The Voice of a soul on the other side -The miraculous story of The Wizard Clip
-The
incredible spiritual drama of a mystic voice from the other world,
demonic activity, priestly intervention and extraordinary conversions in
early Virginia
Had
this incredible story been not so well documented by numerous well
educated and highly respectable individuals, some would certainly
struggle to believe it. Nevertheless, the numerous persons who have
personally witnessesd these extraordinary events have all testified as
to the authenticity of the supernatural manifestations that transpired
at the Livingston home beginning in 1794, and culminating with the
Livingston's surprising conversion to the Catholic Church.
John
Adam Livingston was born in Lancaster County, PA in February, 1739. When
he was age 33, he inherited his fathers 70 acre farm in Smithfield, Va.
(which has since become Middleway-Kearneysville, Jefferson County, West
Virginia) and moved his family there in 1772. Adam and his wife were
were practising Lutherans who had three sons and four daughters.
The Livingston family is plagued by an unexplainable series of unfortunate events.
The
historical records state that while still living in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania, the Livingston family was plagued by numerous negative
events, such as the death or sudden disappearance of livestock, failed
crops, items suddenly missing or found broken, strange scratching and
other unaccountable noises in the house etc. And so it was with a
certain joy and hope that Adam inherited his fathers 350 acre farm in
what was then Smithfield, Virginia, for the entire family had hoped that
moving out of their current home and into a new one in Virginia might
relive them of the dark events that were opressing them. Unfortunately
the string of evil events continued to occur in their new home with the
scratching at the walls, sounds of footsteps and other strange noises,
financial losses because of the death or sudden disappearance of
livestock etc.
The strange death of a visitor to the Livingston family homeThis
part of the story is not related in all of the historical documents,
but I will include it here as it may have some bearing on the case. One
day in 1794, a middle aged man knoocked at the door of the Livingston
family home and asked to lodge their. Adam agreed to this request out of
charity for a stranger. A few days after the arrival of this traveler
he suddenly became ill and as his illness became more threatening he
called Adam Livingston to his bedside and told him that he was a
Catholic. He then requested that a Priest be summoned as he apparently
felt that his sickness was life threatening.
Livingston, who at the time was a Lutheran who was not very favorable to the Catholic church, unkindly replied "that he knew of no priest in that neighborhood, and if there was one, he should never pass the threshold of this door."
Once again the dying man repeated his entreaties for the spiritual
assistance of a Catholic priest, but Livingston refused his request
because in his own defense there was no Catholic churches nearby, and
neither did he know of any Catholic priests in the area. Soon
afterwards, the stranger died without even his name being recalled by
Adam, along with there being nothing among his papers to throw any light
upon his identity.
The poltergeist activities increase in intensity and numberAnd
so it was that on the night of the strangers death, Adam Livingston
employed a man by the name of Jacob Foster to sit up with the corpse,
out of respect for the deceased. But as darkness fell and candles were
lighted in the room of the deceased, they suddenly all went out, and the
room was left in darkness. Mr Foster then attempted to relight them
several times, thinking the candles were defective or perhaps where
extinguished by some sudden breeze (which he attested later that he
never felt) but the candles kept being suddenly extinguised without any
apparent cause.
Notified of the strange occurance, Livingston
then brought two candles into the room which he had been using in his
own family room, which were about one-third burnt down and which he knew
to be good. But so soon as they were placed in the room with the corpse
they became immediately extinguished. This remarkable event so alarmed
Foster that he abandoned the vigil and immediately left the house.
The
next day, with the help of neighbors, Adam Livingston buried the
stranger on his property, without of course being able to mark the grave
properly since he did not know the man's full name or date of birth
etc.
The mysterious "Wizard Clip"
Soon
after the burial there began the negative events described at that time
as the "Wizards Clipp". It all began with the peace of Livingston
family being greatly disturbed by the apparent sound of horses galloping
around their house. On the first night of this occurance, Mr Livingston
investigated the strange sounds and he frequently rose during the night
but was unable to ascertain any cause for the strange galloping sounds.
While he and his family could distinctly hear the tramping of horses,
none of them could seem find the cause or the source of the disturbing
noises.
