The Osceola times., 1880-10-16
AMUSING FAITH IN GHOSTS.
Mrs. stya US sues Mr, Howell for the Rent
of Her Haunted House.
n, Y. lines.

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 matter of common gossip ana
| belief among the residents of GER
tain neighborhood in West Sixteenth
| street.
The action was brought by Mrs. Eliza
| A. Stymus to recover Irom Mr.. AmZl
Howell Sl60 for two months rent OF the
| house at No. PSI West Sixteenth street.
Mr.. Howell is flouiishing milkman IN
Seventeenth street. and one of the last
men IN the world to evade payment
| lust debt. or to break a fair contract.
Yet he admitted that, hayirg taken the
h use for year from the lst of May last
he moved out somewhat hurridly IN the
early part of June.
1t was only by degrees that his true
reason for thus throwing the premises
back upon the hands of 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 doOIs aud making
variety of loud and blood-curdhng
noises. Naturally, Mr.. Howell was at
| some pains to add that the ghosts did
not annoy him personally; but he init
mated that his family had been reduced
| down to that state Of terror that 1t would
have been simply inhuman to keep
| them longer in such unpleasant quarters
He therefore deemed himself justified
in breaking the lease.
| VAN, however, were all the endevors
Of Court and counsel to get any satlsiac-
tory descriptive testimony as to the true
| character of these supernatural mani
festations. There were two witnesses
besides Mr.. Howell, who evidently had
| full faith in the reality of the ghostlv
visitations-his brother-ln.law, Mr..
James II. Berthof, and Edward Polk, a
colored man.
Mr.. Berlhof had resided in the house
with Mr.. Howell. Only a few days
after moving in he was accosted on the
corner of the street by neighbor named
Gallagher. who asked if his name was
not Berthof Being told that it was,
Gallagher remarked that friend of his
had bought farm of Berthoh. in Or
ange county. This having served as an
excuse for friendly interest in Berthoh,
GALLAGHER added:
"Aud | am Sorry you have been rent
ing this house from Mrs. Stymus You'll
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 McEvoy
confirmed the reputation the house had
| for ghosts, and in the cour c of week
or so Berthoh heard the same reports
from at least twenty neighbors On
cross-eXamination, however, when asked
If he left because OF any ghosts he had
actually seen there he answered mo"
in very loud and firm voice, and when
counsel followed the question up with,
"or because of any rumors about ghosts, y
he almost shouted, No, sir, | did not.
He WAS equally positive in denying
that he had left the house without pay
| ing the rent.
Mr.. Polk, the colored man, had also
heard of the ghosts from a young man
of the neighbcrhood who had slept in
the house, and that he credited the re-
port seemed fair inference from the
fact that he had declined an offer from
Mrs. Ntymus to occupy the basement
and take care of the house, rent free
He FASTENED TO say, however, that his
reason for declining the invitation was
simply that he was subject to rheumatism
malady which would be greatly aggra.
waited by sleeping in damp nnder-
ground room. The general laugh which
greeted this remark made him very in.
dignant, and he became positively
angry by the time he was handed over
to the plaintiffs counsel for cross-eXam
| nation.
Are you superstitious?" asked the
counsel.
"Superse-tit-tit-tit said Polk
stammering with Indignation.
Are you afraid of ghosts" suggested
Judge Angel.
NO, sir; no, sir; oh, no, sir" he an
swcred.
Don't you believe that coming event,
| east their shadows before?" again asked
the counsel; with a smile
ooh, laugh; yes, you can sit there and
laugh, and YOU can talk more than ca /
but you don't know nothing at all about
it," replied Polk.
Polk, succeeded, however, before hC
lett the stand, in convincing every one
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 very great service.
| Ms. Stymus, Of course secuted the
notion of the house being haunted Hel
explanation of the rumOrs is that dur
ing the period of some few months
when it remand empty in consequence,
of the death of her aunt, who had liveC
in it eight years, some boys in th'
neighborhood obtained admission by
breaking windows in the basement, anC
amused themselves by playing ghost
She admitted, however, that the fact o
the house being haunted was matter o
common gossip in the neighborhood
The house Itself is an old-iashioned, red
brick, English basement house, built ol
a model very common quarter of /
century ago. Its upper or attic story
where the ghosts are believed to dwel
has a peculiarly stuuted appearance
owing to the windows being greater il
breadth than in height. These room
were intended for the servants of thu
family, who, in the estimation Of old
time architects, were entitled to onl'
half as much ai- and light as their bet
ters.
Judge Angels decision is in favor o
the plaintiff.
Sisirching the Robes OF Royalty.
New York star,