...continued from part eighteen.
17. Strange Phenomena in Yekaterinburg.
The newspaper "Ural" published the following description of phenomena observed in Yekaterinburg and taking place in the house of the priest of the village of Loginovo, Father Nikolai.
Father Nikolai has lived in this house for 13 years. Last summer, the house underwent major renovations. Before the renovations, the house was completely quiet, and afterward, the same continued for another two months. But recently, Father began to hear scratching sounds from inside the kitchen floor, sometimes whistling. He carefully examined the floor, peered into the crawlspace, but found nothing there. Three days passed. He said nothing to anyone, afraid to embarrass the family. Then, in addition to the scratching and whistling, he began to hear knocking on the floor, quite loudly. It sounded like someone was scratching the floor with claws; scratching and whistling. Then the entire household heard and recognized it.
Understandably, they were frightened at first, but then began to search for the cause of these phenomena. They assumed it was mice, hamsters, or other small animals, but they found no signs of mice. They placed food and various baits in the cellar, scattered flour to reveal animals or at least their tracks. The bait remained untouched, and no traces were found in the flour. The knocking and whistling continued, sometimes under the cabinet next to the trap in the cellar, sometimes near the opposite wall of the kitchen. The knocking began around 9 or 10 am in the morning, and during the day, but the knocking and sounds were especially annoying late at night, even until 3 or 4 am. No one could sleep; everyone was tense. They protected themselves only with prayer and the sign of the cross.
One day, a whole group gathered to investigate the phenomenon. They lit a fire, and several people descended into the cellar. They looked and rummaged around, but found nothing and couldn't even hear anything. Meanwhile, up above, the knocking and whistling clearly continued. The entire village was in a state of agitation. Crowds came to observe the spirits.
Another day, while people were in the yard and the house, a stone suddenly flew from the yard above into the kitchen. It hit a window that wasn't open — not even a casement — and the glass remained undamaged. Chunks of dry clay and lime flew into another window, coming from a different direction, and fell to the floor. Those standing in the yard didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but they only noticed that the people in the kitchen seemed very frightened. Father Nikolai still keeps the lumps of clay and lime. One clump struck a woman's hand, causing considerable pain for a while. There was nothing left to do but resort to prayer. Father Nikolai ordered the holy icons to be retrieved from the church and brought home. No sooner had the icons been placed in the room than two more thuds erupted in the kitchen. A service was held and the appropriate prayers were read. “Since then it has become calm”
(“Ural”; see “Rebus” 1898, No. 44).
PART TWENTY
17. Strange Phenomena in Yekaterinburg.
The newspaper "Ural" published the following description of phenomena observed in Yekaterinburg and taking place in the house of the priest of the village of Loginovo, Father Nikolai.
Father Nikolai has lived in this house for 13 years. Last summer, the house underwent major renovations. Before the renovations, the house was completely quiet, and afterward, the same continued for another two months. But recently, Father began to hear scratching sounds from inside the kitchen floor, sometimes whistling. He carefully examined the floor, peered into the crawlspace, but found nothing there. Three days passed. He said nothing to anyone, afraid to embarrass the family. Then, in addition to the scratching and whistling, he began to hear knocking on the floor, quite loudly. It sounded like someone was scratching the floor with claws; scratching and whistling. Then the entire household heard and recognized it.
Understandably, they were frightened at first, but then began to search for the cause of these phenomena. They assumed it was mice, hamsters, or other small animals, but they found no signs of mice. They placed food and various baits in the cellar, scattered flour to reveal animals or at least their tracks. The bait remained untouched, and no traces were found in the flour. The knocking and whistling continued, sometimes under the cabinet next to the trap in the cellar, sometimes near the opposite wall of the kitchen. The knocking began around 9 or 10 am in the morning, and during the day, but the knocking and sounds were especially annoying late at night, even until 3 or 4 am. No one could sleep; everyone was tense. They protected themselves only with prayer and the sign of the cross.
One day, a whole group gathered to investigate the phenomenon. They lit a fire, and several people descended into the cellar. They looked and rummaged around, but found nothing and couldn't even hear anything. Meanwhile, up above, the knocking and whistling clearly continued. The entire village was in a state of agitation. Crowds came to observe the spirits.
Another day, while people were in the yard and the house, a stone suddenly flew from the yard above into the kitchen. It hit a window that wasn't open — not even a casement — and the glass remained undamaged. Chunks of dry clay and lime flew into another window, coming from a different direction, and fell to the floor. Those standing in the yard didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but they only noticed that the people in the kitchen seemed very frightened. Father Nikolai still keeps the lumps of clay and lime. One clump struck a woman's hand, causing considerable pain for a while. There was nothing left to do but resort to prayer. Father Nikolai ordered the holy icons to be retrieved from the church and brought home. No sooner had the icons been placed in the room than two more thuds erupted in the kitchen. A service was held and the appropriate prayers were read. “Since then it has become calm”
(“Ural”; see “Rebus” 1898, No. 44).
PART TWENTY