During this time his barn was burnt to the ground and
number of his cattle and livestock either died or strangely disappeared.
Inside the family home, the cookware was thrown upon the floor and
broken without any apparent cause, and a strange bells would clang,
disturbing its hearers. Along with the dead or missing livestock and
phantom bell clanging he additionally reported a string of other
negative events such as a sudden disappearence of coins, the heads of
his turkeys and chickens being strangely removed and burning embers of
wood suddenly leaping from the fireplace several feet out onto the
floor, endangering the house and its frightened and bewildered
inhabitants.
Soon the negative events which were destroying the
peace of the family assumed a new form. One night the sound of a large
pair of shears (scissors) could be distinctly heard in his house,
clipping in the form of half moons and other strange shapes and figures
his blankets, sheets, tablecloths, shoes and clothing. Thus began what
was soon called "The Wizard Clip" or "The Livingston Wizard" because of
the incredible clipping that continued daily for upwards of three
months.
By this time, the news of all these strange events was
spread through the countryside for thirty miles around, and especially
attracted the local citizens of Smithfield. An old Presbyterian lady of
Martinsburg, hearing of the strange clipping that was going on at
Livingston home soon arrived to satisfy her curiosity. Before entering
the door she took from her head her new silk cap, wrapped it up in her
silk handkerchief and put it in her pocket to save it from being
clipped, if such stories were even true, she thought. After her visit
she stepped out of the Livingston home and while doing so she drew out
of her pocket her handkerchief containing her new silk cap, and opening
it to her shock and horror she found the cap cut in narrow ribbons.
Soon
afterwards came to the Livingston home three adventurous young men from
Winchester who were friends, declaring their utter disbelief of the
strange reports and requesting to sleep in the house in an effort to
refute all that was said to be going on the home. However, a few moments
after they became seated in the house, a large stone was seen to
proceed from the fireplace and to whirl around the floor with great
velocity, which immeditately caused the once daring young men to hastily
leave the home in utter fright. And add to these already amazing
events, many visitors reported a alleged "rope" that appeared to be
blocking the road leading up to the Livingston house, however when those
who saw it attempted to grab or move the rope, it was found to be
immaterial, and thus it was termed as the "phantom rope" by some. The
purpose of the phantom rope, it is thought, was to deter people from
visiting the Livingston family for it is often a tactic of the demons to
isolate those of whom they are attacking and oppressing.
The devastating toll on the Livingston family -Local ministers are consultedMeanwhile,
the extraordinary negative events were taking a deep toll on Adam
Livingston and his family, as can easily be imagined. Everyone knew that
the source was evil. The loss of their farm animals and other similar
events caused by the strange events where taking a deep toll on not only
the Livinsgton familes financial resources, but even moreso on their
mental and emotional peace and well being. At first Adam sought the help
of his local Lutheran minister, whose efforts did not help according to
the records. It is said that after consulting his local pastor he also
sought the help of two Methodist ministers, according to the
testimonies, but apparently neither of these individuals were able to
help with the extraordinary manifestations that were plauging himself
and his family.
A remarkable dreamHowever one night, Mr. Livingston had a extraordinary dream. He saw a beautiful Church and in it was a “minister dressed in peculiar robes” and he heard a voice say to him: “That is the man who can relieve you.” Upon
coming out of his dream, he immediately decided to seek out the man in
this vision at all costs. That morning he set out for Winchester and
sought Rev. Alex Balmaine, an Episcopal minister, knowing that
Episcopalian preists dress in such "robes". Reverened Balmaine convinced
the thoroughly frightened man that he was not the robed individual he
had seen in his vision and that he was not in the business of removing
"spells, ghosts, and things of that nature." However it is said that
Rev. Balmaine suggested that he consult a Catholic priest, 'since the Catholic church is more familiar with such things'.
So
with reservation because of his Lutheran background, Mr. Livingston
asked around about finding a Catholic priest. He was directed to the
home of a devout Catholic family named McSherry. Late that evening Mrs.
McSherry saw Mr. Livingston, whose farm was about four miles away,
coming toward her house and she met him at the gate. When he asked to
see a priest, she told him there was no priest there then, but that one
would be celebrating Mass at a home in Shepherdstown the following
Sunday morning.
