June 1, 2026

Episode 76: The Wizard Clip

In the 1790s, a West Virginia farming family was tormented by an unseen presence that cut cloth into mysterious shapes, set fires, and brought a stream of uninvited guests, until a Catholic priest intervened and the activity ceased. Mary Ann Poll tells the story of the Livingston family and the documented intervention that ended their ordeal.EPISODE NOTES● One of the earliest documented cases in American history of what investigators would later classify as poltergeist activity.● Uniquely, this case has a resolution: Father Cahill's intervention and the subsequent cessation of all activity are part of the documented historical record.● The site, now called Priest Field Pastoral Center, is a real location in West Virginia.● The closing of this episode reflects the ambiguity of the case: 'Some people might call what happened to him haunting. Some might call it grace.'SOURCES● Raphael Brown, The Mystery of the Wizard Clip, Richmond Catholic Historical Society (1949)● Professor P.J. Mahon, Trials and Triumphs of the Catholic Church in America, Chicago (1907)● A.L. Marshall, Adam Livingston, The Wizard Clip, The Voice, Kearneysville WV (1978)● Middleway Conservancy Association (middlewayconservancy.org)● Our Lady of the Rosary Library (olrl.org)

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