Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-27
Oar Boston Letter.

OAR BOSTON Letter.
GHOST MISREPRESENTATION ooNsoLIDA-
TON - THE SUMNER CENsURE = NEW
MERCHANTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Boston, February %, 1878.
For the past few months have the cities
and towns within a radius of fifty miles |
of Boston been alarmed by reports of
strange and absolutely frightful spirit
which have selected New
buryport as the sight of their vagaries.
it appears that in little school house OF
this town odd sounds are daily expert
enced, such as loud talking and laughing,
hammering, slamming doors and blinds,
the tramp of invisible feet, to say moth
ing of the disarrangement of various ar
ticles, battles in the broom closet and all
these wonders to the martial tocsin of a
battered dust-pan. Now n this beleag-
uered school house the young idea is
taught to shoot by certain Miss Per
kins who, at the earnest request of the
school committee, has been keeping this
mystery secret Affairs were thus
progressing when a short time since a
delicate, white hand was seen to appear
outside one of the windows of the school
room, and was witnessed by the whole
school. This manifestation was follow
ed by crashes and a tumult in the attic
of the building which would have put
the din of Pandemonium to the blush.
Hardly had the children recovered their
senses when the figure of a boy was dis
covered standing in the entry. The fig
ure was, undeniably, ghost since the
wall behind the apparition was clearly
discernable through it, although the fig
ure was wildly outlined. A panic en-
sued and the intrepid young teacher adj
vanced, with single boy attendant, to
grasp the intruder and test his tangibility.
No sooner was this move taken than
the spectre retreated and assembled the
attic stairs, followed by Miss Perkins
and the boy of flesh and blood. Upon
reaching the landing it moved on to-
wards the unfinished room in line with
the stairs, its face all the while chang
in from an expression of happiness to
one of misery. The teacher followed,
and as she wildly grasped forward, it van
ished into thin air, while the dust and
cob-webs of years fairly shook with the
peals of laughter that broke from every
corner under the caves. This last de-
nouement was enough to set report on
it's feet, and so much has since been said
and written on the subject that, during
last week, bevy of reporters from our
various papers passed a night in the
haunted school house The reporters
vouch for the truth of all the current
stories and and affirm that their expert
ence, although not very startling, had
sufficient in it to assure them in their be-
lief in these manifestations of this
stubborn, unlaid ghost"
The absorbing subject before the Leg
islature and the citizens of Boston, in
volving the policy of the State and the
commercial prosperity of its metropoli-
tan city is the consolidation of the Fitch
burg and Lowell railroads Objections
are to be found on both sides of this i'm
portant question, yet all such as are adj
verse to it are to be waived in consider
alton of the advantages to be reaped by
this consolidation. Objection is made to
what is termed consolidation of COM
peting roads. Mr.. Joy assures such
reasoners that competing parties will
consolidate, practically if not really;
and when he is told that the Legislature
and the people will not allow of it, he
then says that they cannot either of them
prevent it that they will and in point of
fact must, as matter not merely of
self-protection, but of self-preservation
make contracts of agreements and have
understandings between them which will
be equivalent to a consolidation. There
is nothing absolutely nothing to fear,
as is shown by some of the best and
most experienced testimony in the coun-
try and by the conclusions of the rail-
road commissioners from the practical
experience of those foreign countries
whose railroad systems best compare
with our own. But there is another
side to this question in the case now be-
fore the Legislative committee and that
other side is as to the city and to the
State. The object Of Boston and the
purpose of the tunnel is to facilitate the
intercourse of the sea-board with the in
terror; agriculture with commerce. 1t
is agreed on all sides that this result will
be very beneficial to the West in its
transportation of produce to the sea and
is looked upon with as much interest
there as in Boston. Since large amounts
of grain and produce fer transhipment
will be ready for the tunnel line as soon
as opened, there is need of largely in
creased means of Transporting it and am
pie accommodations in Boston for its re-
ception. Besides, the roads themselves
are to be much improved, practically
rebuilt, with double tracks and perhaps
steel rails, and made suitable and
adequate to the emergency. Now all
these affairs demand the efforts and
means of a strong and effective company
and the Lowell and Fitchburg CORPORA
tions can furnish means and facilities
wholly superior to any that can be offer
ed by any other consolidation.
A petition in the handwriting of j.
G. Whittier and signed by twenty-five
gentlemen, eminent in character and
reputation, was sent to the Legislature
on Thursday. The petition asks for the
expunging of the resolution of censure
| =
minds this subject is considered an nm.
worthy exhibition of petty prejudice and
belittling partizanshin III is renorred