Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-07-01
THE HOUSE Is HAUNTED
By "Spooks"-The First Rappings and
footfaIIs-The Mistress Of the
House Greatly Frightened
Some Startling Disclosures.

A gentleman we'll known in this city, and
who, for short, will be called Smith, wa
almost scared out of his senses night BE-
fore last by what he regarded as spirit rap
pings.
He lives in good style in the same house
in which he has resided for six years. He
has no family excepthis wife,
A Handsome Lady
of something under middle age. He is on
the road travelling great deal OF the time,
and, in his absence, his wife and servant
are left alone.
The wife has often told him, during the
pest three years. Of unusual noises heard
around the house while he was away, but
he never gave the matter any thought fur
Their than to attribute the noise, If there
was really any of an unusual character
heard. to the result of the house settling,
or to the wind, and took no stock in the
theory of his wife that the house was
haunted.
One night, a little over two years ago,
during the absence Of Mr.. Smith, the wife
was awakened by the sound of
Heavy FOOTBALLS
in the dining room, Immediately below.
They were plain and unmistakable, like
the tread Of a man walking up and down
the room in a great state Of excitement.
Every step was heard distinctly, and the
monotonous tramp, tramp continued h io OF
first that her husband had returned, and
was perpetrating joke on her, but tre-
mendous knock, as from giants hst on
the dining room door dissipated the deiu'
sion and frightened her nearly out OF her
senses The poor woman covered her neau
with the bed. clothes, and waited in fear
and trembling. for further Developments
The servant girl who slept across the hall
from the dining room, was awakened oy
the footballs and
The Tremendous Thunp
on the dining room door-heavy enough,
she said, TO shake the house-an it is need
less to say that she, too, was almost para
lized with fright. Immediately thereafter
the sound OF the walking ceased. Otten
after that, however many uncanny noises
we're heard in different parts of the house,
but more generally in the bed room OF Mrs.
Smith. A year ago servant girl who was
allowed to ST., in the dining room on the
lounge. in the absence of Mr.. Smith, left
his employ because of the strange rapplng
she heard all around the room. Manifesto
:ions have been more frequent during the
past two or three weeks, and as Mr. Smith
teelingly informed the reporter, the I'M
known has
RAISED the Devil"
As before stated the spirits never made
their appearance while Mr.. Smith was IN
the house, but only during his absence.
On Friday night he had considerable writ
ing to do, and sat down at his desk In the
hall to accomplish it. At half.past nine
o'clock his wife said she was tired and would
go to bed, and going to her bed room
closed the door and proceeded to disrooe.
She had not been in the room two minutes
until the rapping commenced, eoch time
by three knocks, first on the window, then
On the mirror in the dressing.case, and then
on the headboard Of the bed. They came
in quick succession and with such fire.
quency that she went out into the hall
where her husband was
Sitting At His Work,
and told him what she had heard. He i'm
mediately arose and led his wife back into
the room, put her to bed and and remained
little time with her TO quiet her fears
As usual with his appearance, the knock
ing ceased. After sitting for some five
minutes he wltnureW anu partly CioSeu
the door, but stood there moment to
listen for repetition Of the noise. He
had his ear close up to the door, when
suddenly there came thud against it that
sounded as if produced by powerful.
blow from clenched fist.
He Recoiled in AstOnishmeni.
and then recovered himself, opened the
door, and looked 10 see the source, but
found no one there. Partly closing it
sgain. he stepped out and tried it over
with the same result, attended by slighter
manifestations on the head-board OF the
bed, three raps in rapid succession, re-
peated every twenty or thirty seconds
After satisfying himself that they were
really rappiugs of some supernatural order
he became thoroughly alarmed, and laid
awake almost the entire night wondering
when he would be picked up and carried
out by the unknown.
Mr.. Smith and wife are both unbelievers
in spiritualsm, and are lost in wonder
ment that their peace and quiet should be
thus molested. He intends to change his
residence at once, and see if he cannot get
rid of the manifestations.