SCARING A VILLAGE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2000, 21 December 1900, Page 3

SCARING A VILLAGE.

A wonderful thing ha 3 been frightening the inhabitants of Berbenno (Italy) for several years. It is weird enough to excuse their belief in its supernatural origin, and, to make explicable the state of nervocj dread in which they have been living. Noil a prominent scientist has studied it and fan] to understand it. He cannot even foruul late a theory, but he has at least enricheil the world with a marvellous story. ProfesJ sor Fabani is the man. He heard the tale ofj the strange happenings in the little village, and a few months ago he visited place and witnessed them. On the his arrival a trembling guide took him a short distance outside the village, where the country was perfectly open. Suddenly there appeared' before them a thin, long tongue of flame. At first it was only a few inches high. Then it rose in curious windings till it reached a height of twenty-five feet. Its tint changed from white to red, and then to yellow. For a few moments the flame appeared to be stationary. Then, at once, it began to flit along the road, now touching the ground, then skimming along a few inches above the surface, then springing high in the air. Sometimes it would lie along the ground, and crawl like a snake. Again it wonld dance and whirl swiftly. But always it maintained its general onward direction, which was towards the churchyard, where it disappeared. Professor Fabani watched it night after night. He reports that the flame appeared almost every night as soon as darkness came, and that the flame appeared to have a different shape almost every time that he saw it. Often it moves directly into the teeth of a gale, and snow and rain fail to extinguish it. He declares that he failed absolutely to find anything that could account for it. He was unable to touch the strange thing, for the flame avoids approaching todies, p.nd human beings who pursue it have their labor for their pains.