Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1850-11-16
The Haunted House.

Vi DoIueduS, ana which puts entirely In the shade
the mysterious knockings'' at Rochester, and the
dlabollcal domgs in Connecticut Believing that
anything that may tend to throw some light on these
dark, antastca proceedings. and open the eyes of
the too credulous, TO the absurdity of attaching
the slightest Importance to these supernatural dongs,
we translate the ghost Story emitting however some
of the les important details.
About the middle of the Rue .Nduyac, stands
small white house, with green blinds, and garden
and small yard in the rear. Only two tenants occu-
Ply the house.
During the last fortnight events of the most extra
ordinary character have occurred in the garden, in
the rooms, and especially in the kitchen chimney of
the Inflated dwelling and the whole neighborhood
has been thrown into the highest state of excitement
People talked of nothing but ghosts and hobgoblns.
Fear took possession of every heart, and crowds
congregated day and night in front of the little house
with green blinds, anxious to solve the awful mys-
terry.
Now, these are facts which occurred at the little
house, with green blinds, throwing the honest ten
ants into dismal CONSERVATION
| One day, at shutdown, at the hour when the soup
kettle Is placed on the fire, to up the soup for
dinner, stone suddenly fell through the chimney,
smashing the earthern pot, scattering the Goals about
the room, and sping the broth over the hearth.
The first time this thing happened, it suppos-
ed that some fragment of brick mortar having be-
come detached from the chimney, had fallen down
into the Fireplace. That was Il sufficiently natural
superstition, and had we been the tenants we would
certainly have INDUCED it ourselves.
A new kettle, however, had scarcely been replac-
ed upon the fire, when another big stone came like
thunderbolt, through the window, dashng the panes
to atoms, and striking right in the middle Of the
ktchen to the utter astonlshment of the honest ten
ants, who could scarcely believe their own eyes,
The inside shutters were instantly closed, and the
family gathered around the hearth, to inquire into the
meaning OF these mysterious attacks, and what in
visible hand could have thus smashed the SOUP ket-
tie, and broken the window glass Courage return
ed after while. Perhaps, suggested one, it was
only some boy at play, who threw stones on the
roof, and against the window
We would have thought jdst so.
This suggestion seemed to dispel the fears of the
good tenants, and they set about to prepare anew
their supper, when, OH horrors the hearth is mum
Dated the fire is extlngulshed dense smoke fills the
room, and considerable quantity of water is seen
running down the chimney
general rush is Instantly made towards the gar
den in search Of the evil spirits who dared thus to
disturb the peace of inofensiye citizens But at the
same moment the back and front windows flew open
the glass was smashed to atoms and in every room
the stones in like hail. striking several of the
little children, ard iniicting severe wounds upon
| them.
The family were in CONSERVATION, and shut them
selves up, carefully closing all the inside shutters
which resounded with constant hail of stones. Ne
body went to bed that night.
The next morning, complaint was made to the
commiSsGire de police who is supposed to have the
power TO route all evil spirits. The commiSsionary
came, accompanied by the Deputy Sheriff, the
Judge of instruction. the clerk and in fact the whole
Judiciary. Every submitted to severe
cross-eXamInatIon, careful search made in the
HOW don, Al IL.
houses adjoining gardens and yards the roof and the
chimney; but to no purpose. Nothing was found,
not the slightest trace of spirits ghosts, hobgoblins
witch, or coniurer.
The magistrates returned, believing it perhaps a
mystifcation or a halucinaton. But how could it
be possible? There the stones piled up in the
chimney, and scattered about the rooms. There
were the windows pasted up with paper, in place of
the broken glass, and child was land upon the bed
with the wound in its head bound up. These facts
could not be denied.
During this, and the following days, in broad day.
light, well night, it rained stones from the gar
den and the yard, and torrents Of water poured down
the chimney, and inundated the kitchen in such
manner that it was impossible to cook the dinner
and yet the evil spirits, so extremely subtitle and
cunning, succeeded to escape the most minute search
and escaped all possible investigation.
One evening, their wckedness went even so far
as " thIoW uoNH Tue Ctiit1uey, uedu cat ! his
1t supposed would be the finishing stroke and a
truce of some days tended to confirm the hope. But
alas the respite did not last long The spirits re-
sumed their internal racket, and that too under the
very eyes of the police, who spared effort or means
to surprise them. They carried their audacty to
the last extremity, but we must here remark, that
they seemed to address themselves only TO one of
the tenants, man named Landon, an officer of the
excise. 1t was at first thought to be some grudge
aT butoff rJs b.,b
suspected of making the disturbance 1t was not SO,
however, as it was proved afterwards.
'About O'Clock, night before last, " says a paper
of March 9th, 'the Naujac street affair became more
complicated. An evil spirit, in the shape of bully
some SIX feet IN his boots, succeeded in gaining ad-
mtance to the house, under the pretence of being a
law officer Once in the house, this spirit admins
tered to officer Landon, lesson in physical pugsn,
which would have done honor to professional knight
of the ring. Landon was not disconnected, however
and believing that this time, he had at last got hold
of the real witch, he defended himself bravely, and
furrowed the face of the ghost with his sharp nails,
leaving marks of the bloody conflict upon the face of
the evil spirit
This event, as wonderful and unaccountabe as
the dead cat which fell through the chimney upon
the soup kettle, produced the deepest sensation in
the neighborhood. 'It cannot be Denied all said,
that it's the devil in person who has appeared and
taken possession Of the house with green blinds
The police remained on the spot night and day
and made the most thorough search in the recesses
presses, closets, under the beds, in the bedtcks the
cupboards, and finally they explored the chimney
and the cellar, but nothing, nothing, nothing -
In short, the police were completely at fault and
dumblounded, when a sudden inspiration of the VIC
tim of the devil, ledto a discovery of the mystery.
The devil had taken another short respite, and
his victim, Landon, was walking quietly in his gar
/ Il aI, Al