National Republican., 1877-02-17
A rooDEg-LEssED eHosr.

A Haunted House on . sireet-S>range
sounds That Startled the Burgess Family.
Mr.. Burgess family meyed into q house on
street about the irst Of the month, and since thcn
they have been nightly alarmed BY strange
noises, proceeding from the noxt house. For .
short period during every night something
would thump, thump, thump, through the house
in the disa Jreeabio manner that some ghosts
have Of doing such things Al O'Clock pune
tually every morning the sounds were heard, and
the family, who were new to tho nsishborhood,
ere all fear and excitement. Tho whole family
was losing sleep, and II was with the
greatest difneuity that tho boy could
be persuaded to 20 out in the yard at night and
bring In the clothes of the line. when he did
70 the family had 70 escort him out with lamps,
% that the neghbors thought they were re-
hcarsins for o torchlight procession. The beds
Of the entire Burgess family were moved into one
room, so that they could be near each other in
case the ghost should pass through tho wall.
Whenever cat ran across the woodshed eight
whitc.robed people, pale as phantoms, with chat
tering teeth, sat up In bed and held their breath,
waiting for more developments. Tho hired
girl said she would like to catch herself staying
in such house, and one day she packed up her
own things and several pieces OF property not be-
longing to her and leN. 1t became so unendur.
able that the family finally resolved to raise the
ghost. They sat up that night, and towards
o'clock the whole family became weary. Mr..
Burgess and two Of the girls went outside and
watched the front Of the hoase The rest stayed
inside and listened. Very soon ono OF the girls
said she thought she heard the ghost coming up
the street. Then all three bent their ears, and
they could hear, around the corner on tho other
street, humping and elattering like three
dollar chair falling down the front stairs.
In two or three minutes the noisy spirit rounded
the corner and bore down towards the hauntcd
house. II It was . ghost, u had evidently been
up nearly the whole paysment and made great
held in one hand. Bobbing up and down, stag
gering from tho curb TO the fence, and the fence
TO the curb, and making terrible racket, II ap-
preached the place, where Mr. Burgess and the
two affrghted maijens stood. "why, lisa wood
cn.legged man - exclaimed ono Of the girls, and
the whole three began to feel shecpish. The
wooden. legged ghost kept on his way humming
sna tches from tong. He hobbled up the steps
Of tho haunted house, fell on the porch and beat
about with his wooden leg at terrible rate
Then he got up and tried to put the end OF his
cano into the key.hole. Finding that II was In
possible to do that, he iumbed In his pocket and
found koy which admitted him to the house.
He could be heard rattling through the hall and
up stairs, crashing against chairs md furniture.
Mrs. Burgess softly opened the blin ds, and, stick
ing her head out, said In q solemn whisper:
civilian, it's In the house now. For heavens
sake como in!r Mr.. Burgess said nothing bat
''you old ninny," and the two girls went back
into the house. Since then the family has slept
peaceably, and the hired girl has come back.