New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-02-27
Why 1t is Called Haunted House.

Why 1t is Called Haunted House.
Correspondence New York World.
HAUNTED HOUSE, Orange County, N. Y,
February "a somewhat Anticipated look
ing farmer was unloading milk cans from his
wagon to the station platform at the way
side stopping place on tho New Jersey Mid
land railway.
sWhy do they call this place Haunted
House?' asked.
"'Cos there usty be ha'nted house here,
I spose. That's the house over yonder, but
| the ha'nt amt there no more.''
'sWhat caused the house to be haunted?'
':Murder, I s'pose. Fifty year ago a
family lived in that house that folks said
hadn't very good name. One night ped
Ter stopped there, and folks didn't see any
thing more of him. By an by the family
moved away. The man who bought the
prop'rty went to diggin' for cellar to put
an edition to his house, and found the ped
was the pedler's, an guess they was, for
nobody else's bones was missin' 'roun' here
Nobody claimed EN-, and they was chucked
into lot, and the boys that was here then
kicked 'em roun' for fun. There's them
livin' round here now as give the skull many
hist, and cracked butterluts with the
pedler's shin-bone. That's what they say
leastways. Well, not long arter they was
scattered to the four wins s, the man t foun'
m moved his family into the house. The
hadn't got scacely settled afore the chairs
begun to tumble aroun' the room, an the
| dishes broke III the closets, and the doors
wouldn't stay shet, an the winders ratified
an banged like as il some one was all the
time a skakin' of 'em. The owner % the
house said that nights some one he couldn't
see KEEP shakin' somethin' about his ears
that sounded like dry bones in a bag. Every
oncet in a vile a gust o win would sweep
through the rooms and scatter everything
afore it. Then big black dog with red
eyes got to appearin' in the house. When
any one d go to go nigh him he wouldn't be
there, sometimes goin' up into the air an
sometimes fadin' away right where he
stood. That's what they said, leastways.
| Course folks said't the house was h'anted,
all because O the onchristian way the dead
mans bones had been used, an that there
want no use O the family 'spectin' to have
any peace till tn bones was buried descent.
| But they was, kicked and chucked to the
devils four corners, an it was like lookin'
for cream on pigeon milk to find 'em.
Anyhow, the man't foun' the bones-an' he's
get folk 'roun' here yit--went to work to see
f he couldn't git the pedler together an
lay him to rest like fellow-citizen oughter
be. He found a few O. the bones an buried
'em decent to see if that d have any effect
on the spooks. The doors and windows
banged, an the furniture skipped aroun'
and the cold gusts, O wind KEEP playin' all
the same. But the bag o bones couldn't
bo,,
black dog that had looked all along very
fierce, with the eyes very red, wa MT any
where nigh so fierce lookin' alter the few
bones ID been planted, an his eyes changed
to mild blue, an jis' afore he'd disappear
he'd give his tail little wag. This in
couraged tn family, an they went to huntin
FIR more O. the SHELTON. They offered the
boys 10 cents bone for all they could fin o
the bones, fur they'd been havin' lively
times with 'em. So they fined in The
search, an mebbe you'll think it's squeer
but they got all o. them bones but the skull
Some of 'em was broke little, and felle
named Jim Stage had knife-handle mad,
out O. one, but he TUX the rivits out an
handed itover. That's the way the stor,
goes leastways. Well, these was all burie,
with the fust ones. and as sure as timothy
seed the cold gusts O. win changed to a littl
warm breeze, an the bag O. bones quit EN-
tirely, an the doors and winders didn't ban,
:, half so much or so hard, an they said for
week or two there want more'n two plate
broke in the cupboard, an the furnitur
, was all right. But the queerest thing wa
| the dog. Darn if tn children-so the
said, for never see the spook- couldn'
j almost git to him an play with him, an the
said he looked as pleased as a COW with
, new calf, an when he dug out went into til
air with a little playful skip. Well, th
) family wanted the skull bad, but it couldn
Z be foun'. Bout two weeks altar the los
) bones was foun' one o. the boys was dow
) in "a medder over yender, pickin, blackberrie
) along the fence. A good many O. tn bone
j. had been kicked roun' in there. He was
$ pickin' away, when all of suddint bi
. black snake raised up bout ten feet ahead !,
s him. He reached down an grabbeda whit
stone t lay by his feet, and was jist agoil
!. to chuck it at the snake when he looked at
! an see it was the skull everybody was lookil
j, for. He struck a bee line for the ha'nte
!. house, and give the family the skull.
e want in these parts then, but they sal
i there was q big time when the news spread
j. The skull was put in with the other cole.
3 ton O. remains O th' unfortnit pedler, an
], from that day on the ha'nt left the hous