The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-17
A Connecticut Ghost.

DISCOVERY OF HAUNTED HOUSE IN HART
FORD STRANGE D0INGs OF A M1DDLE-AGED
PHANTOM.
A Hartford, Conn, correspondent OF the
New York Times sends the following re-
garding "haunted house" that has been
discovered IN the former city:
The house referred TO is at No. IS Church
street, in central part OF the city, and
upon a street through which there is much
travel. IL Is an old-fashioned wood strlc-
ture, built many years ago, without appa-
rently any material improvement in any OF
its parts since its original owner occupiedt.
II is now rented by one family. There isa
basement which the family use for cooking
and other purposes. A flight Of stairs
leading from the basement door goes d.
rcctly to the second floor. upon which
there are two large rooms. one a sitting
room, also occupied as a dinng-room, and
a large bedroom in the rear connectCdby
a single door. Above there are several
slcepng-rooms. The present occupants
OF the house are man and wife and their
daughter. The first two occupy the beG-
room on the second door. Soon after their
taking possession o! the place last fall the
woman, after her husband had left to
ployed in the basement, heard what she
supposed were the steps Of man in the
sittng-room above, and at once wen. up
stairs, but found no one there, her daugh-
ter being away at she time. Frequently
after this she heard the same noise, and
upon examining discovered that no one
was in the house but herself.
After awhile the whole family were an
noyed by noises indicating the presence Of
some living person besides themselves in
the building. At night, after the man and
his wife had retired and the house was
still, what appeared TO lie heavy footsteps
upon the hall stairway would be heard, and
by their sound would lead close UP TO the
bedroom door. This was repeated almost
nightly. One night the man tired an eX-
pertinent to see if he could possibly be mis-
taken as to the sound IN the hall. lie occU-
pied the room alone, the Others Of the fam
lily having retired, and very soon lie heard
the same tramping outside. He got out Of
bed and went out into the hall, locking the
bedroom door as he passed out, and all was
still there and he could see nothing, but at
once the heavy footsteps appeared to be in
his bedroom, and what satisfied him that
there could be no mistake about il was that
II
room, and the steps went upon this.
making squeaking sound, such rs he had
often noticed himself in walking about the
room.
These nightly visitations TO the sleeping
apartment and the daily noises which fell
upon the woman at work in the basement
every forenoon beclme so regular that the
family settled down to the purpose Of let
ting them go on without troubling them
selves about them. But recently the mat
ter reached n new phase. Strange lights
were seen. and these, in connection with
the unceasing tramping day and night, oc-
casioned fresh interest, il not some
alarm. in the household. But there
followed another phenomenon, which
was greater mystery than all the
rest. The woman OF the house had
been i'll, and was about to prepare medicine
in cup in which she had placed spoon.
This was in the evening, and the room was
well lighted. TO her amazementt the spoon
jumped out Of the cup and flew by her on TO
the floor. Very soon after she heard the
sound OF breaking glass in cupboard near
by, and upon examination discovered a
tumbler with round hole in it, made
Is ii pistol-ball had gone through it, and
broken pieces OF glass were upon the shell
beside il. Disturbances OF this kind have
not hren repeated. hut fbe family are still
ANNOYED by footsteps day and night.
The daughter told your correspondent
that she had seen visible forms, but chiefly
one who appeared TO be man OF middle
aye. with black hair and long black beard.
She had also seen the strange lights. She
was not a believer in spiritual manifesto
,ions. but said that the different eXhibi.
tions she had witnessed were astonishing.
At first they greatly alarmed her, but
she had calmed down since they
were 50 often repeated; still. she
wished that some skilled SpirtuaistIc me
dium would investigate and see what ii all
meant, il it could possibly be explained.
Ii it were herself alone who heard the
noises, and saw the strange things going
on. il might be attributed to her nervous
ness. Though she does not look like ner-
yous Young woman.) but her father and
mother were witnesses TO the daily and
nightly occurrences.
In the course Of conversation the mother
said that she had recently learned that Mr..
T.. II. Marks and wife, who occupied the
! house previous to her own family taking
! it, left because OF similar demonstrations,
which kept them in almost constant dread.
/ Yesterday your correspondent called al
the rooms Of the MGrkses, in the Walker
building. Mr.. Marks was away, but Mrs.
Marks, as soon as the subject was alluded
/ TO. Immediately said that she would not
/ live in the house again for any considera-
tion. She became I'LL very soon
after she and her husband went
there, and she was made very nervous
when the noises began and continued
dav and night. Her experience, as she re-
lated it, was almost precisely similar to
that Of the present occupants. Her hus-
band first heard the tramping at nights,
and at that time he occupied the "haunted
bedroom" aloIr. She had heard nothing,
and he told her OF the presence in the hall
and i'm his room OF some person who walked
around with heavy tread. She believed
nothing i'm il at first, but went into the
bedroom to sleep one night that she might
see and hear ii anything unusual took
nloce. Both herself and husband went to
sleep, and she was aroused by hearing some
one call her name. Looking up she saw 4
strange light, and Immediately reused hel
husband, who was sleeping heavily, and a:
soon as he awoke the light disappeared
but the tramping continued, and went on
then and subsequently till they could stand
il no longer, and moved TO their present
quarters. These witnesses are all repu'
table people. They would be very
clad 10 have the mystery cleared up, anC
now that the case is presented to the pub
lie. perhaps some local seer or practical in
yestigator may be able TO give some eXpla
nation rs TO the cause OF the existing trOu
ble The manifestations are going on TO.
day Just as they have been, in one form and
another, for the past few months since tht
present occupants Of the house took pos