Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-04

4
had the smallest success. One night, while
| poor Aane was in great delight at WANING
so constantly, she dropped wing on the
| floor, and, suddenly diving under the table
to recover IL, was horrited to see that her
! agreeable partner had an unmistakaoie
cioven foot. Her screams caused him to
be aware OF the discovery, when at once
| he vanished in thunderciap, leaving
birthstone smcl! behind him
| The poor girl never recovered from the
/ shock, laysing from one fit into another,
| and was carried to the tapestry room, from
! which she never again came forth, and
where shs shortly AFTER died.
/ Tnis s5ery OF his Satanic Majesty got
abroad, and many tales were told OF how
he continued to visit and disturb the house.
! The noises, the separations and disturo-
ances were innumsrabie, and greatly dis
tressed aad terrified old Charles Io.ten.
ham, his wife aud servants.
now give portion Of the letter OF the
Freverend gentleman before alluded to,
which he kindly sent me in reply TO my
inquiries On the subject. He says:
g The proofs given in your letter attest
the presence of some spirit, out IN my mind
not conclusive that it was the young iadys.
This brings 70 my mind the traditions of
the Hall, IN the locality of which l have
lived for upward of twenty years. l re-
member conversirg with one OF the Oldest
retaineTs OF the family, and she described
that room II the house rs being unused. l
made further Inquiries, but she could not
tell how the fellow VITA the cloven foot
arrived thers-5u5 that he was there, and
gave great annoyance to the Hall family, so
that they determined TO call IN the servic 8
| of the parish priest, OF the name OF Bro.
ders, VINO lived in the neighb0rhood about
100 years ago. de, IL is said, used all the
exorcisms OF the Church against him, and
after this hls operations were confined to
certain room-.he tapestry chamber. This
l have hesrd from many, but particularly
from an old woman in Hsggasd, who was
log or los years old when she died. She
well iecoiiected the priest above alluded
to, ami that the Tottenham family were
ever after very kind TO him to the day OF
his death, ana af,erward were SO to the
members Of his family as long as his good
services were remembered. This latter
part know 10 be true, and the former
nave no reason 10 doubt.
Here, then, We have traced from the
date of the unhappy girls misfortune that
the house was disturbed by something
supernatural that the head OF the family
I
the parish ps.est, to abate il, and, further,
that the tapestry room was the scene of
these visjtations.
But tue matter was kept dark, all refer
ence to poor AuLe was avoided, and the
belief allowed TO 20 abroad that it was
Satan himself who disturbed the peace of
the family. Toe sa! story OF the poor girl
was too painful, the treatment (most
likely of the unfeehng parents too harsh,
and they were ready to turn aside the keen
edge OF observation from ter fate, prefer
ring rather that 1t should be believed that
they were haunted by the Devil, SO that
the story OF her wrongs should sink into
oblivion and be ciassed as an old wife's tale
OF horns and hoofs But Anne herself
would not permit this. TO this day,
through several generations, she keeps her
wrongs and sorrows alive. The harsh
father and stepm2ther have long gone to
the place appointed for all living" The
LOTUS branch OF the family are In posses
sion of the Hall. Yet poor Anne has kept
her tapestrled chamber, through all this
lapse OF time, by usarly the same means
which compelled ner parents to call In the
aid OF the parish priest so long ago.
But 70 my tale.
About the close of the last century my
father was invited by Mrs. Tottenham to
meet large party at the Hall. He rode,
as was tnen tae custom in Ireland, with
MS pistols IN MS holsters. On arriving ne
found the house full, and Mrs. Tottenham
apoiogized TO MIN for being Obliged to as.
sign to him the tapestry chamber for the
night, which, however, lac gladly accepted,
having never heard any OF the stories con.
nected with l..
However, he bad hardly covered himself
10 tine bed, v ben zutdeniy something heavy
leap7G upon It growing like i dog. The
curtains were iOTa back, and the bed
clothes stripped from OH the red ! Sup.
posing that sau,e Of his companions ~ere
playing tricks, he called out that he would
shoot them, and, Selling q pistol, he tired
it up the chimney, lest he should wound
one of them He taen struck light and
searched tle room diligently, but found no
sign mark Of auy one, and the door
locked as &c had left it on retiring to rest.
Next day he informed his host how ne
had been annoyed IN that room, but they
could only say that they would not have
put him in it if they had had any other to
offer HIN.
Years passed on, when the Marquis of
Ely went to toe Hall to pass some time
there HIS yaiei, Shannon. was put TO
sleep IN the tapestry room. In the middle
OF the nlgHt the whole family were aroused
by his dreadful roars ana screeches, and be
was found lying III another room fainting
In mortal terror. Alter some time he told
them that, soon alter ne had laid himself
down IL he'd, ne Was startled by the rat
Ting OF the curtains as they were torn
back, and, looking up, he saw tail lady
by tue bedside dressed IN stiff hrocaded
silk. he ieaped up and rushed out of the
room screaming Nth terror, Then first he
heard iron the old housekeeper-Aunty
Neai-af Miss Tottenham.
Again the room was shut 10, and years
passed Oh, wuea | was brought by my
father with the rest Of the family to the
Hall for the summer bathing. | was at
tracted by the antique look, somber pict-
ures and quaint Character of the tapestry
room, and 1t once chose IL Tor my bed
room, beiUg wholly and utterly ignorant of
particle " the stories connected with it,
or even OF the fact that Anne Tottenham
bad ever existed. The tapestry repre-
scented huutiag-ield of old, where gentle
men and ladies with Icing spears followed
the gsme-scsgs and hartS-and the at.
PENDANTS in tho woods reused out the game
and the dogs careered about. When there
was windy night the Tapestry waved, and
the whole scene seemed animated with a
heavy kind of lie. Many night l slept
peacefully on poor Anne's bad, finding food
for Imagination as the wind moved the
figures, which sesmed to thrust their spears
as the dogs gave chase.
One nigha, however, | sat up much later
than usual 10 finish al ioteres sting article
in Btaekmood'S HGya=iae. The full moon
was shining in through Two large windows,
making all as clear, SO to speak, as day.
was jus5 about getting into bed and hap
pened to lock st tie door, when, to my
great Surprise, l saw it open quickly and
noiselessiy AID 80 quickly and noiselessly
shut again, and the tail figure of lady il
still dress proceeding slowly to pass
through the room toward oae of those Gu
rious closets, before mentioned, which we're
IN the opposite corner.
l followed Der with my eyes 10 astonish.
ment until the corner OF the bed hid her
from my sight. 1 rubbed my eyes. /
thought of Sir David B-ewster's theories.
and dtceptio cisaS and everything, except
/ that | mad really seen a woman for the
idea OF ghost did not for moment enter
my head. quickly reasoned myself into
sound sleep and forgot the matter,
The next night / again sat up late in my
| bedroom uT,s,srIVrr a Cuu and