Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-11-03
HAUNTED HOUSES
In England and Scotland, and the Pres.
ent GhOstly Disturbances i'm Chelsea,
Near London.
The Singular. Experiences at Glamis
Castle and so Berkeley Square, Lon.
Observation-Disclosures Homes.

L
Perhaps you msy have noticed of late il
come OF the English papers descriptions Of va
| rIous disturbances which have taken place ir
the nelghborhood of Chelsea in consequence Of
| a house having gained the reputation of be-
ing haunted. Toward evening mobs of per.
sons assembled around the house, waiting 10
| see the ghost and after time the bows fell
TO work at their old amusement of throwing
| stones through the windows, and fights were
got up between those who believed in the
ghost and those who did not. To the pro-
prIetor OF the house and the immediate
neIshbors these performances were by no
means so amusing as they were to outsiders,
and consequently the police were called in
and two or three of the ring leaders were ar
rested. But the belief of the populace in
the ghost is as strong ever, and plumbers
oil persons still go to stare up at the win
dows every night, expecting TO see some
thing which will send them back with their
hair standing straight on end. There has
always been famous ghost in Chelses, at n
mousse IN Sloane street, concerning which
many blood curdling legends are nara ed.
L recollect sitting at dinner one night
next to lady who told me that
she had actually lived in that house
aud seen the ghosts, for there were
several. She ave me AN account OF them,
---I i--l---I ti--s -fIv r1w rfIru vl:-+:--stIr
as she then saw me. / dare say that some
of your readers have heard of another
haunted house, in the very best part of Lon
don-in no less place, in fact, than Berk-
ley Square, near by the mansion of the
Marquis OF Lansdowne, at present occupied
by Lord and Lady Rosebery. At various
. times this house-it is No. so in the square,
two or three doors from the corner-has
been the subject Of good deal of comment,
and 1t has been said that it is the scene of
Lord Lyiton's Haunted and the Haunters, one
OF the most powerful ghost stories ever
written. But Lytton more probably had in
In his minds eye the house on Sloane street.
which at least answers better to his descrip-
ton than the one in Berkeley Square. Con-
corning the latter, l can only say of nv
own knowledge that the house, although
one OF The most commodious in that part OF
London, Is seldom inhabited by the same
tenant long together, and few years ago
the agents did not seem able to succeed
In getting any one TO take it. The
story which was whispered about the
locality was that one night a maid
servant had seen something in one of
the upper rooms which had filled her with
such dread and horror that she went 10 ad,
and soon after a young man lost his lie in
the same room from the same cause. L. is
very certain that ii became extremely diff
cult to get any servant to live in the house,
and even now it is not an easy matter.
rather think that at this moment The house
is again uninhabited. passed it three or
four weeks ago, and the blinds were all
closely drawn and the entire place had de-
serted appearance. Bet the present tenants,
If there are any, may have been temporarily
absent from London, and / will try again one
OF these days and perhaps take another OPP
portunity of reporting 10 you the result.
In little book of mine there is a chapter
on a haunted house-Bolsover Castle-and it
L. al. L
sent TO me about that chapter than about
anything l ever wrote. One of the writer's
public man, too, of some posiiion-was
kind enough to suggest TO me that it would
be excellent plan 10 make a series of visits
to houses which have the repute of being
the abode of ghosts, and if 1 could have
found time l should have been very much
disposed to carry out the idea, for it would
at least have given me an excuse for taking
a few more walks and seeing little more OF
rural life in the most picturesque of all
countries for the pedeslrian. l made note
of few celebrated places / Intended to visit
If / could get due authorIty-among them,
OF course, being CLAIMS Castle, in Aberdeen
shire, which, as one may say, has gained
proud distraction over all other haunted
houaes- The mystery relating to it mas never
been explained, and at the same time no one
who has ever lived in it has questioned
entirely unaeeountsble-appea have
made themselves visible in il. There is the
secret chamber referred TO by Sir Walter
Scott, which is never known to more than
TWO living persons--the Earl of Strathmore
Of the day, and his eldest son, Lord Glamis.
