ITALIAN MARVELS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 79

ITALIAN MARVELS.

QUEER HAUNTED HOUSE STORY

A remaTfcablt story of a haunted house i-> sent by tbe Telegraph's Ancona correspondent, who says that in the residence of Signor Marracini, the Public Prosecutor, there have been for some time past extraordinary happenings, which have profoundly impressed the whole family. The sons of Signor Marracini, both barristers, have been interviewed on the subject by journalists. Their story is as follows : "Since several days tne strangest events have "been taking place in our house. Last night we heard repeated knockrngs and the moving of furniture in uninhabited rooms. Hurrying thither, we heard a rustling and nothing more. Meanwhile, there, was a curious disturbance in the electric wires, and all the bells in the house begnn to ring, making a horrib'e din. Believing that the wires had somehow got into contact, we had the whole installation examined by a competent person, but everything was in order. "But the most remarkable thing was the discovery of jets of water springing fromi ♦he walls, and almost flooding the floors. These were seen not only by us, but by other persons as well. Shortly afterwards we were in the dining room, when we saw milk coming xip through the floor. We reported the matter to some workmen, who examined the walls, broke trp the floor, raising the blocks, but they did not

find the least trace of milk, water, or! any other liquid. "'Still, the prodigies were not finished, as was shown by the appearance in the dining room of a cu^ filled with milk. One of us Avho happened to be close to the spot on the floor where the cup ap- J peared drew a little nearer, and saw a ' cup of coffee and milk arrive. Our father then cried jokingly, 'Coffee and milk? Bah ! I should prefer wine.' Shortly afterwards, while the table was being' cleared, we saw liquid running from the walls ; it was wine. A little while ago a pear appeared, and then we recalled that our sister had asked at table for a pear, but was refused, as she had already eaten enough fruit. The pear was on a dish, j which was locked away in the sideboard. When the latter was opened the pear was no longer there. j "We then thought that some mysterious - mediumistic force might be exercised by our sSster, so we watcned her every -movement carefully, and followed the child ' when she rose "from the table. When she passed close to a bookshelf where there were two volumes on spiritualism one -of the books was raised in the air as though by some supernatural force. It hit the girl several times on the shoulder, then danced for a, few moments in the air, and was then clapped against- the wall at the very spot whence the milk had issued." Naturally these phenomena — for which it is so far impossible to nnd a satisfactory explanation — -have caused a great impres- ' sion in Ancona. They are, indeed, the ■ sole topic of conversation.