Poderes paranormales. Estados Unidos

WOVEN BY A GOLD BUG.

A Curious Bladensburg Spider Spins the Name of McKinley

Bladensburg has a novelty. This is nothing more nor less than an educated spider, and a well-educated one at that, the republicans of that vicinity stoutly maintain, though the democrats shake their heads and express pity for the misguided insect. This spider has woven the name of William McKinley in the center of its web.

The spider itself is not the ordinary insect, but is a genuine gold bug. It has two golden stripes down its back, and there is not a particle of silver coloring to be seen anywhere in its make-up. These same stripes, so the more enthusiastic residents of that section who are partial to the spider’s candidate aver, shine at night with a radiant, golden light, so that the name of the candidate is always visible. Greater stress is laid upon this freak of nature from the fact that it has come to light in a silver man’s house. That individual stoutly maintains, however, in answer to a republican’s assertion, that “When a spider gets to writing a man’s name, there is no holding him back,” that Bryan does not need a spider to bring his name into prominence, and that all the spiders in the country cannot weave enough nets to hold him down.

A number of people both from that section of the country and this city have seen the strange working of nature. The spider resides in the kitchen of the residence of Mr. Alexander Moffit, which is on the old Bladensburg mill property, near the Highland station, on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. The house is an old structure and the spider made his home in the rafters between two heavy beams, almost over the kitchen stove. The phenomenon was noticed at least six weeks ago, and a Star reporter visited the place yesterday to ascertain the real facts in the case. He found everything exactly as reported, and, although the flies and ravages of time had wrought a few changes in the delicate silken structure of the fly-catching trap, the writing was still plainly legible.

The writing itself is very nearly the size of ordinary large handwriting, and is situated very near the center of the web, the first letter starting just at the center. The web is about a foot in diameter and the lines which form the writing are darker and heavier than the other portions of the gauze-like structure. When the reporter visited the house the flies had destroyed the three first strokes of the “W” and a portion of the “e” and the “y,” but Mrs. James Hart drew in the remaining strokes just as she had seen them. otherwise the writing was intact, and the occupants of the house are willing to make affidavit, as well as the rest of the people who have seen the sight, that the whole name was there in the beginning and was plainly legible. The outer structure of the web is joined by thousands of strands to the writing, while the letters themselves are joined in the most approved fashion.

Among those who witnessed the spider’s handiwork are Major and Mrs. James P. Hart of 618 11th street northeast; Miss Annie hart, Miss Bell hart, Miss Clara Hart, Mr. C. Paxton, Mr. Lewis Esper and Mr. Albert McConochle of 304 9th street northwest, and, as stated above, are all willing to make affidavit to what they have seen.

Evening Star [Washington DC] 26 September 1896: p. 22