Mr Livingston seeks the help of the Catholic ChurchOn
Sunday, the McSherry family met Mr. Livingston in the Catholic home in
Shepherdstown. As soon as the priest, Father Dennis Cahill of
Hagerstown, appeared at the altar vested for Mass, Mr. Livingston
suddenly burst into tears and exclaimed,
"That is the man I saw in my dream! He is the one who will relieve me!"
When the Mass was over, going right to the priest, he poured out his
sad story and earnestly begged him for help. After some persuasion, Fr.
Cahill agreed to visit the haunted house. The priest questioned the
whole Livingston family, children and all, and they all told him exactly
the same stories concerning all that was happening. He therefore
consented to say some simple prayers of exorcism along with sprinkling
the house with Holy Water. To everone's utter amazement, as Father
Cahill was leaving, a sum of money that had recently mysteriously
vanished from the farmer's locked chest was suddenly laid by what seemed
to be invisible hands on the doorstep near the priest's feet! Needless
to say all were surpised, and Mr and Mrs. Livingston were overjoyed at
having suddenly been given back their lost sum of money.
According
to the written testimonies, the "poltergeist" activity stopped for some
days after Father Cahill's prayers and blesing, but then suddenly began
to occur once again. This time Mr. Livingston immediately went to
Father Cahill and explained the recent events. Father Cahill came to the
Livingston family home once again, interviewd the family concerning the
recent events, and this time he celebrated holy Mass inside of the
home. The supernatural activity immeditately stopped, and afterwards the
weeks and months passed in a renewed peace and calm for the Livingston
family. The remarkable spiritual help of the priest -who it seems was
the only one who could help- made a huge impression upon Mr. Livingston
and his family, and also the neighbors who had witnessed the unfolding
of the amazing events.
And so Mr. Livingston, his wife, and the
rest of the family were so overjoyed that they sought instruction in the
Catholic faith, and soon afterwards through the hands of Father Cahill
they all entered the Catholic church, along with several neighbors who
had witnessed all the events that transpired. And many more conversions
to the Catholic church would soon come because of all the news
concerning these astounding manifestations and events. Given all they
experienced, the family and friends made their profession of faith with
deep devotion. But this is not the end of this extraordinary story....
A learned priest is sent to investigate
News
of the remarkable events in the Livingston home and the families
subsequent surprising conversion into the Catholic Church reached even
the distant Archdiocese of Baltimore, where the United States first
Bishop, His Excellency John Carroll (1735-1815) caught wind of the
remarkable story, and thought it prudent to send a holy and learned
priest Father Demetrius A. "Smith" Gallitzin (photo left) to further
investigate the matters. And so it was that the learned Jesuit priest
was sent by his superiors to investigate these strange happenings at
Smithfield, Va. (or "Cliptown" as some were now calling it).
The
27 year old Father Demetrius A. "Smith", was born Prince "Mitri"
Gallitzin, the son of a German countess and a Russian prince-ambassador
of the Empress Catherine the Great and was well educated, had attended
several top schools in Europe. This Prince-Priest of Pennsylvania later
became known as the "Apostle to the Alleghenies" and his
cause for canonisation is well underway,
as he has currently been declared a "Servant of God" by the Catholic
Church. He was also known as Augustine Schmidt (or Smith), a name he
assumed (in his humility) to hide his noble birth.
Before
arriving at the Livingston home, Father Gallitzin was initially very
skeptical, and it was his intention to disprove of the alleged events
through science and/or psychology. Concerning this he wrote "My view
in coming to Virginia and remaining there three months was to
investigate those extraordinary facts at Livingston's, of which I had
heard so much...and which I could not prevail upon myself to believe;
but I was soon converted to a full belief of them. No lawyer in a court
of justice did ever examine or cross-examine witnesses more strictly
than I did all those I could procure."
For some reason, the
odd disturbances recommenced upon his arrival, with a volley of strange
knocks and clanging sounds, all without a material source. He quickly
came to the conclusion that the source was demonic, and as he related
afterwards to Reverend Bradley (a priest-friend of his), that he
immediately began to exorcise the evil spirits with prayers of the
Church.
