The Wizard Clip Haunting: A True Early American Ghost Story

When America was young, reckless, and fiercely independent, an equally independent farmer and a renegade priest reluctantly join forces to confront a spirit from another realm who threatens their safety and the country's freedom. Flax farmer, Adam Livingston, and pioneering Irish priest Fr. Denis Cahill struggle to accept each other, then together battle their common enemy, an ancient Babylonian spirit who wreaks havoc on Livingston, his family, and farm. A host of historical figures make their appearance in this dramatic celebration of traditional American values and themes.

This may be a work of historical fiction, but a great many of the characters and events it chronicles are real. The main characters, Adam and Mary Ann Livingston, their friends Richard and Anastasia McSherry, and Fr. Denis Cahill actually lived through the hauntings that historically came to be known as The Wizard Clip. Further, at the request of Bishop John Carroll, the events were investigated by none other than Rev. (Prince) Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, who came to be known as the Apostle of the Alleghenies, and is under consideration for canonization by the Catholic Church. His current title is "Servant of God." Gallitzin, who narrates this tale, wrote of the Wizard Clip hauntings: "After three months of investigation, I was soon converted to a full belief of them. No lawyer in a court of justice did more than I, nor procured more than your unworthy servant." Today, over 200 years later, the village of Middleway, West Virginia, continues to celebrate its place in history with wood-block emblems on building fronts depicting a crescent moon and a pair of scissors. The village, to some, is still remembered as Clip Town.