The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1880-10-16
Amusing Faith In Ghosts.

Amusing Faith In Ghosts.
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
q matter of common gossip and belief
among the residents of certain neigh
borhood in West Sixteenth street. The
action was brought by Mrs. Eliza A.
Stvmus, to recover from Amzi Howell
S130 for two months rent OF the house
at No. 551 West Sixteenth street. Mr.
Howell is hourishing milkman in
Seventeenth street, with an honorable
business reputation, and one OF the last
men in the world to eyade the payment
af q lust debt, or to break q 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
| 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 un-
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 were two witnesses besides Mr.,
| Howell, who evidently had full faith in
the reality of the ghostly yisitations-
his brother-in-law, James Fl. 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 6
neighbor named Gallagher, who asked i
his name was not Bertholf. Being told
that it was, Gallagher remarked that q
friend of his had bought farm of Berth
off in Orange county. This having ex.
cused for friendly interest in Bertholf
Gallagher added:
''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 gentleman
named EcEvoy confirmed the reputation
the house had for ghosts, and in the
course of week or so Bertholf 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
"no, in very loud and firm tone oi
voice, and when counsel followed the
question up with, 'or 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 oi
the neighborhood who had slept in the
house, and that he credited the report
seemed fair inference from the fact
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 fol
declining the invitation was simply that
he was subject to rheumatism, 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 ht
was handed over to the plaintiffs coun
sci for cross-examination:
Are you superstitious?" asked tht
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, h'
answered.
"Don't You believe that coming event
cast their shadows before?" again asked
sounsel, with smile.
"Oh, laugh; yes, you can sit there ant
laugh, and you can talk more than can
but you don know nothing at all abou
it, replied Polk.
Polk succeeded, however, before III
left the stand, in convincing everyone
that in his opinion, at least, the young
man who had warned him that the hous'
was troubled" as he expressed it, had
done him very great service.
Mrs. Stymus, of course, secuted the
notion of the house being haunted. Hel
explanation to the rumors is that during
period of some few months, when il
remained empty in consequence of thu
death of her aunt, who had lived in il
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 oi
the house being haunted was matter ol
common gossip in the neighborhood
The house itself is an old-fashioned REQ
brick, English basement house, built or
o model very common quarter of cen
tury ago. Its upper or attic story
where the ghosts are believed to dwell
has a peculiarly stunted appearance
| owing to the windows being greater il
breadth than in height. These rooms
were originally intended for the servants
of the family, who, in the estimation o
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 clear
is not cheerful. The ghosts are un
doubtedly possessed of benignant ma
lures, since the house is only one dool
away from Baptist church. judge
Angell's decision is in favor of th,
plaintiff. N. Y. Times.