St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-08
CHICAGO'S HAUNTED HOUSE.
A Beautiful Residence Occupied by All
That is Internal.
Witches, Wizards, Gnomes and Cob
Inns Hold Carnival.
The Horrible Performances That
Drive Tenants Out.

Special Correspondence of the Globe.
CHICAGO, Nov. 6.-Ghost stories and
tales Of haunted houses are always regarded
by the incredulous reader as belonging to
the same category as snake and fish yarns.
and it is not often a correspondent cares to
risk his reputation for veracity by relating
even the simplest details of such stories.
But the following is so well authenticated
that the GLOBE correspondent ventures to
submit it for the justification of its read
ers.
At the corner of Halsted street and Hill
avenue, in North Chicago, stands large,
three-StorY frame house with brick base
ment. The neighborhoOd is good one.
the situation of the dwelling and the build
lug itself are enviable. and yet for a year
or more. no tenant has occupied it. The
neighbors shun it. and timid pedestrians
pass by OH the other side of the street after
night. The house is haunted-at least, so
say persons living in that vicinity. His
ghoStship is of a new pattern, evidently,
for, unlike the regulation apparition, he
never shows himself, neither are there
sounds of clanking chains nor bloodcurd
ling grOans brought in as accessories to his
nocturnal manifestations. Even the owner
seems to have fallen into the superstition
himself, for he lets the building stand with
out repair. 1t is sadly in need of attention,
the wide steps being decayed and broken.
the handsome bay windows-out of which
red and blue and green lights are flashed
on passers-by-are encrusted with dirt and
cobwebs window panes broken, blinds
hanging by single hinge and an air of
general dilapidation and decay. such as be-
comes
ALL GHOSTLY RESIDENCES
appears everywhere. Halloween night the
witches and wizards and gnomes and COB
Inns held high carnival in the old mansion.
Lights were flashed from windows all over
the house, the ringing of hand-bell could
be plainly heard on the quiet street. loud
voices sp 9aking in an unknown tongue were
wrangling vociferOuSly, and laughter as
demoniacal as a gutfaw from sheoI were
listened to with terror by the affrighted
neighbOrs. Some even went so far as to de-
clare that the atmosphere was heavily
impregnated with birthstone fumes. After
a short search the last occupant of the house
was found. and the interviewer had no
difficulty in getting some information con-
corning the mysterious tenement. c.
Jacobs is his name, and he has feed store
at 1l25 Halstead street. He is a good citi-
zen and probably would not tell a lie when
he could make nothing by so doing Yes.
sir" said he, Il made an effort to live in
that house, because the rent was so very
low, and as | am not superstitiouS and the
ghosts were reported to be harmless fellows.
my wife and | moved in. The noises we
heard the first night were commonplace and
not calculated to excite attention in house
with a good reputation. The shutters
slammed, and somewhere underneath our
bedroom-we slept in the third story-a
clock was ticking at irregular intervals.
Now, if there's anything L do detest it is
clock ticking at night.
IT MAKES ME NERVOUS
and l can't sleep. For that reason never
keep clock in my house. So the next
day l searched the whole premises. but
didn't find that clock. The second night |
hadn't touched the pillow before that in
fernal tick tack, tick-tack commenced.
Again l searched the house from garrett to
basement, but without result. NY wife
said that as soon as | left the room the
ticking ceased, but it was as loud as ever
when | got to bed again. Another thing
that troubled me was the shutters. When
| went to bed | always turned the Stats UP
that the sun might enter our chamber in
the morning. At first | thought it must be
the wind that turned the Stats down. but
when this was continued night after night.
and on sides of the house where the wind
could not reach the shutters. then 1 began
to feel uncomfortable myself. Sometimes
they would all be turned at once with
crash, and no matter how securely fastened
some of them would be opened and then
closed with a slam that shook the whole
Tho 0liDoov raanba5 yuhar, Mrs
Thompson, a widow lady living next door,
said she had seen a man naked, without rag
or feather. dancing on the roof of our house
about 10 o'clock at night. The apparition
acted scandalously. Mrs. Thompson said.
She was so frightened that she screamed.
whereupOn the figure on the roof disap-
peared most mysteriously. | have saved a
little money and my wife induced me to
build cottage, where we now live without
FEAR OF BEING HAUNTED
by post mortems or prior inhabitants. This
is the most can say about the place. Ii
man had good strong nerves he could live
there. But there is unquestionably some
thing wrong about the place. l have the
DRY that it is the resort of thieves when it is
not tenanted, who make all the mysterious
noises and flash lights at the windows. If
any cue Is found brave enough to occupy
the place IN some manner these fellows
contrlye to make the noises that drove me
out. L don't believe there's ghost in that
house or anywhere else. but can't account
for the mysterious sounds that certainly do
not exist in morbid fancy alone.'
Since the unusual demonstrations of last
week the neighbors have grown more
alarmed and are determined the owner of
the property shall either discover the cause
of the disturbances and put an end to them
or remove or tear down the building. An
investigation of the premises will be made
by the police. and watch set to discover.
if possible, in the flesh, if it exists. the
troublesome ghost that has ruined splendid
property and frightened so many good peo-
| pie. CHENEY.