Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-07
THE HAUNTED HOUSE.
what an EdgeGeId Party Saw.

What an EdgefieId Party Saw?
To the Editors of the Union and American:
EDGEFIELD, Tenn, April 4, 1872.-Dear
Sir: Having noticed several articles in your
paper recently, relating to the "Haunted
House." we beg leave to intrude our expe-
rience, as manifested in a visit to that place
few days since. These notices, as above
alluded to, having attracted our attention,
we organized party of nine of the most
reliable men of the immediate vicinity of
"Bridge Avenue" and but for the most as
founding, incredulous and awful manifesto
tations, as well as the modesty and disinter-
estedness of our party, we would freely
make our names known to the public
through your medium; in lieu of this,
however, the parties are already well known,
and can be identified by any one, who will
take the trouble to inquire of the denizens
and business men of this vicinity.
Having provided the necessary convey
ances, we started in time TO reach the OBJ
jective point by half past ten O'Clock p. NJ.
On arriving there, we at once took all pre-
cautionaEy steps towards securing our We
hicles, horses and paraphernalia in general, as
well as our persons against any attack of
designing thieves and robbers; or an inva-
sion by the phantasmagoria, which had
been supposed to hold high carnival, and
make night hideous with their revels, in
this lonely, desolate and peculiarly melan-
choly locality. Proceeding to the house we
found all entrances closed and fast, except
one back window through which we man
aged to find our way to the first apartment.
On inspecting this room, which had IN
doubtedly been long vacated, except by
spooks and spirits, we were only able to dis
cover an old shoe, which dropped from
above while we were in the act of lighting
our candles to go mp stairs. This
being something of a disorganizer our
brave little band were struck with con-
sternation and dismay, but upon being
rallied by our leader, we mustered courage
and proceeded up stairs, with the original
determination of investigating the truths of
the articles published in your paper, of
which we had already been partially con-
WINGED by the ominOus falling of the shoe.
1t would have been better, perhaps, for
some of us to have stopped here, as the
terrible scenes that were afterwards en-
acted proved to be entirely too severe
shock to the nerves of those who had over
rated their strength to commune with the
spirits of an unknown world. Advancing
to the second story, our lights were very
mysteriously extinguished, despite our as
siduous efforts to illumine our way. Just
here we will pause. The fitting manner in
which nymph-like forms passed from hall to
room and room to hall; the zephyr-like COM
motion which their movements gave to the
atmosphere, left us spell-bound for the
time being, encircling us with a halo of
glory, and entertaining us with diversity
of pleasing mental hallucinations, that well
nigh proved our ruin. Oh! horror of hor-
rors!! this was but the calm before the
storm-the tabled invitation of the spider
to the fly. Grouping our way up the rick
ETY. stairs, amid these spectres, we reached
the last room of the third story. Still unable
to light our candles, we formed ourselves in
something of circle, in this dark, dismal
and gloomy room, firmly resolved to fathom
the mysteries of these ghos.ly phantoms.
Scarcely had we ensconced ourselves in this
pandemonfum, when we heard a slow,
measured and sepulchral sound approach
ing us from the distance, till finally reach
inc US, it was accompanied by SCATTERING
of the windowpanes, followed in quick sue
cesssion by the most unearthly demoniac
wells, gradually dying away like an enchanted
echo. The very noise itself seemed all at
once to develop into brilliant auroral light,
through which we were enabled to see, APP