Science, in the form of Dr. Shustoff, now hinted that electricity or magnetic force was at the bottom of the annoyances, a great comfort to the household, who conceived that the devil was concerned.  The doctor accompanied his friends to their country house for a night, Maria was invited to oblige with a dance, and only a few taps on windows followed.  The family returned to town till 21st January.  No sooner was Mrs. Shchapoff in bed than knives and forks came out of a closed cupboard and flew about, occasionally sticking in the walls.

On 24th January the doctor abandoned the hypothesis of electricity, because the noises kept time to profane but not to sacred music.  A Tartar hymn by a Tartar servant, an Islamite, had no accompaniment, but the Freischutz was warmly encored.

This went beyond the most intelligent spontaneous exercises of electricity.  Questions were asked of the agencies, and to the interrogation, “Are you a devil?” a most deafening knock replied.  “We all jumped backwards.”

Now comes a curious point.  In the Wesley and Tedworth cases, the masters of the houses, like the cure of Cideville (1851), were at odds with local “cunning men”.

Mr. Shchapoff’s fiend now averred that he was “set on” by the servant of a neighbouring miller, with whom Mr. Shchapoff had a dispute about a mill pond.  This man had previously said, “It will be worse; they will drag you by the hair”.  And, indeed, Mrs. Shchapoff was found in tears, because her hair had been pulled. {205}

Science again intervened.  A section of the Imperial Geographical Society sent Dr. Shustoff, Mr. Akutin (a Government civil engineer), and a literary gentleman, as a committee of inquiry appointed by the governor of the province.  They made a number of experiments with Leyden jars, magnets, and so forth, with only negative results.  Things flew about, both from, and towards Mrs. Shchapoff.  Nothing volatile was ever seen to begin its motion, though, in March, 1883, objects were seen, by a policeman and six other witnesses, to fly up from a bin and out of a closed cupboard, in a house at Worksop. {206} Mr. Akutin, in Mrs. Shchapoff’s bedroom, found the noises answer questions in French and German, on contemporary politics, of which the lady of the house knew nothing.  Lassalle was said to be alive, Mr. Shchapoff remarked, “What nonsense!” but Mr. Akutin corrected him.  The bogey was better informed.  The success of the French in the great war was predicted.

The family now moved to their town house, and the inquest continued, though the raps were only heard near the lady.  A Dr. Dubinsky vowed that she made them herself, with her tongue; then, with her pulse.  The doctor assailed, and finally shook the faith of Mr. Akutin, who was to furnish a report.  “He bribed a servant boy to say that his mistress made the sounds herself, and then pretended that he had caught her trying to deceive us by throwing things.”  Finally Mr. Akutin reported that the whole affair was a hysterical imposition by Mrs. Shchapoff.  Dr. Dubinsky attended her, her health and spirits improved, and the disturbances ceased.  But poor Mr. Shchapoff received an official warning not to do it again, from the governor of his province.  That way lies Siberia.