However as he commenced praying, the rattling and
rumbling increased as if coming from innumerable horse driven wagons
which filled the house, rattling his nerves to such an extent that he
has to stop the prayers of the simple exorcism. After a few moments of
reflection he came to the conclusion that he needed the assistance of
Father Cahill, who returned with him to Livingston's, and bidding all of
the family to kneel down, together they commanded the evil spirits to
leave the house and cease all the disturbances. After what seemed like
some resistance on the part of the evil spirit(s) they were finally
conquered and compelled to obey the priests. The unpleasant
manifestations were gone for good, and never returned. And then began an
extraordinary time of grace for the Livingston family.
The supernatural Voice from Purgatory -extraordinary gracesFor
scarcely had the Livingston family been relieved from the renewed
torments of the spirit(s) than they were visited by a consoling Voice,
which remained with them for seventeen years. It has been strongly
believed that this Voice came from some soul suffering in purgatory,
very likely a priest because of the Voice's knowledge of Latin and
liturgical hymns, who for some reason was permitted by God to visit,
console and to instruct the family in the Catholic faith. Many suppose
that all the supernatural events that occured to the Livingston family
over the years--both the evil manifestations and later the mystical
Voice, were all willed by God to give evidence to the truth of the
Catholic faith, and the power of the Church and Its
priest-representatives.
And so it was that one night a bright
light awoke Mr. Livingston, and a clear, sweet voice told him to arise,
call his family together and to pray. He did so, and the mysterious
Voice prayed with them, guiding and leading their prayers. After prayers
the Voice from the other side then spoke to them, in the most simple
yet eloquent manner, of all the great mysteries of the Catholic faith to
which they had recently assented, but with only a limited instruction
and understanding. But now these truths, dimly understood before, yet
accepted with faith because the Church gave them, now became clear,
intelligible, fascinating and even more beautiful in their extraordinary
truth. Good and evil, and the power of Jesus, His Church and Its
representatives over the devil and his demons were made manifest to the
Livingstons and all who knew them in a most extraordinary and
unforgettable way.
The Voice and the souls in Purgatory
One
day when Mr. Livingston was working in the fields with his sons, all of
a sudden he was apparently taken ill, for they saw him turn deathly
pale and double up. As they helped him to walk home, he explained that
he had just heard a soul in Purgatory screaming for help. And later he
often said that he could never forget that terrifying shriek which made a
permanent impression upon his heart and mind, and made him always
mindful of the suffering souls in need of our prayers.
A burnt hand from purgatory is impressed upon a piece of cloth
One
night the Voice made the Livingstons get up three times to pray for a
certain soul in Purgatory. And when one of the girls began to think-
"...after
all the souls could have saved themselves and so they have deserved
their pains! And besides the whole thing is exaggerated" when suddenly they all heard a voice shrieking:
"Help! Help!" When asked what kind of help was needed it replied,
"Prayers, for we are in excruciating torments!"
At
that moment a human hand was burned into a nearby piece of clothing,
leaving the spaces between the fingers not scorched. The entire family
saw both the flame and the hand. Father Gallitzin asked for and was
given this extraordinary piece of clothing with the burnt hand impressed
upon it, and later he often showed this "relic" while giving testimony
to the supernatural events that occurred in the Livingston home.
On
another occasion the mystic Voice once asked Mr. Livingston to pray for
three hours for the soul of a "Fr. Pellins" (Jesuit Father James
Pellentz, S.J., Bishop Carroll's recently deceased Vicar-General).
Among other things which they could remember to repeat to others, the mysterious Voice said that
"all
the sighs and tears of the whole world were worth nothing in comparison
with one Mass in which a God Himself is offered in reparation for the
sins of the world." It exhorted them to have boundless
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and It continually implored them to
pray for the suffering souls in purgatory, whose agony the voice could
never weary of describing. It also urged all the members of the
Livingston family to charity and hospitality towards others, to
simplicity, modesty and chastity in ones dress and in one's actions and
behaviour; it would reprove them when they sinned against the Gospel and
the commandments of God, and would encourage them to various voluntary
penances and sacrifices, along with encouraging them in fasting and
prayer. And whenever the Voice came –sometimes accompanied by the bright
light- it would begin by saying
"In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost".
