The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-09
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ING ExcITEHBSF ON BALr9a0Rg SrREEr
MYSTERIOUS TAPPING AT A W1sDow.--An ,iil-
usual excitement occurred last evening at
about 8 O'Clock on the public thoroughfare In
the vicinity Of Sharp street, caused by the
mysterious tipping at an upper window Of
the building No. 265 Baltimore street, which
was securely closed up and dark as all the
other business houses surrounding it.
The first floor Of The building is occupied
by L. III. Miller, safe manufacturer, and the
upper part by Joseph SchentbHL, dealer in
gcntlemen's furnishing goods. The noise at
tracted general attention from passers, and
from one or two persons who had their Curl
osity first excited a large crowd was soon
congregated. The tapping could be plainly
heard at intervals, just as though some one
would beat the "devil's tattoo !" with strong
finger-nails, or more like an invisible tele-
graphic instrument, clicking out mysterious
messages from the realms of darkness. This
latter hypothesis was by no means improlm-
bic, since it was known that there was tele-
graphic apparatus on the premises. But who
could tell? Elch fresh arrival brought fresh
thousand or more, the interest in the riddle
becoming of course all the greater as the
numbers swelled to so large congre-
CATION, all interested and absorbed in
the one thing before them. Some who
were fearful coniectured that it might
be burglars tapping away at locked-up
treasure, or trying some of Mr.. Millers bur-
glar-proof safes some who were kind-heart-
ed supposed that it might be some one lock-
ed up since Saturday night trying to attract at
tentlon and secure release from durance vile,
but by far the larger number supcrstitiousIy
attributed the tapping to mysterious agencies,
such as the working Of spirits" Indeed,
there wee not few who, carried away by
their imaginations, actually believed they saw
the ghost standing at one of the windows
making public spectacle of itself in night
shirt on Sunday evening, just as if any
Christian ghost would be guilty of such inn
proper conduct. As the excitement increased,
however, the ghost-seers became more and
more convinced that their eyes were better
than other peoples, and if vote could have
been taken at that moment the ghost would
have been elected by a large majority. At
this critical juncture a number of policemen
arrived, and the building was promptly sur
rounded so as to prevent the escape of bur-
glar or ghost, whichever the disturbcr
might prove to be, and all strategic points
being fully covered, an investigation of
the premises was instituted under the ilnme-
date direction of the deputy marshal The
lower portion of the building, occupied by
Mr.. Miller, was soon entered, but nothing
unusual was discovered-ln fact nothing to
excite even suspicion Of burglary. 1t was
found out, however, that there was no conf
munication with the upper stories from Mr..
Millcr's rooms. and that Mr.. Schcntllal lived
q long distance from his place of business,
but he was sent for. In the mean time the
crowd outside became so great that police
men were stationed along the sidewalk to
keep the gangway open, and expectation was
on tiptoe for the result The tapping all the
while continued at intervals, and the crowd,
while waiting for the arrival of the prOprle-
tor. with the key to the mysterious apart
mcnts. was momentarily diverted by the
gallant efforts of policeman to scale the
second story 10y climbing up il ran-spout or
something else of the sort. He succeeded in
reaching a window, but 1t WAS fastened in
side, and could not be raised; so everybody
had TO wait.
After about an hour had been spent i'll
waiting, during which the crowd kept to-
gether, and the interest in the mystery rather
increased, finally the proprietor of the upper
stories Of the building arrived. Amidst
almost breathless excitement Il squad of po-
licemcn, headed by the deputy marshal, filed
up the steps to penetrate the mystery mt last
Nothing was discovered on the second floor,
but in the third story one of the policemen
solved the enigma-and caught poor little
woodpccker, which had somehow or Other
become imprisoned, and had nearly worn of
his leak in trying to reach the open all
through unavailing but persistent hammer
ing ut the window-pane.
After this denollcment it was announced
from one of the upper windows that The
"ghost" had been caught, and what kind q
4 ghost it was. The announcement was re-
ceiyed with general hurrah and laughter
The captured bird was taken into custody
hy the deputy marshal, and the crowd dis
perscd So small thing has rarely created
so much Observation-Disclosures San.