The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-03-25
The Truth about the Haunted sehoo,
The BIuc-Eyed Ghost-whaf ahe Iuv..,.
eating Committee Found Our-The Cen.
fessien Of the Boys, and the Ghost Thce
ry Exploded.
Correspondence Of the Springfield UniOn.l

NEwBURYPoRT, March IL.
Returning to the city of my nativity and
home after few months sojourn in the vi
cinity OF Springfield, i found the whole city
excited and moved by the wonderful gh st
stories winch have been making so much Of
a STIR recently. When away from here the
first question asked me, when nv residence
became known, was ''do you know about the
haunted school house?' and naturalv made
an examination into the matter one of nv
first duties upon my return.
Despite all that has been written upon this
subject, there is one thing connected with the
Newburyport ghost story that has never cot
into print, and that is fact that many years
| ago stern teacher punished a little bnv bv
| putting him into the small cellar under the
entry, referred to in the accounts of The
| mantle stations, and went home, forgetting TO
| release him. His cries at last attracted ibe
| attention of neighbor who found the how
| much exhausted and in cold parspiration
from his fright. He cared for him kindly.
but the child never recovered from the fright
and died soon afterwards. Here was a
charming basis for s'blue-eyed ghost" and
| could wish that ali the victims of torture.
whether in district school houses or else
| where, might have the power to return and
! frighten their tormentors.
| But the more have looked into the mat
ter, the better satisfied am that the Jis-
turber of the peace of the teacher and schol-
ar, oil the Charles street school came not
from the spirit-worId. The present teacher
is well-educated and energetic young lady,
beloved by both parents and pupils, and only
one OF the sixty-thTee scholars permanently
left the school, although the manifestations
have been increasing since the autumn term.
Once, only, the teacher was thrown of her
guard, and lost her presence of mind for
moment
The school house was daily tEronged with
curious visitors and the excitement constant
ly grew and widened until the school board
thought Lest to appoint acommittee OF inveeti-
cation. Two members of this committee
were ministers, and as their action and report
have teen pretty sharply criticised in some
quarters willsketch the men as they appear
to ME after a long personal acquaintance.
Rev. DIR. Spauldlpg, the pastor Of the White
field church, has resided here twenty-six
years, is not grave. sour preacher, but
man full OF energy and public spirit, a jolly
man, fond OF joke, never cut out for a
preacher, though he has been very successful
in building up his church, but more through
his administrative talent and his love OF busi-
ness. He is man to whom sedentary, studi-
Gus life is abhorrent; he can accomplish a
great amount of work, and should have been
business man. He has a clear head, little
bigotry and quick sympathies.
His friend, Rev. Mr.. johnson, the rector of
the Episcopal church, was born to the sur
plice, a handsome man, regular profile, Of
poetic temperament, quiet, gentlemanly
manners and with calm, firm faith in all
the thirty-nine articles. They were assisted
in their investigation by Richard Plummer,
man wholly unlike the other two, quick, i'm
pulsive, somewhat free thinking now, but
formerly jealous Calvinist, and very active
in revivals. Atterwar Is he was so firm be-
lever in Milerism that he made all his prepa-
ations to ascend on a certain day. The re-
port of this committee and personal inter-
view with the gentlemen themselves, have
prepared me to give your readers what may
be relied upon as the authentic history OF the
haunted school Louise.
The first thing which the committee did
was to make thorough examination of the
premises, and they found the building in
great need of repairs, notable characteristic
OF "haunted" houses everywhere. Patches
of plaster ng had fallen from the ceiling, the
cellar was easily accessible from the outside,
the front door was usually left unlocked, and
from the frort entry the attic was reached
without the slightest obstacle of lock or bolt
The cellar small, extending only under the
entry. The attic is not foored. A ledge ex-
tends under the building, SO that the chop
ping of wood in a neighboring house, can be
distinctly heard in the school room. The
conn ttee caused suitable repairs to be made.
SO that now the cellar cannot be entered ex-
cept BY unfastening the bolts on the inside.
A trap door has been placed at the head Of
tie attic stairs, secured by paddock, and the
front door is gept locked.
After the repairs many OF the disturbances
ceased, though it is well known that ghosts,
like Cupid, laugh at bolts and looks. The
principal manifestations have been: A boy
neatly dressed in a suit of b.own, trimmed
with!brald and buttons of the same color, who,
when the teacher tried to grasp him, sudden
ly disappeared; five minutes after the return
of boy sent to hang up the brushes III the
attic stair way, tn. ee raps came upon the
stairway door, and on opening lt,tDe brushes.
the dust pan came tumbling down into the
school room a ball rolled around the attic,
making such noise that it was necessary to
close the ventilator; the appearance OF hands
and faces at the window looking into the en-
try laughter and voices sounding IS If in the
school room yet not proceeding from the pu-
pills; rappings at the ventilator and cellar
stairs.
II any readers will note these statements
carefully, and compare them with the follow
Ing confessions Of the boys, they will, perhaps,
be able to solve some OF the mysterious ap-
pearances. A, confessed that he repeatedly
went into the entry and put up his hands be-
fore the window, passing it back and forth;
B, that he played ghost, covering his face
with white cloth; c, tlat he was kept from
school by his mother on account Of sore
| foot, but went tv the entry, that the teacher
came out of the school room at the door far
thest from the attic stairs, and finding he
could not escape by the front door, retreated
vp the attic stairs, followed by the teacher,
that he slipped by her, ran down the stairs
and escaped, the teacher. he said, being
much frightened; c and d said they both
played ghost to frighten the girls in a neigh
boring school, and two or three others stated
that they had often climbed the trees and
tried to throw shadows and bright lights into
the room, and that they have often raped
on the cellar door from the inside.
Balls OF elastic cord were found, and also a
spike suspended in the cellar way, so arrang.
ed that it could give troublesome rappings,
and joist, formerly used to fasten the trap
door, fixed so as to strike the floor above.
Nobody dis, utes the ''cuteness' of Yankee
boys, and boys in New England seaport
town are 50 muca like fish that 1t takes an
old hand to catch 'em. The newspaper re-
porters who came from Boston to this place
did not know where to Cast their bait, aud
failed. Had they employed an old salt, they
might have found the truth sooner, had
they desired it. There are still some of our
citizens who are reluctant to part with the
bue-eyed ghost clad in brown. but in the
light OF what the investigations have reveal
ed, it requires deal Of credulity to believe
that the manifestations had any more ght silly
origin than very wide awake ard roguish
school boys. 81 r.t-..