The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-10-22
Amusing Faith In Ghosts.

- AmuSl0S EdlLu III UUOSGHs
Judge Angel of the Eighth District
Court, has just rendered his decision in
a case which involves an amusing ghost
story that for some months past has been
a matter of common gossip and belief
among the residents of tertain neigh
borhood in West Sixteenth street. The
action was brought by Mrs. Eliza A.
Stymus, to recover from Amzi Howell
| $l3O for two months rent of the house
at No. 551 West Sixteenth street. Mr..
Howell is fourishing milkman in
Seventeenth street, with an honorable
business reputation, and one of the last
men in the world to evade the payment
af just debt, or to break a fair contract.
Yet he admitted that having taken the
house for year from the 1st of May, he
moved out somewhat hurriedly in the
early part of June.
It was only by degrees that his true
reason for thus throwing the premises
1 back upon Mrs. Stymus was developed:
The upper floor of the house, he said,
was haunted by spirits, who amused
themselves from sunset to sunrise by
slamming the doors and making va
riety of loud and blood-curdling noises.
| Naturally Mr.. Howell was at some pains
to add that the ghosts did not annoy him
personally; but he intimated that his
family had been reduced to state of
terror that it would have been simply in
human to keep them longer in such nm
| pleasant quarters. He therefore deemed
himself justified in breaking the lease.
Vain, however, were all the endeavors
of court and counsel to get any satisfac-
tory descriptive testimony as to the true
character of these supernatural mani
| festations.
There we're two witnesses besides Mr..
Howell, who evidently had full faith in
the reality of the ghostly visitations-
his brother-in-law, James III. Bertholf,
and Edward Polk, colored man. Mr..
Bertholf had resided in the house with
Mr.. Howell. A few days after moving
| in he was accosted on the street by
neighbor named Gallagher, who asked if
his name was not Bertholf. Being told
that it was, Gallagher remarked that
friend of his had bought farm of Berth
off in Orange county. This having ex-
cused for friendly interest in Bertholf,
Gallagher added:
s'And I'm sorry you have been rent
ing this house of Mrs. Stymus. You
will be glad to move out in little while;
if you don't move out, the ghosts will
drive you out" After that a gentleman
named EcEvoy confirmed the reputation
the house had for ghosts, and in the
course of week or so Berthof heard
the same reports from at least twenty
neighbors. On cross-examination when
asked if he left because of any ghosts
he had ever seen there, he answered
mo-" in very loud and firm tone of
voice, and when counsel followed the
question up with, cor because of any
rumors about ghosts" he almost shout
ed, "No, sir, I did not" He was equally
positive in denying that he had left the
house without paying the rent.
Mr.. Polk, the colored man, had also
heard of the ghosts from young man of
the neighborhood who had slept in the
house, and that he credited the report
seemed fair inference from the factS
that he had declined an offer from Sty-
mus to occupy the basement and take
care of the house, rent free. He hasten
ed to say, however, that his reason for
declining the invitation was simply that
he was subject to rheumatism, a malady
which would be greatly aggravated by
sleeping IN damp underground room.
The general laugh which greeted this re-
mark made him very indignant, and he
became positively angry by the time he
was handed over to the plaintiffs coun-
sci for cross-examlnatlOn:
s'Are you superstitious?" asked the
counsel.
"Superse- tit tit titious ?" said Polk,
stammering with indignation.
care you afraid of ghosts?" suggested
Judge Angel.
"No, sir; no, sir; oh, no; no, sir, - he
answered.
"Don't you believe that coming events
cast their shadows before?" again asked
sounsel, with smile.
"Oh, laugh; yes, you can sit there and
laugh, and you can talk more than can,
but you don t know nothing at all about
it." replied Polk.
Polk succeeded, however, before he
left the stand, in convincing everyone
that in his opinion, at least, the young
man who had warned him that the house
was troubled" as he expressed it, had
done him 8 very great service.
Mrs. Stymus, of course, secuted the
notion of the house being haunted. Her
explanation to the rumors is that during
a period of some few months, when it
remained empty in consequence of the
/ death of her aunt, who had lived in it
eight years, some boys in the neighbor-
hood had obtained admission by break
| ing windows in the basement, and
amused themselves by playing ghost.
! She admitted, however, that the fact of
the house being haunted was matter of
common gossip in the neighborhood.
The house itself is an old-fashioned red
brick. English basement house, built on
model very common quarter OF CEN
tury ago. It's upper or attic story
where the ghosts are believed to dwell
has peculiarly stunted appearance.
owing to the windows being greater IN
| breadth than in height. These rooms
were originally intended for the servants
of the family, who, in the estimation OF
old-time architects, were entitled to only
half as much air and light as their bet
/ ters. The house seems to be in fairly
| good repair, but though neat and clean
is not cheerful. The ghosts are un-
doubtedly possessed of benignant ma
lures, since the house is only one door
away from Baptist church. Judge
AngelPs decision is in favor of the
plaintiff. IN. Y. Times.
Baltimore furnishes a first class snake
story, to the effect that water snake
fifteen inches long, which was found inn
bedded in cake of ice gatherered eigh-
teen monthsago, was restored to life on
! Thursday when exposed to the sun.
When cut out with pick the serpent
| was nc stiff as a hone hut after living in