National Republican., 1883-08-22
HUMAN BONES UNEARTHED.
A Chastity Discovery by WOrkmen Digging
Near the Old Carroll Mansion.
Skeletons that Seem to Have Been
Buried by UnfeeIing Hands.
The Stories Old Residents Tell Of the Spsctsp which
Haunt the Place
Finds OF Petrihed Wood and Clay Soap
Possible Bonanzas.

The une,rthing yesterday of lot of human
bones and hair in the open space fronting the
old Carroll mansion by workmen engaged
there has caused n revival of the ghost stories
which have clung to the old estate for these
many years like grim traditions. The work
men are engaged in grading reservation II,
for the purpose of converting it into new
park, and yesterday, at n depth of ten feet,
they unearthed u number of ghastly relics of
the past, which are now stored in the office
of the foreman, situated near by.
A reporter of The REPUBLICAN visited the
place last evening and was shown the curiosi-
ties, which consist of infant and adult bones,
fragments of skulls, long tresses of hair
teeth, and an ancient looking shoe. Near tho
same spot large quantity of petriticd wood
and rust eaten breastpin with plat OF
human hair inside of it, were dug up. The
fact that n shoe was found with the bones has
caused rumors to be circulated that they are
the remains of victims of foul play. The
superstitious residents of that neighborhood
regard the graveyard find" rs verifcation
of the many spooky tales which have been
told and retold from the birth of Washington
city to the present time, and which are as
familiar to the children of that locality as
\ Mother Goose's Melodies"
The reporter conversed with a number of
the above class and had related to him some
of the hair-raising stories. One old gentle.
man said that it was nightly occurrence not
many years ago to hear piercing walls about
the old Carroll premises after midnight, fol-
lowed by the appearance of wild looking
female, who wandered about in despairing
manner, apparently pulling her hair and
making gestures of distress She has not been
seen of late, although it is claimed that her
wall has been heard not later than week
ago, ringing out on the night air like the long
cry of an Irish banshee.
"I have witnessed sight equally as
Strange as that" said another old gentleman
who had been an intent listener. have
seen an old man with bent back, long white
tresses and unsteady gait, leaning upon n
long staff and moving slowly about the place,
now and then gazing wstfully behind him.
When l was young man you couldn't drag
me into that haunted locality, after dark,
with an OK team"
Another party said he had heard within
the past week strange tales related by tramps
who spent the night about the Carroll grounds
and added that it was a significant fact that
no tramp was ever known to sleep there over
one night.
As the reporter was about to start the last
speaker said, "You should visit the old estate
of Thomas Blagden adjoining Inge-
side,' Col. Gorkhill's residence, and witness
the apparition which appears there nightly.
who was whipped to death years ago by n
cruel master. The whipping took place at
o'clock at night and the ghost appears now on
the same spot and at the same hour"
The reporter then visited an old tenantless
frame dwelling, on Fourth street, south of
Pennsylvania avenue. Capitol hill, which has
not been occupied for several months, and
made inquiries as to its spectral condition.
The old eolored woman, who lives a few
e. doors from the place, said:
YES sab, dat house am sartainly hanted.
De cullud lady dat used ter live dar had ter
move, case de ghosts carried on so shame
fully. Bout midnite dey used to rattle her
dishes, slam de doors, an carry ON high. De
woman was scared nigh unto DEATH au' used
ter sleep wild de neighbors mos cherry mite,
an you can't git anybody to live dar now,
rent free"
Having posted himself on ghostology, the
reporter scudded ofiiceward.
The workmen engaged in grading square
II also discovered great logs of petritied wood
deep underground, the grain of which ap-
peared clear cut and perfect and almost as
hard as flint. At another point they struck
n he'd of peculiar clay, which is an exact imf-
tation of red CASTLE soap with white, and
regular streaks of alkali running through it,
In fact, it might be termed bed of natural
soap, as it produces lather aud in other
respects is soap-like. The workmen have cut
quantities of it into square bars and deceived
many persons.
The foreman in change of the work was
asked if he had found anything else while
delving into the region of dame natures old
curiosity shop, name which suggested
itself to the reporter while viewing the pile
of curiosities which had been unearthed.
ooh, yes, sir" he replied, 1--WE have found
numerous small articles most Of which the
workmen have kept. Some of them have
old rusty coins, knives, and other articles
nd nnin II sxula lat tya rtnyp
before we get through with this job"
Some time ago the same workmen dug W
a long wooden trough, which had been laid
by a combination of old time citizens for two
purposes: To furnish tho southeastern sec
tion with water supply from the countless
springs around the old Carroll manor, and to
supply water from the same source to a large
tank which formerly existed near the nay
yard, and which was intended to be used y
the old Anacostia volunteer fire company
during confagrations. The plan, however
did not prove feasible and was afterward
abandoned.
1t is not known yet what will be done will
the curiositios already found, but it is proba
BILE Col. Rockwell will present them to the
Smithsonian institution or national museum
An Irish laborer, who manipulates u picl
AK on the site Of the new park, is quite san
guine Of finding gold mine or some othe,
kind of n bonanza before his engagement eX
pires. He said to the reporter:
This ees ghreat place. We fhoind cu-re
ossitees nearly livery minnt, Oi eXphcct We
will yit sthroike the hull of Noahs arrik o
dhiamond moine."
A colorcd shovel singer declared "dat
dey strike any more graveyards Use a-gwin
to quit. Deed | is, case Use 'fraid de ghost o
dem exfunct people IL hant me at mite"
FRONT ROYAL, VA.-Dr. G. II. Hill says
Browns Iron Bitters seem to give genera