The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-03-22
TRAPPING A GHOST.
CONCLUDED.


did not believe in spiritual presences,
hut did believe in wickedness driven
to desperation. was bidding defiance
to q foe of whose resources was utterly
ignorant. What if my defiance should
be taken up Mentally / felt strong
enough, physically was conscious of
being weak, but set about the per-
formance of my household duties, which
occupied me fully till the return of
Andrew.
took him, as also the joiner and
blacksmith, into the parlor, and told
them my experiences of the previous
evening. Andrew exhibited symptoms
of alarm but found the joiner sensi-
ble man, and inclined, after what told
him, to take similar view with myself
of the situation, namely, that we were
being made the subjects of some diabol-
ical trlckery, in order to drive us out Of
and If L had ever been in her rooms. |
said had not. He proposed at once to
visit them. The door of her apartments
was, rs usual, locked; but the black
smith had little difficulty in successfully
picking the lock, and effecting an en-
trance for us-Andrew being meanwhile
sent to keep lookout in the garden,
that no one approached the house un-
awares.
There was nothing to attract attention
in Mrs. Weevil's apartments. The join
er carefully examined them, but no
means of egress from either of the rooms
could be discovered, save the door by
which he had entered, the windows
having iron gratings outside. We took
the utmost care that nothing was dis
arranged; and any piece of furniture or
apparel which we had occasion to dis
turb was replaced exactly as found.
Previous to this, should have mention
ed, both the Joiner and blacksmith had
made particular examination of the
bow-window of my bedroom; but had
failed to find anything to awaken sus-
picion in the slightest Our search had
so far been entirely fruitless and was
beginning to feel more perplexed than
ever as, after what Andrew had told me
of Mrs. Weevil, and of her sons former
relations to the owner of the house,
had somehow begun to connect her in
my mind with the mysterious appear
ance which had given it such bad
fame.
We were in the act of quitting the
housekeeper's sitting room, afraid that
she might return before we had had
time to refasten the door, when L noticed
the blacksmith kneel down on the floor
of the inner apartment, and examine
the foot of one of the bed posts. 1t was
an ancient Elizabethian, with heavy
faded hangings, and stood on a floor
covered with carpet, out of which long
use had extracted almost all traces of it's
original pattern. At signal the joiner
stopped down beside him; and L then
observed that the caster at the foot of
the bed-po was glistening with oil, as
if it had but recently been fabricated
and we all three then noticed that there
was distinct dark oily streak along the
carpet, as if the bed had been moved
forward obliquely for a few feet from
where it stood, and then moved back
again. The joiner at once rose, and
taking hold of the bed found that he
could pull it forward easily and without
making the slightest noise, till it was
about foot from the wall against where
it stood. At this point we noticed that
the bed seemed to dip slightly to one
side, as if something were yielding to
its weight; and at the same moment we
observed a paneliDg slightly open in
that part of the wall which had former
ly been hid behind the hangings.
was in high state of excitement
and with difficulty could suppress my
feelings, but stood silent as the two men
went round and looked into the opening
thus discovered. They asked for can
die, which 1 presently brought them,
when we found that the recess was a
small place, about five feet high and
two deep, and that it was formed of
solid mason-work on all sides but the
front A box, large enough to fill the
whole space of the bottom, was attached
to the wall by strong iron staples, as if
to prevent its removal; but curiously
enough, the box itself was not locked,
though supplied with hasp and pad
lock. The lid was at once lifted, when
we saw stuffed into it, as if hurriedly, a
mass of white garment, which we found
to be an old chasuble or surplice, that
must have formed at one time part OF
the ceremonial robes of a priest. We