The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-11-08

odor, the lower jaw gone, the upper filed
with fine set'of teeth, the bones OF the
nose wanting, as also the articulations
OF the ears. 1t was evidently the skull
of female-of a female Of five or six
and twenty years OF age.
The cavity in the wall was rudely
formed. 1t was no secret closet, but had
been formed especially for the skulls
reception, and the house proprietor and
master builder both agreed that 1t had
lbelonged to a medical student or medi-
cal practitioner, and consequently they
deemed it best to Say nothing respecting
it. The builder proposed that it should
| be buried or burnt, but the gentleman,
who entertains sentiments OF piety and
lYeneration, took it to Long Island and
Ihad it buried in consecrated ground.
Next day when the gentleman visited
the workmen the old dwelling had been
razed aud its bricks built in a square
pile except the kitchen. In looking
round the spacious old-fashioned fire.
place what was bis astonishment to be-
hold the skull he had yesterday buried
on Long Islandl However he attempted
to explain It's temperance by natural
Ieauses. "S0me one has watched me
and brought it back" he said, and took
The skull to his boarding-house and then
locked it up among books and papers IN
a huge trunk. From time TO time, until
the new house was finished, he saw and
| handled and wondered over the mysteri-
Gus skun, aud bethought him OF what
disposi6ioR it would be fitting to mako
of it. OF one course he was resolved.
He would not take it to the new house.
| Before he moved in, therefore, he pro-
ceeded TO Governors IsIanu, and saw
| it buried in q hole at least four feet
deep.
| The first night that himself and family
| slept in their new house the same lumin-
Gus appearance and blood curdling noises
were experienced that had rendered the
old house uninhabltable, anu, probably,
most curious OF al, the luminosity ana
the female headless form were always
seen in that portion OF the wall Oh the
new house where they had appeared In
the old. 50 pronounced were the dis
turbances that the haunted portion Of
the wall was opened. There was the
female skull in cavity, contained In
rotton box precisely as when it was drst
found, and presenting precisely the same
identical appearance. More enrageu
than Mortified by this occult phenom-
enon, the gentleman resolved to 1fee
himself from this skull at any COST.
| When his wlte and family were in the
country, therefore, he took the skull and
proceeded to the North River and threw
II into the water. That night he was
reused from a deep sleep by pattering
footstep on the stairs. He opened his
room door and looked out In the stalf-
way.
The moon she'd faint light In at the
window, and this light made still more
| Hynrn hlA0leBS
woman, who walked up stairs with a
white skull in her hands. AS the
startled beholder watched with trem-
bling knees, he saw the gray form pro-
ceed to the wall and push the skull into
the Welding wall and then disappear.
When the first ray OF daylight burst over
the Long Island forests, he proceeded to
open the wall with pickax. The skull
was found quite intact in the cavity
) which had been securely built up with
J stone and cement. He has since tried
various eXpedients, but all to no erect
; The skull always came back, ana the
noise and apparftlon were conhned 10
Two rooms in the new house precisely as
in the old.
When returning from Europe last
winter he made the acquaintance of the
steamer captain already referred to,
: and. in the course OF conversation, the
unprecedsnted phenomena were de.
: scribed, The result was the iron box
, and the consignment of IL and it's occu
pant-the skull--to one Of the deepest
places Of the Atlantic Ocean.
When the steamer sailed the house
owner felicitated himself on the fact
that he had at last found resting place
Tor the skull. Unfortunately iof him, ht
: had no such good luck. On the nigh
| I
> sea. the pattering on the stairs wal
= heard, the luminous female form re
turned, the skull was replaced in thu
wall. where it remains at this moment
The sturdy seaman saw it, ana does no
want to experiment with it again. Ok
residents Of what used to be Blooming
dale Road, in the heighbornood, stat
: that the old house was occupied fort
9years since by foreigner believed to b
a Frenchman.
: No one knew whether he lived alon
' or whether he mad wife. AT the SAM
period, however, w.ell-knoWn mldWli
" lived near McCooniDs-dam, and on
: Winters hight, While sitting t11using b.
u her fireside, she was startled by lou
= knocking at the door. On opening it sh
found a horseman who told her that he
-. assistance was Immediately required.
She accompanied him in the tempes
d and biackness of midnight, sitting bt
: hind him ON pillion, to a lone house
: A child was born, and the man ordere
o the professional woman to say prayer
9 fitting for a person not expected TO rt
. cover from d mortal disorder. The W.
man demonstrated, and said the circuir
: stances warranted better hopes. Fl
!, insisted, and the woman was take
l. back as she came.
9 She was never able to recognize tn
d house she had attended, and died In th
= belief that a murder had been commit
q ted. There is no evidence, however,
e identify the .skull-haunted house wit
i the tragedy, If there was a tragedy. Til
l. alleged facts in any case, connncte
y with so substantial substance as a hl
y man skull, DO not appear susceptible
y any explanation. While many wifi /
y disposed TO doubt the history, 1T dt
Q serves reading as a curious phase of 81
z nefn atilralism or suDaretitiOn. or both.