Broadside regarding a disturbance at Colinton, Edinburgh

Transcription

A full and particular account or a remarkable and fearful noise and disturbance;
that has continued for above three weeks at a Farmer's house at Sourhole, in
the parish of Collington, a few miles south west of Edinburgh.

WE have hitherto avoided publishing
any thing concerning that extrao-
dinary noise which has been heard for
some time past in a farmer's house in
the parish of Collington, as we for some
time doubted the truth of such reports;
but as every endeavour has been used
to find out the cause without effect, such
as lifting the floor and examining every
part of the house, we must give credit
to the reports which so many have a-
vouched for a truth ; whether it is na-
tural or supernatural we cannot say, but
it has every appearance to be of the lat-
ter kind. The following account ap-
pears to be nearest to truth of its begin-
ning and operations.

About the third or fourth of this
month, the most remarkable Phenome-
non began to manitest itself about the
house of a decent farmer at Sourhole,
about three miles and a half from Edin-
burgh. It comes in various forms,
sometimes as it were a, chap or knock-
ing at the door, and so increases to a
a very tremenduous and frightful noise
round about the whole house, and so
loud, that it is often heard for above a
quarter of a mile distant. Several peo-
ple of respectability have examined all
parts about the house, and are convinced
there is no possibility of any imposition.
The people of the house, who are se-
rious Christians, left it, leaving some of
their friends in the mean time to stay
in it, to see whether it was them or the
house that was thus disturbed, but the
noise (though some says not) continued
the same. Some times it comes like a
gust of wind about the door, and then
the noise commences very frightful to
hear. Several people have stood round
about the whole house, at small distan-
ces from another, and some times have
fired guns, to try if it would make any
difference, but the noise continued the
same ; and what is very well worth ob-

servation,a man who pretended to great
courage, said, if they would give him
plenty of whiskey, he would fight the
dumb Devil; but, when the noise be-
gan, he was forced to be led out of the
house by two men. Another who seem-
ed still more daring and bold, said, he
would stay in the house alone ; but no
sooner did the noise begin, then he
fainted quite away, and when carried,
out of the house, was a good while ere
he recovered. Some persons of credit,
who were lately at the house, enquired
of the family, as if they had been way-
faring people, if there was any truth of
what was reported concerning his bro-
ther, when the man solemnly declared
the report was utterly void of founda-
tion. He said, moreover, that as they
lived on a high road, he had caused his
son to search the draw-well and every
drain near the place left any person had
been murdered there, but no such thing
could be found. Some Clergymen have
also taken the trouble, in company with
several gentlemen, to endeavour to find
out the reason of the unaccountable
noise, but as yet without success And
what is very observable, the noise is
some times more frequent than others,
and some times in the night, some times
in the day, and those at work at the a-
foresaid distance of above a quarter of a
mile, will hear the noise, as if a great
many anchor smiths fore hammers were
at work. The noise has been more fre-
quent and awful for these two or three
days past, particularly yesterday the 26,
the noise was most tremenduous and
dreadful to hear.

This short and true statement of this
wonderful and unaccountable Pheno-
menon is given to prevent people from
being misled with the many fictions and
groundless reports that are now spread
through the country without the least
foundation. [Edinburgh; Printed by J. Morren.

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