The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-07-17

SSAANNAhs1 oA6A anu bhN 6ANN4J
glare faded out, leaving only epale
glimmer of the star-beams to break
the midnight gloom.
As soon as l could collect my
scattered senses l broke from my
wife's grasp and leaped out upon the
floor, and very quickly lighted the
lamp. The doors were fast-locked
as left them; the windows had not
been touched; the hangings were all
intact; and nowhere, after strictest
search, could 1 find the slightest
trace of any method of ingress or
egress to material body.
If my wife had held the reins of
direction we should have packed up
in the morning and left; for she was
not only convinced that she had
seen a JonaJide ghost, but she believ-
ed that the terrible visitation would
be repeated so long as we remained
beneath the roof But 1 was not to
be driven off so easily. | spent the
greater part of the remainder of the,
night in thinking, and 1 thought q
great deal; and in all of my thinking
there was no thought of ghosts.
The figure which 1 had seen in our
chamber was but a shadow knew
that. But whence came it? My wife
thought, from the land of spirits;
but | did not l had no faith in
any such possibility-or, to put it
moderately-I did not think it at
all probable.
In the morning Seth Dabney
made it in his way to ask how rest
ed. l told him I had been seriously
disturbed; and 1 gave him to under
stand thatifthespirits of Capt. Ralph
Severn's departed victims wished to
inhabit the place l should leave.
could see by the old mans face
as he turned away, that he was well
satisfied. 1t was very slight token
which his face gave, but twas key
to the mystery. 1t told me plainly
thathe wanted me to go--as he want
ed others to go before me.
As | could get away by myself
went up into our chamber, taking
with me hammer and a chisel.
Around the chamber was high
oaken wainscot, and this 1 proceed
ed to sound with my hammer, and
very soon l found aplace opposite
to the foot of the bed which gave
back II hollow sound. A critical ex-
animation revealed to me the fact
that at this point a panel, three feet
long by two feet high was loose, and
could detect slightabrasions upon
its surface, as though it had been
slid behind the casing; but l could
not move it without breaking it, as
it appeared to be fastened upon the
other side. But that was good
beginning.
Upon going outside I found that
the wall in which was the loose
panel was toward chamber which
we had as yet appropriated to no
particular use, as its single small
window left it far from pleasant.
From this chamber window, next to
the outer wall of the building, and
toward my own chamber, opened a
closet, occupying not more than
four feet of the of the division par
tition so that from this closet to
the opposite wall, there was left a
space of at least three feet between
the two rooms-and this space was
sealed up-and it was into this
space that the sliding panel opened.
My next field of examination was
below and was not long in dis
covering the space directly beneath
the movable panel, and occupying
half the underlying area of the dark
chamber, was also sealed up, but SC
odro,lllv ' cut into by closets and cup
boards that oSI,, S,', "a q well-directed ex-
animation could have reEeei2sled inc
fact. Never mind the details of my
search. 1t occupied time but
succeeded in the end. found en-.
trance into this last named sealed
up space from the cellar, and there
| found what l had anticipated.
found Il powerful argand-burner
with a polished concave reflector
and also two large mirrors set at q
proper angle for throwing a rehec
ton upward 4; and directly in the
line of this reflection was the sliding
panel in the wainscot of my cham
ber l also found here a Ions
white robe and it was no longer {
mystery how the ghostly spectacle
had been produced. The reflection
of the operator below had beer
thrown on through the open pane
upon the white curtains at the foo
of our bed and these curtains haC
been carefully arranged to perform