Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-09-18
A Haunted" House in Delaware
COunty-A Romantic and Inter-
egting Story.

We take the following from "Curt's'
letter to the Cincinnati Commercial da-
ted ''White Sulphur Springs, Sept. 81
Being one Of the party that visited the
''haunted house" with "Curt" we car
testify that it looks as much like one as
any place we ever saw. Without un-
dertalzing to Youch for the strange and
romantic story about the place we can
personally testify that it has a very
weird look. It would seem strange, il
dead people really revisit the "pale
glimpses of the moon, !" that they should
go to a place so dreary and uncomforta-
bic. We take the liberty to amend the in
scripttons on the tombstone given by
"Curt" by adding one which he has
omitted.
"TO-day visited the
HAUNTED HOUSE,
or which so much has been said. 1t is
located in a fine grove about two miles
from the Springs. The house is of stone,
and has at one time been a very hand
some structure, but has long since been
abandoned to the owls and bats. The
walls of several of the rooms are adorn-
ed with frescoes of no mean ORDER
Among them are the Last Supper of
Christ, q Persian scene, and water
scene, with the city in the distance. The
one that attracted the most attention
was in the back or side parlor. It rep
resented two men in a'Wood, one stand
ding leaning on his gun, looking very
intently at the other, who was seated,
and reading from a paper on which is
painted what purports to be an address.
The following is all that time has spar
ed: Democrat or advocate for slavery
T,1v n
stitutiOns of slavery read: All lovers of
freedom will leave their names"
The house and grounds show that
their owner at one time must have been
d man of taste and money. Now the
question is who built this house-and
why is it called haunted. A number of
stories are told, one is that in the year
1884, when this part of the country was
thinly settled, a middle aged man call
ed at a farmers house a short distance
from Delaware, stating that he was an
Englishman and wanted to purchase a
farm. The farmer, not liking the mans
appearance, set so high figure on his
land that it was supposed it would lead
the Englishman to look elsewhere for a
home, but not so after examining the
land, and finding it far from any habi-
tation, he paid the money all down,
much to the surprise of all.
All the purchase money being in
among the neighboring farmers. The
next proceeded to build
him handsome house, and soon after
its completion was absent for some
time. When he next appeared he
brought a young and lovely girl with
him, and the necessary furniture,
books, DC, to stock the house in q hand
some manner. He also brought rare
ornaments and implements of sea war
fare, and several servants, and such |
quantities of arms as to surprise every
body. He stoutly and rudely refused |
TO have any communication with the /
who were anxious to make /
his acquaintance; but one more lucky |
or plucky than the rest, calling one |
day when the owner was absent, mau-
aged to gain access to the house, and /
il as furnished with the great 1
est magnificencs.
Here this strange man lived for some !
time, assOciating only with the mem
Oers of his own family. But a change /
came. Soon reports or screams and /
cries being heard in the house, began
to be spread over the neighborhood.-i
One night, about II O'Clock, as a farm
Or was returning from mill, he was /
surprised to see a party of horsemen
coming toward him. Thinking them /
suspicious characters, he rode into
thicket TO allow the party /
70 pass. They soon made their appear
i
10 his surprise, that the party were !
,he strange EngIishman and his SER
wants. Ia tGv canter OF the group the
young woman who is Uns supposed
was the wife or the EngTishman, was
lied 10 her saddle, and fI,4m time to
lime cried and moaned plteously, that
hey weuld not Kill h9r. The farmer,
nearly frightened out of his wits by the
eartul oAIhs and threats of the party,
made the best Of his way home, and
Id not mention to any one what he had
ieen-but the next evening, as he was
'etuI ming home, met the same party
but without the Woman.-t
seeking 30 obtain better view, his
lorso stumbled, and lie was thrown to
he ground, and 50 seriousl Y injured as
o prevent his escape,
The party, by the direction of their
eader, Iihed the injured man on to his
lorse, and after discovering from his
that he had been a wit
less of the proceedings of the night be-
ere, made him swear by a solemn oath
leVer TO diYulge, or In any way refer
o what he had seen. They then dis
missed him with purse OF gold, and an
seal with a Spanish in
on it. Here the ''strange man"
iVed until 1852, when some men hunt
ng discovered the house empty, both
4 men and furniture-a few gold and
liver coins and some torn papers, were
ne only JnlngS found. From the odds
nd ends of the manuscript, it was J
Ound that the Englishman had at one
ime been q pirate, and after a term of ,
ears having amassed a fortune, sought !
his lonesome retreat as 2 home. That | ,
lpon one OF his cruises he had captured
vessel, on which Spanish family of /,
Ugh rank were, and thinking them an !
ncum brance had made way with all of ,
hem except the youngest daughter, !
hild of great beauty. She was saved
nd placed in a French convent, where !
he remained until sixteen years ofage'
7hen she was brought to bis western ,
ome only to suffer, and, it is supposed,
70 murdered.
The bousa reunainad xyaoavt for. s,r,a !