Worcester daily spy., 1860-02-20
Gaurtester 1ailg SPY.
From the Louisville journal.
INVISIBLE FEET ON THE STAIRCASE.


fore it was state. His house was Il large
two story building composed of hewn logs,
two rooms above and two below, with two
story gallery in front, running the whole
length of the building. This ancient couple
had two daughters, their only children hand
some and attractive. The elder, when about
twenty, was married to young gentleman,
who resided some eight or ten miles from Mr.
R. The young couple lived happily together
for about a year. when the young wife came
to her parents house to be confined. Two or
three days after the confinement the mother
and infant both died This was a sad blow to
all The bereaved father and husband was
overwhelmed with affliction. While he was
a widower he spent much of his time in his
-father-n-law's house. About year after his
bereavement he married Mr. RS second
daughter, with her parents consent, and took
her to his home, leaving the old people alone
One warm autumn evening, in the year
1920, old Mr.. Il, Sat alone in his gallery while
his wife was engaged about her domestic con-
Germs in the house. About dark stranger
rode up and alighted from his horse, and. ap-
preaching Mr.. R., asked him if he could be
entertained for the night. Mr. r. agreed to
entertain the stranger, and, desiring him to be
seated, took the horse to the stable, and return
ed to the gallery where the stranger still sat
Mr. RS account of the stranger was that he
appeared to be middleaged man of medium
size, his hair slightly grey, of spare make, but
to all appearance active and alert. He declin-
ed the invitation to supper, and retired at an
early hour. His bed room was up stairs, and
he also declined the candle offered him. The
family retired, and heard no more of the stran-
ger for the night.
Mr.. R., as usual, rose early next morning
while it was yet dim twilight, but early as it
was he found the stranger up and equipped for
his journey The horse was brought to the
gate, the stranger offered to pay, but Mr. r.
refused. When about to leave, the stranger
said he was in great doubt whether or not he
ought to inform his host of what had occurred
to him during the night in his house, but he
felt it duty to do so. The stranger then in
formed Mr.. r. that he had gone to bed and
lay with his face to the open window still. so
that he could see objects distinctly and while
thus lying and looking out at the window, he
saw an infant, to all appearance newly born
pass IN at the window into the room where he
lay-that he heard it walk the foor-that it
repeatedly passed down and up the stairs
that he could distinctly hear the steps OH the
stairs, and that it continued to go about the
chamber, and up and down the stairs all the
night, and that at the first growing of the cock
for daylight it passed out at the window at
which it had entered, and disappeared. The
stranger said he had not slept during the night:
that he was under no delusion, but in his sober
senses had seen all he had related
Mr. II. felt much astonished at this account
and while musing upon it, the stranger mount
ed his horse and rode away, and Mr.. r. saw
him no more. Mr.. r. could not account for
the strangers story only by the supposihon
that he had dreamed, or that he was deranged.
He did not inform his wife what he had heard
Night came again, and Mr. r. proceeded to
the chamber where the stranger had slept, and
seated himself quietly on the bedside. He
waited some time and neither saw nor heard
anything to confirm the strange story, and was
in the act of rising to proceed down stairs
when he distinctly heard a light, hasty step
like that OF small child, coming up the stair
way from the room below. The moon par
tally lighted the room he was in. The step
seemed to come into the room, and to pass
about it as if seeking for something it went
down the stairs again as it came, and present
ly returned again into the chamber.
All this Mr.. r. could hear plainly, but he
saw nothing though the sound of the little
feet was around him. To satisfy himself full
ly as to the sources of this mysterious football
Mr.. H. went down stairs and returned with a
lighted CANDLE Again he heard the footsteps
but they did not now come into the room, but
passed up and down the stairs any walked in
the room below. Satisfied at length that he
could not see the mysterious walker or account
for the sound OF its step, he proceeded to his
wlte's apartment and informed her of the
strange events OF the day.
For considerable time Mr.. r. kept his
secret, but did not relax his efforts to discover
the cause OF the mystery but all his efforts
proved Intellectual and still the footsteps haunt
ed the chamber and the staircase, and walked
the house in darkness, evading the SIGHT of all
but the stranger who gave Mr. r. the first in
formation OF the noctural visitant. But it be-
ganto be whispered among the ne!ghbors that
Mr. KS house was haunted. AS usual in
such cases there was rush to the scene of the
all-absorbing mystery.
In the condition Of things Mr.. r. called on
the minister and elders OF his church, and in
vlted them to visit his house and to witness
the supernatural phenomena, and aid him in
the detection of the trick, if one were being
practiced on him, or In some manner unravel
the dreadful mystery. An evening was fixed
on for their visit, and they all attended, and it
was from the lips of this venerable minister
that the writer learned the particulars of the
story.
The company that met was eight or ten in
number, elderly and sedate Christian men.
After solemn prayer and exhortation, they
proceeded to their stations and awaited the
coming of the mysterious vistant. They did
not wait long. The step was directly heard
on the floor of the upper room, the company
then being below
As they approached the stair door with
lights, the steps were heard ascending the
stairs, and again on the floor of the upper room;
pursuing the sounds OF the mysterious feet
with their candles, they came into the upper
room; they said nothing, and pausing again,
heard the little feet tripping down tile stairs
behind them. They then descended again to
the lower room, and were surprised to hear the
same mysterious sound in the chamber over
their heads. The company then divided-a
person going into the chamber, and each COM
pany carrying lights as before, the steps were
distinctly audible on the stairs going constant
ly up and down, but not entering either room.
The minister then went to the staircase in
the lower room, and posted himself so the light
OF his candle shone on part only of the flight
of steps, leaving the remainder in comparative
darkness. The little feet descended the stairs
until they came to the last step, on which the
light did not shine, then changed their course
and were instantly heard in some unlighted
part OF the house, sometimes above, sometimes
below; often III the galleries, but mostly on
the stairs, if the lights were absent.
varying their experiments, they extnguish-
ed all the lights and sat together, sometimes in
one room, sometimes i'll another, and still the
iootsteps passed about the house. moving
around them often near them, and even in
their midst. Again and again the minister,
soiemhly, IN the name of the living God, in
Voked the strange visitant TO speak, and tell its
elIanu' ana why 1t walked in darkness, dis
tur1lig 'he inhabitants of the house but no
rePy was received, and the little feet still
eu apoue through every part OF the house
as II seeking for something. or some norsor
VINO was NOT there. The minister then seated
ililhsei' Oh .ile s'air, sitting crosswse, extend
ing his feet so as to occupy but sino,Ia sto,,
OF the stairs-the lights were all remewo5 eu S'ep
that the Starways were left In. d,rl,,, ,,,, 9o