Mr.
Livingston, to whom the Voice most often addressed Itself, was made Its
agent for innumerable good works; he would be awoken at night to
undertake long journeys to persons taken suddenly ill, or those
suffering hardship; he would receive messages without any explanation,
which he was told to give at once to various people, and the messages
would soon prove to be of immense relief, amazing prophecy or of timely
warning. It foretold events which were often later verified, and
explained the meaning of current events.
An amazing visit from a young manUpon
one occasion Mr. Livingston and his family were together in one room,
when there suddenly appeared among them a young man, very poorly-clad,
and surprisingly barefooted even though it was a bitterly cold day. They
asked him where he came from and he answered "From my father"
"And why are you here" they asked.
"I have come to you to teach you the way to him" he replied.
He
stayed with them for three days, instructing them on all points of
Christian doctrine. In regards to his bare feet, they asked him if he
was not cold, thinking of offering him a pair of shoes, he replied that
in his country there was neither heat nor cold. When the moment came for
him to leave the house the same idea occurred to each of them, that as
they had not noticed when he came in, they would watch and see in what
direction he took when going away, thinking perhaps to follow him to see
where he was going. They saw him go into a lot in the front of the
house and then watched in amazement as he seemingly suddenly
disappeared.
The Voice guides and instructs the Livingston family
At
that time there was no permanent priest settled in the area as it was
not only rural but inhabited primarily by Protestants of various
denominations. In fact there were very few Catholic books to be had even
in the large cities, but Bishop Carroll, Fr. Gallitzin, Fr. Brosius,
Fr. Cahill, and Fr Pellentz along with other clergymen who conversed
with Mr. Livingston and his family were astonished at their deep
knowledge of the Catholic religion, and were all convinced that they
indeed had been instructed from above.
The Voice from beyond
revealed to Mr. Livingston that it had once been in the flesh just as he
was, and that if he persevered in the faith he would know who it was
before his death. But he must have taken the secret to the grave when he
died in 1820 because the record does not reveal anything further in
this matter. The Voice, having sung three times very beautifully in
Latin and in English, the Livingstons therefore naturally thought that
their mysterious visitor had perhaps been a priest.
On one
occasion the Voice requested the Livingstons to keep a forty days fast
with three hours of prayer each day. It also commanded them to keep
March 4th each year as a special holy day, in thanksgiving for their
conversion. And it was on that day, at the end of the forty days fast,
that Mr. Livingston heard It sing so beautifully, as also on one All
Souls Day. The Voice said that the souls in Purgatory rejoiced greatly
on All Souls Day(Nov 2) which is the special day in the Church year
where the whole Church is praying for them.
As the years passed
the Voice continued to join the family in their prayers, saying the
Rosary with them and instructing them how to pray well. It also
explained the Mass to them and stated that
"One
Mass was more acceptable to Almighty God than all the sighs and tears
of the whole world put together, for it was God, a pure God, offered up
to God."
Mr Livingston's second wife opposed the VoiceFather
Gallitzen reports some interesting details about Mr. Livingston's
second wife, who according to the record also heard the Voice quite
often yet for some reason she became opposed to it, and she even
endeavored by every means in her power to falsify it. Among other
things, It had said she would die in her own house; and in fact she fell
gravely ill at the house of a quaker family of whom she was visiting,
and to prove the Voice wrong, she absolutely refused to be taken home,
but soon afterwards she was forced to beg to be carried back, and died
in her own house, as predicted.
On
another occasion the Voice stressed what a blessing it is for us to
have the merciful Mother of God as our heavenly Advocate and that She
has great power on behalf of poor sinners. Yet apparently because Mrs.
Livingston, who had been a Presbyterian, was somewhat stubborn about
honoring the Blessed Virgin, the Voice insisted that in the second part
of the Hail Mary they all say three times "Holy, Holy, Holy Mary, Mother of God..."
