The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-01-16
An Historic Mansion with Tragic
Memories.

ted houses, several sudden deaths
having given it its reputation for
terrors. A few years ago a dissipa.
ted young SOD of wealthy parents had
hela pistol to his head and killed
himself in the presence ofhis mother
in the same room in which Provost
Paradol was found dead. The cause
of his suicide was his mothers refu-
sing to furnish money for any more
gambling debts, and he, to brighten
her, put the pistol to his head and
said: II will blow my brains out,
thenp He had no intention of doing
it, but his finger accidentally hit the
trigger, and he fell instantly. Since
this record of horrors has attached
itself to the house tenants have an
uncomfortable feeling toward it, and
the colored people tell stories of the
strange noises and apparitions by
night of sheeted figures and falling
bodies. Washington is full of these
haunted houses, among them the old
Adams house, on F street. The
house is now given over to law and
newspaper offices, but in it's early
days it was one of the finest Louses
in the city. John Quincy Adams
built it over fifty years ago, but it is
still solid, and energies from its an
nual coat of paint with a freshness
that makes it look as if not half it's
age. Its eighteen inch walls of solid
brick tell at once that it was built
before the District improvements
and the brick builders of this day.
John Quincy Adams lived in it du-
ring his residence in the city, and
the tradition is that he died in this
house, and not in the Speakers room
at the Capitol, as history tells us.
They say that he was brought home
and laid in a room from whose win
dows be could see the Capitol. At
that time the Capitol could be seen
from any Of the front windows of the
house, for the Ebbitt House did not
then tower up opposite, and the
houses were very thinly scattered on
the ground plan of the city. The
ghost that haunts this house is that
Of "Old Man Eloquent" himself, and
if the New York Tribune plays 70.
rensic briliancy in its leaders, it is
! because the white haired ghost comes
back to his'old library and inspires
the press representative with some.
thing of his own spirit. At any rate
the ghost is said to wander, or did
until a few years ago, ond his old
library the room where the Tri-
bune's dispatches are written-is his
chosen haunting ground. John
Quincy does not move with the ST.
lence of common ghost, nor 90
through keyholes, but has a step as
material as the ghost Of ''Hamlet's"
father. The inmates who were terri.
fed out of the house by his mid
night wanderings say that his pres
ence was announced by noise like
a cord of wood being thrown down.
stairs. After the noise an old man,
with white face, white hair and white
STROUD, was seen going in or out the
library door. So great was the be-
lief in the ghost that for years be-
fore the war the house was untenant
ed. The Sanitary Commission occu-
pied it during the war, and only once
since then has the cord of wood gone
down stairs when the ghost entered
the library. Other more cheerful
traditions are connected with the
house, of the beautiful entertainments
Mrs. Adams held and the famous
guests within its walls. The night
before General Jackson's Inaugural
ton Mrs. Adams gave great ball
in this house. The ball was just
opened, the hero of New Orleans
ablaze with the gold braid and but
tons of his uniform, going through
the figures of the dance with ardor.
when one of the lamps, swinging by
the chains from the ceiling, broke
and poured the oil over the coat and
epaulets of the President elect. Mrs.
Adams with her stately grace, step.
ped forward, and wiping off the old
oil with her handkerchief, said:
"Gen. jackson, l anoint you Prcsi
dent" The "Old Hickory" of late
days bowed low to his hostess in &C.
acknowledgement, and the revelry went
on. The stain Of the amounting oil
is said to be still on the floor of the
parlor, but the floor has probably
been renewed since then, and the
al. L..