When the heir attains his majority he is
taken into the fateful chamber by his father,
and there he Is initiated into the great secret
Of the family, aud from that moment he
becomes grave and sadder man. So runs
the popular story. but l recoilect meeting
The present Lord Glamis soon after the great |
epoch in his life, and he did not look like |
man who had recently seen or heard anything |
very dreadful. He was by no means sad. |
iened for life, so far az / could iudge |
There is, however, verify believe, something |
uncanny" at Glamis C.ste. Some very !
hard-headed friends Of mine have assured me |
hat they have been considerably staggered |
by what they saw there. / was mentioning
his fact the other mis- ht to a gentleman.
who assured me that the following incident |
ook place in house with which he was
we'll acquainted: The occupants of a certain
Dom were awakened every night by the
,ries of child, which appeared TO come
but nothing was discovered 10
recount for the sounds. Night after night the
1iteous waliDgs and sobs were renewed,
Until at last ii became quite impossible for
my one to sleep in the chamber. The fire.
place was then taken out and the bricks or
lies removed, when a number of bones were
discovered in little pit. These bones We're
ent, without word of explanation at the
ime to Prof. Owen, and he decided at once
hat they were the bones OF child. The
professor himself told the gentleman who
old me, SO that one has not to go very far
,aek for the pedigree of this ghost story 1t |
trikes me as being rather odd, but have
10 explanation OF 1t to offer, for it is folly to
ttempt to explain ghost story unless one
las seen or heard the ghost oneself.
A lady who died not long ago herself told
ne the following circumstances: In Novem-
'er, 1859, she awakened one night by
he curtains at the foot of her bed being
rawn apart, the noise OF the brass rings on
he mahogany poles being perfectly distinct
nd clear She looked in that direction, and
" the light of the night-lamp which was
urning in her room she plainly recogniz ID
er husband, who was at that time holding
Ugh command in India. He stood looking
1 her for few moments and then drew the
urtains together again and was seen no
lore. The lady looked at her watch and
lade a mt morandum of the time; and when
ne mail C me some few weeks later-for
mere WAS 30 telegraph TO India, and no Suez
NAL Ia J,.o4e days-the news came that at |
Al very hour her husband had died. His
anne was one Of the most memorable in the |
hole history of the mutiny, and his wife
as one of the most pious and devout women
have ever known. Explain her story how
ne may, am quite sure that she only re-
tied what che seen, and that the small
It deception was out of the question where
he was concerned.
have myself slept in several haunted
ouses, but never saw or heard anything un-
sual. In old houses one always expects 10
ear strange sounds, and, as a rule, they are {
Il to be accounted for by natural mot TO say
ueriIe) causes. In very old house Ia part
it dates back to the thirteenth century,
here / occasionally take refuge from the
,gs and hurry burly of London, frequently
sed to notice a heavy humping in the
cad hours of night, sometimes kept up Tor
We minutes or 50, sometimes only heard at :
hard thump and then long t
leuce. l had almost given up trying 10 l
Il at the origin of the noise, when late one s
ght happened to be passing the door OF i
le stables, which were close 10 the house. 1
hen | heard the same thump, hump, which = =
id so often reused me out OF my sleep. Ii 9
as a horse kicking against wooden parti-
on In "two stalled" stable-the marks OF
IS heels were visible enough when l went
look for them the next day. So that
1ost was very soon laid.
The old woman who took me over Bolsover a
astle told me that scarcely night passed d
lIhout her seeing a ghost, and that the !
mily vino occupied the house were also
lite accustomed to their unearlhiy visitors.
,rtainly more ghostly looking place i
.versaw, but i cannot quite understand
bat good it can do the ghosts 10 go snd cit
; the side OF this old woman every night, Z
what good 1t can do her to see them. Now
so Berkeley Square the spparitiODs were /,