Mr Livingston's second wife herself used to say that she was "the Judas of the family", and
she constantly tried to falsify whatever the Voice said. One Thursday
evening when some meat-soup was left after dinner, she decided to serve
it on Friday and brought it down to the cold cellar. But the next
morning she found the pot in which she had left the soup filled with
exactly the same quantity of clear water! And the Voice then told her
that It had done it, for "it was more proper to take water than to violate the rules of the Church!"
Mrs. Livingston herself confessed to the neighbor Mrs. McSherry this
whole occurrence. She also stated that the Voice had said, "If she would not submit to the rules of the Catholic Church, she would open her eyes in Hell."
In
"The Life of Father Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, prince and priest" by Sarah M. Brownson we read
"Fourteen
persons were converted in one winter by these things, which were well
known and widely discussed; others, influenced by the account of them,
received clearer impressions of the reality of another world, of the
close proximity of the evil one, and of the intimate union between the
Church militant and the Church suffering, from which they were moved to
the serious practice of virtue, and to endeavor to live as they would
wish to die."
Father Gallitzin stayed with the Livingston
family for three months, meticulously interviewing the entire family,
including the neighbors and friends, documenting the entire history of
the events up until the time of his visitation. Along with his copious
notes he carried back to Conewago a trunk full of clothing which had
been cut to pieces during the early period of destruction. Among these
clothes, however, are two garments marked in quite a different manner-
one bearing the impress as of a hand burnt in the cloth, the other was
the letters "IHS" seemingly burnt into the cloth in a similar manner.
(The letters "IHS" represent the word Jesus in Greek -editor)
As
the weeks and months of his stay progressed, Father Gallitzin and Mr.
Livingston befriended each other and they remained close up until
Livingston’s death. The servant of God Fr. Gallitzin soon afterwards
became known as the "Apostle of the Alleghenes" by spreading his zeal
and devotion to the Catholic faith throughout Pennsylvania and beyond,
however he often visited Mr. Livingston, and we read in Father
Gallitzin's memoirs that the mystic Voice through Mr. Livingston
prophetically prepared and guided him for all the trials and sufferings
that was to come from his apostolate and mission in Pennsylvania and
abroad.
“Mr. Livingston moved from Virginia to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where he died in the spring of 1820,” stated Fr. Gallitzin in his memoirs. “I
had Mass at his house quite often. Mr Livingston continued, to the
last, very attentive to his christian duties, but did not receive the
rites of the Church in his last sickness, which carried him off too
quick to afford any chance of sending for a priest.”. In his writings, Father Gallitzin wrote elsewhere about Mr. Livingston stating: "...soon
after (Fr. Gallizin's arrival which coincided with the end of the first
part of events) he became a most edifying member of the Catholic
Church."
For the building and spread of the Catholic faith in early America
Considering
the many conversions to the Catholic church that stemmed specifically
from the events that occurred to the Livingston family, several
historians have come to the obvious conclusion that the occurances there
were primarily for the building and the spread of the Catholic church
in the early American colonial period. The news of astounding events had
spread far and wide across the countryside, and it gave remarkable
evidence to the power and truth of the Catholic faith, and the power
given to It's priests who were able to rid the Livingston's of the
demonic that was terrorising them, when all the other christian
denominations failed them.
In 1802, Adam Livingston and his
family moved back to Pennsylvania, thereby spreading the story even
further abroad, all the while the mystical Voice continued to guide Adam
and his family for 17 years.
The site becomes known as "Priest Field"
While still in Virginia, one day the Voice told Adam that his land "would one day become a great place of prayer".
In gratitude for all the graces that he and his family recieved through
the Catholic church, Adam Livingston deeded 34 acres of his farmland in
Smithfield, Va. (which has since become Kearneysville, Jefferson
County, West Virginia) to the Catholic church, and the tract soon became
known as "Priest’s Field." The term of course came from the
Livingston's assumption that the mystical Voice was that of a Priest who
had passed into the next life. Initially the land became a cemetery,
however in 1923 a Chapel was built on the land by the faithful in honor
of the souls in Purgatory. The Chapel soon became a place of pilgrimage
and devotion, especially in honor of the Holy Souls.