Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-07-10
SPEAKING WITH A SPOOK.
a REP0RTER MEETS HIS GENTLE
INDIAN GUIDE,
when His EIoquence Shall Oauso
Listening Thousands TO Forget
Their Food, AND a Golden III atred
BI0nde shall CasI Him Dear.

part Of the oity on Sixteenth street be
tween Scott and Lincoln stands @ row oil
neat two story brick dwelling houses
surrounded by open lots for several hun.
dred yards in every direction. In the
second house of this row from Scott
street lives or rather boards woman,
Mrs. Miller by name, who claims the
power of olRirvoyanoe and advertises
herself as 3 test medium. That the
credulous and iuoredulous public might
be more fully informed Of this so-oalled
olairvoyant's power the city editor Of
GAZETTE lsent the reporter whose
duty 1t is to attend police court, write
obituaries and be AT all chicken fights, to
visit Mrs. Miller, look upon the untrod-
den paths Of the future and review the
past in all its awful reality, or In other
words to let her turn loose the
"panorams Of life, 4 effsnsss yspentsd
and unrepented" and let them troll o'er
the vision OF his soul' and start on re.
turn trip, II even that were necessary to
get the item.
Tha reporter fished his cuffs out Of the
waste basket, wnere the office dog had
taken them Just to pass away the time,
and wended his way to the olairvoyant's
mystic castle. Twas dusk when the
place was reached the hour when all
kinds Of spooks grow restless and az the
old gate oreaked on its rusty hinges the
reporter, who Is not an unsppreoiative
person, recognised the appropriateness Of
things In general.
Three raps upon the wooden door gave
forth hollow sound, and there tottersd
I Ia Yad
was covered with thiok3 locks Of snowy
whiteness. In solemn voice the sage
inquired, "What wilt thou Z" The re-
porter said, no, he wasn't wiltir g, it was
merely the heat, and on telling the object
OF his visit was shown into room almost
devoid Of furniture, while the dim and
fickering rays " light from q coal oil
lamp cast ghostly shadows on the dingy
wall.
Directly prsncsd therein upon the
scene woman of Tug Wilson build,
naughty mien and irregulRrly out
features. From their oavernous sockets
protruded two eyes which when directed
upon an animated object burned with o
balpful intensity. The quill driver was
staggered. He even forgot what he in.
tended to say to her and in his bewildsr
ment and with stammering voice asked
for a 81 peep into the dim vista. Turning
toward the old man whose frame quivered
before her mystic power, she said,
Jimmy, take bare of his hat and cane,'i
and fed through the doorway as sud
denly as she had appeared. Jimmy re.
| sponded, faye, aye" and with nerve
less hand pointed honey finger toward
the retreating figure and said with a
tremulcus voice and In sspulohral tones,
"iollow her."
Up dark and winding stairway into
an 8xl0-foot room, the scribe found him
sslf alone with his woman OF mystery
Besides himPelf and Mrs. Miller the room
WAS occupied by an iron COT, bureau and
wash basin. The intense heat was not
alleviated any by greasy oil lamp
around which bugs of all descriptions
were wbirling in merry dance
The seere5s bade her subject be seated
and lowered the light until the room was
almost in total darkness. Taking seat
facing the newspaper man she said, 81
shall tell you of the past, present aud
tuture"--all for dollar thought the
scribe. "You must be quick" she con-
timed, Sin recognizing the correctness
and unoorreotness of statements. Re.
member, know nothing after the spirit
begins to move. Give me your hand"
As soon as the hands were clssped the
medium smiled one Of those hideous
ballet-girl smiles +; her whole form shook
as il in convulsions, and low, rumbline
voice in broken Epgli Ii said: 81 am the
spirit Of a young Indian squaw in the
| happy hunting RrOund6,u "
.'For Gods sake" thought the irrev-
erent reporter.
"There is confusion here" said the
spirit exoitedly. "You are all unsettled;
you are thinking OF making change.
Am / righti"
The scribe said yes, but he guessed he
would have to leave his trunk.
"What's that see A tall, powerful,
noble looking fellow; he ia your friend,
through him you will get an excellent
position. Do you know such a man ~
and the scribe thought of Slim Jim and
said yes.
After this brief Introductory the spirit
spoke Of the reporters past. Now il any
reader of GAZETTE thinks he ia
going to learn OF the police reporters
past and throw it up to him when he be,
comes great, IS he surely will II the
young squaw wasn't under the influence
of fire water, he is just slightly mistaken.
Suffice II to say that that sepulohrsl
voiced spirit Of the red skin rehearsed
happenings between the time of the early
slipper which always catches the small
boy, until day before yesterday.
Names OF dead and living relatives
were given with astounding accuracy.
The home Of the soribs's childhood In
the sunny south with its inmates were
wildly pictured deathbed scenes, in.
cidents and conversations were rehearsed
with an exactness which plainly showed
that the red skin was not plying 8
crooked tongue to the pale faced brave,
Came then forth from the mouth OF that
spirit the names Of the numerous mRidens
the gallant youth had tver learned tC
love, and ring the scribe had onos given
gushing girl was described to nieety
Suddenly the medium became very
much excited, the shaking was something
awful and left St. Vitus' dance severa
laps behind. The spirit said in a deep
toned voice, "a dead relative would
speak with you:"
Aftef exchanging compliments with th,
huu upuu
Of the weather, the defnnot relative wen
on to say that she hadn't seen the re
porter at church lately. The reporter
admitted that he had been sinking
church slightly, and the dead relative
after giving him instructions how to ao
in the future, shook hands through tn,
medium and vanished into the mysti,
beyond.
With the exit OF this spook veil wa
thrown over the past and the future WA
unveiled. The brilliant promises wer,
enough to encourage an ordinary mar
to lorrow S1,c00 at 10 per cent, ant
give his note for Il several years hence
"In three weeks You will receive mani
letters, all containing the best o
news within one year from now yol
will have a splendid and responsible,
position offered you in-in-I think
hear the word Philadelphia. The darl
clouds are rolling by. | see bright light
II goes ahead Of you everywhere. Tha
means your future will be one of grea
brillianoy. You will triple every cent 0
money you ever earn"
"0h, see see exclaimed the younJ
squaw, excitedly /; 'you are standing OF
platform high above thousands 0
people you are speaking Beei all grow
wild /; hats are thrown mp high cheer
rend the air. You will be great brave.
During this harsngue the sorib
thought he should burst with suppresse,
emotion. all the virtues Of his futur
wife were then described. She was to b
pale faced maiden with blue eyes an,
golden hair. Happy children, VIII
would be an honor TO their father, wer
clinging about the paternal knee, an
suddenly as the ending o. a pleasan