The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-16

Women in Whftc-A RACE " NASn
Glimpses of Garters-T he Mystery
Cleared Up
There is in the -- part Of this city
small brick house which for two years past mas
borne the dreadful name Haunted. we
have no knowledge of its being at all historic,
or of a murder or two, or any other crime nav
ing been committed in it to warrant ghostiy
manifestations. Yet there it stands, accredit-
ed with all the mystery which ever attaches
to house supposed to contain incorporeal IN
habitauts. Women and children avoid 1t IN
the daytime, and the men who live in that Sec
ton have learned that, at night, the "nearest
way round is the shortest way home."
As publication Of the locality Of the house
might be of injury to its owners, we refrain.
During the past two years it has been frequent
ly advertised in the $50 Rent" column, and as
frequently was rented, but the rentors did not
remain in possession long. The longest pc
riod it was held was two weeks, and the short
est ten hours. The occupants heard rattling
of chains, the shutting Of feet, and saw doors
which had just been locked fly open and shut
to without the least noise. The conventional
groans were missing in this haunted house,
but the clanking of chains, shutting OF feet,
and the door manifestations were sufficient to
30 frighten the occupants as to make them
leave without giving even days notice. Each
and every occupant had the same story to tell.
Finally, the owners of the house despaired OF
ever getting an occupant for it, and allowed
it to remain idle. A young man who didn't
believe in ghosts was heard to assert his dis
belief, and also his willingness to sleep in the
house, and prove that there was no such indi-
cations of ghostly occupants as were spoken
Of. He was called upon to carry out his pro-
position.
'Beirg stout Of muscle, strong OF nerve,
he did not from his purpose swerve,"
And one night last week he might have been
observed in a room Of the house with bottle
of the ardent and two revolvers, laying in wait
for ghostly intruders. Thus he remained until
about ten O'Clock, and seeing nor hearing moth
ing Of spirits, he put himself outside OF some
and then went to sleep. Not long did he slum-
Der. A noise aroused him. He arose and
walked to the window, and saw two women
clad in white (petticoats is the name the cloth
ing goes by among the initiated) coming tc-
wards the house. They bore chain, and, as
soon as they got upon the back porch, COM
menced pulling the chain back and forth.
Hoping to catch them in the act, our hero
crept down stairs, but, while passing through
the hail, made noise which alarmed the Wo-
men and of they went ats rate most surprising
to our watcher. he pursued, but did not
oyertake them, and, with the exception OF
knowing that they wore red garters-their
rapid pace and the wind allowing him oppor-
tunities of observation-he has no clue what
ever for Identification purposes.
Being convinced that the rafting OF chains
and shutting of feet heard by the former occu.
pants was occasioned by these or other women,
and that the alleged mysterious opening and
shutting Of looked doors was onlS the effect Of
the imaginations Of the t:mid occupants, the
watcher retired to rest, determined that on the
morrow he would, If possible, solve the ques-
tion be was constantly asking himself, "What
is the object OF these women in frightening on
the occupants of this house" At an early
hour he arose, left the. house, and about ten
O'Clock circulated among the women who lived
in the neighborhood-ofa class popu arly de-
nominated the "low-down people," By judi
cious questioning he ascertained that there
was in the lot Of the haunted house an excel
lent we'll Of water. From this well the neigh
bors had to obtain water or send long dis
tance for it, and then get poor article at that.
When the house was vacated they had free use
of the well, but when occupied they were not
permitted to obtain water even for drinking
purposes. To keep the house vacant was evi-
IDENTIFY to their interest, and they took up the
ghost method, which was "success" until
man who had common sense enough not to be-
heye in ghosts agreed to occupy the house and
ascertain for himself whether there were such
yisitants. The neighbors thought he was to
bean occupant and tried their game upon him,
Nth ne result above stated.