Queer Doings in family of Dwight Ives, 1863

Queer Doings

Chenango Union, Nov. 18, 1863

 

There have been some queer doings of late in the family of Mr. Dwight Ives, a respectable farmer in the south part of this town [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], which have assumed a shape to make them of public interest.  For the last month or two, small quantities of flour, pork, meal, butter, cream, etc., have been taken from the house on different occasions in the night time and from droppings of flour and meal leading in a particular direction, suspicion had been created against a man in the neighborhood named Marcius Rathbone, alias Place, who has been in the habit of working occasionally for Ives, and who has served one term in State Prison.  About two weeks ago flour was taken in the night from a barrel in Mr. Ives' bedroom, which had been placed there for greater security, some of the flour being found next morning scattered along the floor to an outer door.  The same night, as is supposed, a $20 bill was taken from a trunk at the foot of the bed in the same room.  On Monday of last week, soon after daylight, a variety of articles belonging to the house, such as spoons, books, daguerreotypes, etc., were found strewn about the door yard.  The same day candles, a child's cap, and other things were found in a direction from the house leading towards Rathbone's, in or near the path much used by him in going to and from his house and Ives'.  Nearly all of these things were found by a little girl about twelve years of age who lives in Ives' family.  On Monday and Tuesday, also, there were strange works going on inside of Ives' house.  Beds flew to pieces, seemingly without human aid; a table spread was taken from a table in the parlor and by the same mysterious agency conveyed to the garret, as also were a pair of shoes.  The family as well as the neighbors were much excited at this strange state of things.  Many persons, it is said, were present watching in other rooms when the bed clothes were removed from the bed; but no one detected the trick by which it was done.  As soon as the bedroom was left alone the bed would be torn to pieces.  Spiritual experts were called in, and the doings were unhesitatingly ascribed to spirits.  Rathbone was present some of the time when the "manifestations" were going on, and the girl, it is alleged, was most of the time engaged in doing her ordinary housework. 

 

Matters remained in this state until Thursday last, except that in the meantime the "spirits" seemed to have ceased their annoyances, and the family were much on their guard against evil influences, bodily as well as spiritual.  On that day Mrs. Ives, while changing her dress, accidentally left on her bed a roll of money amounting to $180, in twenty dollar greenbacks, which she had previously carried about her person for safe keeping.  This was about 10 o'clock in the forenoon.  All the doors in the house were kept fastened.  The persons present in the house consisted of Mrs. Ives, her sister, and the little girl, Mr. Ives and a boy who works for him being absent in the woods at work.  Between two and three o'clock in the afternoon the girl was let out of the house by Mrs. Ives' sister, who swears that she (the girl) did not go from the yard, and that she was gone not over three or five minutes.  As soon as she returned, the girl discovered that a satchel which had been hung up conspicuously in the kitchen, where Mrs. Ives' sister might have her eye upon it, had been opened, and a silk cloak taken out.  She immediate informed Mrs. Ives and Mrs. Ives' sister, who sent her to look in the direction of Rathbone's so see if any thing or any body could be found or seen.  It was then that Mrs. Ives discovered the loss of the money which she had left on the bed. The girl on her return stated that she had seen Rathbone near his house, which was about seventy rods off, going towards it.  She was then sent to call Mr. Ives.  On the way, where there is a log across the creek, in the direction of Rathbone's, she found a $20 greenback lying on the ground.  She met the boy coming home, and he ran back and told Ives what had happened.  After her return to the house the girl was sent to follow up the track towards Rathbone's.  This time she found further along, near a stone wall, another $20 greenback; and in the wall, which is between Ives' and Rathbone's, she discovered crowded in among the stones, a roll of bills.  Her attention was attracted to them, she states, by the green color.  As she was unable to reach the bills with her hands she ran back and told the boy, who same and got them. they proved to the remainder of the $180 taken from Mrs. Ives' bed.  The girl also found the piece of yellow paper in which the money had been wrapped. 

 

Upon this state of facts Mr. Ives applied to Justice Mason, of this village, for a warrant against Rathbone, who was that evening arrested and lodged in jail.  The examination of the prisoner on Friday disclosed the facts stated above.  The theory of Rathbone's counsel was that it was the girl who was at the bottom of the mischief, and that Rathbone was entirely innocent.  The latter part of this proposition is greatly strengthened by the testimony of a respectable witness, Mr. Merithew, a blacksmith, who swears positively that Rathbone was at his shop on that day from a little after 1 o'clock P.M., until 5 P.M., except about 15 minutes, when he saw him go to his house with a hinge which he had made, for the purpose of attaching it to a gate or door.  It is incredible, however, that a girl of only 12 years of age, could be so artful and so depraved.  In her examination, moreover, as a witness, though so unconscious of the nature of an oath as to need instruction from the magistrate, she betrayed not the slightest evidence of guilt, but told her story clearly, consistently, and without the slightest hesitation.  She denied also in the most positive terms any knowledge of the means by which the "spiritual" manifestations were produced.  It should also be said that at least up to the time of the examination of Rathbone, neither Mr. Ives nor his family had the slightest suspicion that she was the occasion of their troubles.  In appearance she is innocent and prepossessing, though uncommonly bright and quick.

 

Rathbone was discharged from custody after the examination, there being no evidence against him, in reality, except his previous bad character; and the question as to who is the really guilty one is just as undecided as at the outset.  Since the foregoing was in type, however, we have heard that on Saturday last Ives had pork taken from his cellar and a number of shirts from his house, and that he has since sent the girl away among some of his friends in order to get her out of the neighborhood.  It is not pretended that Rathbone could have committed the theft on Saturday, as he and his "wife," so-called, were in this village during the day, she being confined in jail for want of sureties to keep the peace towards Ives, she having threatened to be revenged on him for the arrest of her husband.

 

Later--We learn that on Saturday last, the girl, Mary Dempsey was taken before Justice Ford, in Guilford, when she confessed herself the perpetrator of all the events described above.  Taken, altogether, it is a most singular case. 

 

The "Spiritual" Case

Chenango Union, Nov. 25, 1863

 

In adding a postscript to the account published by us last week of some "queer  doings" in the family of Mr. Dwight Ives, of this town [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], we stated that the little girl made confession upon being taken before Justice Ford, of Guilford.  This was a mistake.  The confession was obtained from her by G.W. Chamberlin, Esq., of Mt. Upton, who had first satisfied himself of her guilt.  She gave the most minute particulars as to how every thing was done, showing wonderful quickness and design.  The silk cloak she carried out of the  house, when let out by Miss Colburn, under her apron; and when it was hunted for she had it still under her apron, and was among those who were looking for it.  Going a little farther into the woods than the rest, she told them that she had found it in a hollow tree!  Her object does not seem to have been malicious, as the money and articles were all either found and restored by herself, or placed where they would be found by others.  She appears to have been instigated wholly by a mere love of mischievous fun, and is quite penitent for what she had done.  She says that finding what she first did attributed to "spirits," she was possessed with a desire to see how far she could carry her tricks.  The Albany Argus in noticing this case says:  "It is a mystery, even greater than spiritualism, how a child should be seized with this morbid love of imposture, and be gifted with this aptitude for deception!  Yet the history of jurisprudence is full of just such deceptions, in which the actors are usually girls unsuspected before of any such capacity for deception."