goings on" there, was hit by some twenty or thirty stones, some of them "thumping him pretty severely," while some, even great ones, as if the considerate devil did not desire to vent his spite upon the innocent stranger, fell so lightly on different parts of his person as to do him no harm. A few days after, the wicked spirit did not prove himself so kind, for poor Mr. Walton, the object of his special wrath, was hit by stones thrown by invisible hands above forty times, some of them striking so hard that he did not get over the effects of the blows to his dying day. Notwithstanding his malice, the spiteful devil seemed to have a spice of fun in his nature, for one night the cocks of hay, made the day before in the orchard, were scattered in every direction, and some of the hay thrown up into the trees. A "form" that stood in the entry was set along by the fireside, and a joint stood upon that with a napkin spread thereon, with two pewter pots and two candlesticks. Thus things went on for weeks. At last, however, the end of this prank-playing came, and the demon departed to some unknown region. The writer of the narrative in closing says: "Who that pursues these preternatural occurrences, can possibly be so much an enemy to his own soul, and to irrefutable reason, as obstinately to oppose himself to, or confusedly fluctuate in the opinion and doctrine of demons, or spirits, or witches? Certainly he that does so must do two things more: He must tenaciously unhinge or undermine the fundamentals of the best religion in the world; and he must disingenuously quit and abandon that of the three theological virtues or graces to which the great Doctor of the Gentiles gave the precedence—charity, through his unchristian and uncharitable incredulity.—Rev. J. C. Stockbridge, D. D., in Christian at Work.