Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-01-15

From the N. Y, Times
The Illuminated Skeleton,
Ok
rhe Confessions Of the Widowed Ysu,r
MAJ.

| Who among the thirteen people who In
tested the Brown family mansion at New
port, Rhode Island, on Christmas, was re-
sponsibls for the Introduction Of practical
joking Is AL appropriate method Of cele-
6rAtin2 the season, is not certainly known.
BY some 1t is asserted that . yonng broker
from wall street was the guilty person,
while others maintain that the fret prsctl-
cal Joke was played by Miss Mary BROWN
and her sister, Miss Carrie, and theer
cousin Miss Lucy Brown Ketchum. L St
Us be fair minded and generous, and a.
| sumo that the broklng Brown was the fir
and chief offender.
Thirteen young people were OF the usual
sexes, and were full Of spirits. They ex-
hausted the most familiar practical jokes,
such as sewing up the sleeves of the young
mems ni2ht-shirts, and substituting pieces
OF raw potato tor the soap In the young
ladies' bedrooms. In the course OF the first
two evenings. and on Friday night last il
became necessary to invent some new ioke.
The youthful broker proposed thai Mr..
Charles W. Brown-a medical student.
VINO subsequently, proved bold, bad
young man-should be induced 10 put
bis hat on. and that it should then be
smashed over his eyes. 1--WE do that sort
OF thing at the board every now and then,
you know" said the broker, land you've no
idea how tremendously funny 1t Is"
This plan, however. miscarriej, for the
reason that no one felt anxious to act as
smssher, since Mr.. C. w. Brown notorious
" carried concealed medicines, and was
fully capable OF making any one who
might NEEDLE with his hat an immediate
sRd involuntary patient. Aiter much dis
cussion il was decided to frighten the medl-
cal student with ghost. and, As q prelimI-
nary, all agreed to weaken his mind by a
prolonged conversation on ghostly sub
jec,s.
In the evening ghost stories were &C.
cordin2ly told at great length. Nearly
every one professed to have seen or heard
. ghost In peculiarly blood -curdling cir
cumstances, and even the yoong brOking
person recoIlected story OF great antiquity,
which he related as . part CT his personal
experience.
Then Miss Mary Brown remembered
that the room In which she medical student
was to sleep had the reputation OF being
haunted. She said that q shostly skeleton
frequently appeared In 1t at the dead of
night, and required the unhappy person
whom 1t might meet to Instantly confess
his sins. under some vague but awful pen
atty. The skeleton was believed to have
been formerly the property of q wicked
priest, who had committed suicide In the
room, and it was said to make an annual
appearance on the 10Th OF December.
by this time the young ladies had talk
ell themselves into n very nervous state,
but Mr.. Charles Brown did not seem TO be
In the least degree alarmed. He said he
had been on intimate and friendly terms
with ghosts during the greater part OF his
life, and that he liked them very much. In
fact, he was snxious TO meet the skeleton,
and asserted that If he saw il he should ask
1t TO 90 to Philadelphia with him. so that
he could study It's bones at his leisure Al
q late hour the thirteen young people de-
eided TO 90 10 bed, ard after bidding each
other good night, with much elaboration,
they sought their respective rooms.
AS soon. however. as Mr.. Charles w.
Brown had entered his roor, the other
twelve young people noise lessly assembled
outside OF bis door 10 ascertain the success
OF their joke. Miss Mary Brown, her sis
ter, aud her cousins, had drawn with phos-
phorus magnificent aud appalling skele-
ton on the wall of the room. and written
above the head the legend. Confess
your sins When the medical student,
alter consuming what WAS thought to be
an unnecessary length oftime in preparing
for bed. finally put out hts light, the phos-
phoric ghost shoue brilliantly before his
eyes, aud he uttered yell the most ter
rlble aud, to the young people outside OF
his door, delightful description.
Thad the wicked young student began,
In loud tone Of voice, his confession.
lie confessed that on Wednesday night he
had kissed Miss Mary Brown Ia the library;
but he urged upon the ghost, as an ex-
circumstance, the fact that the
young lady had virtually requested bim to
do SO, aud that he did not see his way
clear TO refuse. Then he confessed that he
had promised to marry Miss Carrie Brown,
and that he bad broken his promise Still.
he claimed that he would not have been
iaithless had he not seen her In the act OF
sitting ON the young brokers' lap. and had
she not subsequently admitted that she had
promised to marry that "sddle-pated
youth, as she accurately described him
Also, Mr.. Charles w. Brown. who IS un-
a lineal descendant of AnaniAs,
further confessed that be meant no harm
when he kissed Miss ketchum in the ves-
thule of the church on Christmas morning.
aud that he would never do So again.
BY this time the youn. people outside OF
the door had fed. The three young ladies'
whose names had been mentioned In The
medical students confession wept indig-
nant tears, and protested that the ..wretcb'
knew that he WAS telling lies; while tho
other young ladies said they hoped that
such was the case, but that Mr.. Brown did
seem very earnest and sincere In what he
said. The next morning no questions were
ASKED OF that depraved young man. aud in
the course OF the day nearly every one Of
The thirteen young people said they had
received letters which would obli.e them
70 go home Immediately.
practical Joke, the illu minated .ksle-
ton was not, perhaps, strikingIy successful,
but 1t Is the opinion OF Mr.. Charles w
Brown that no further attempts to play
practical jokes on him will be made. and
that he has fully repaid the ingenious Ill
sentor Of the ghost
-,Iennie Dara whoauar sha La L..