National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-02
A HAUNTED MoReuE.
The GhastIy Sights witnessed by two
Medical Students In the Phiiadei-
phla Dead House.

John Davies and Edwin X. Brownlow,
young Marylanders, who are taking their
second years course of lectures at Jeffer-
son college, live in Front street, around
the corner from the morgue, which stands
at the northwest corner of Noble street
and Beach street. They have been
sooffer, during their residence In that
neiRhborhood At the religious belief of
the inhabitants that the city's dead house
is haunted. They spent long vigil on
saturday night within the precincts Of
the place, aud came away converted to
the popular faith.
The city's doad-houso Is largo two
story brick house. One side OF tho build,
ins faces tho river, the other fronts on
Noble street The sido facing tho Della.
ware IL pleasant and homoliko, the othor
cold. cherries and grim. In tho inhab-
tied front lives John Conrad, the keeper,
and his family.
The accommodations for the dead are
seant-baro wall4 bare floors, and for a
resting place cold slabs OF Vermont mar
bic, To the right OF tho long corridor,
on The ground noor arc the dead rooms,
In which the unclaimed bodies arc laid.
a. the end Of the corridor door leads
into the yard, whore, In little outhou go,
bodies are sometimes kept.
wArcHISo ron GHOSTS.
II was from the top Of this place,
through back window, that the students
| took their observations after permission
70 pass the night In the main hall was
/ refused them BY Keeper Conrad, who was
affaid that Commissioner Dizzy would
/ object 10 night visitors. At midnight
they began their watch. A dim light
burned Ia tho room, aud by its feeble rays
the students could discern the outlines Of
threo bodies stretched rigid on tho dead
room slabs. One was that Of negro rag
picker. who died Of exposure, and whose
faithful dog guarded his body from the
police. The other two were those Of q
man who had been found drowned In the
Delaware aud OF a woman who had died
Of drink in her slam attic, Nothing
very queer about them" whispered
Brownlou TO his chum. "If there were
some distinguished suicides or mysterious
murders II might be trife world"
Living, as they did, near the morgue,
and visiting u often 20 SEQ post-mortem
disseotions aud watch the curious crowds
who throug there the two men were
familiar with It's celebrated cases and fell
TO discussing them. Brownlow tells their
experience In = Straightforward, matter
of.fact way. aud at the snd Of his story to
= reporter last night said ~ sm not a
believer In supernatural visitors, but /
cannot explain what 1 saw last night.
We were talking Of . Norristown case,
that of Phnbo Dornin, who drowned her
self for love, when, as hope TO take my
degree, hoard q strange noise. 1t was 0
regular thumplthump over tho dead room
floor.
A SHOCKING APPARITIoN.
"Wo looked In. or course, you won'l
believe what say; but. rs live, we sa y
o vapory- looking figure OF q man In his
shirt sleeves with yellow hair, mixed
with gray, and his head twisted all up on
one side from hanging. He dragged him,
self slowly across that floor, as IL impeded
by ball and chain. Behind him sounded
the thump, thump."
Jack, said, it's the Dutch clock
maker aud that's his anvil making thu
noise could feel Jack shivering, bu'
he did not speak. The Apparition held
its discolored face in such way that III
right eye stared straight at us in horri
bic way. There was an insane look IL
the eve. Tho man was crazy when he TIED
that anvil to his ankles aud jumped from
tho top Of his staircase with rope mad
fast In the room above slipped around hi
neck. That his ghost was crazy Fun Ger
tain. No, we couldn't soc the anvil"
According to the students strang
story tho ghost with tho anvil disap
peared as suddenly as IL appeared, an'
out Of the corner in which it vanishe,
: grew two other spectres. One was
young woman. Her face was careworu
Hor brown hair was neatly done up In
knob ct the back of her head. She wor
while night dress, and In her arms sh
carried what seemed to be child.
'Sho went straight to the middl
slab" said Brown, "aud vow that sh
shook her head sorrowfully, and that n
expression OF shame came into hor face.
ANNIE LoGAN's SPIRIT. o..
ats Annie Logan whispered Jack
He was right. 1t was Annie Logan
ghost, Pm certain. aud IL ever q ghos
came back to earth wouldn't a ghost lik
hers come back to this placer If there
life aftor death could modest woma
who had killed herself and child In tn
privacy Of her own room because he
husband had deserted her ever forge
that she was laid out there with he
child in hor arms to be gazed at by tn
g morbid eyes of oil the city? 1t woul
haunt her through all eternity"
Q The woman and her child disappeared
Z In their stead there came troop of OF
binary immortals. Some seemed jealou
n that their room WAS occupied by the bod ia
on the slabs; others leered with gobli
J, delight at the unfortunatcs who file
their places. One, and we certainl
thought him the ghastliest, was tho ghoi
Of q painter who had cut his throat /
o delirium tremens. 1t was cut from Oh
y to ear. and when he threw his head bac
the cash yawned hideously. He carrie
his Jagged razor in his hand. and frt
Z quentiy went through the movement
q which had ended his life. Ono by on
the ghosts, with many spectral nudge
mods, and winks to one another. began I
concentrate their attention on the youn
men.
At the array Of so much horror Davie
I, fled. but Brownlow kept his vigil. Th
spirits disappeared one BY one, and th
room was soon empty. Then he sale
IL saw tho headless trunk OF a man goin
from mo. 1t moved in midair, withou
apparent support, like horrible marion
cite, and was but u few feet away.
only looked once. Then II flashed on IN
that II was tho ghost Of tho body OF Fred
erick Stahl, which had lain in tho she
beneath me. | rolled of the roof moi
dead than alive aud ran for home."-Phi
ddclphiG Times
An Afflicted Citizen.
Jonathan Bass, of Lockport, n. Y, hi
lain eighteen years on his back, unAbl
TO move a muscle, even his jaws lie cat