St. Paul daily globe., 1886-05-17


glad when we got through and were out in
the open air.
1T never was occupied, as just about the
time il was completed the event occurred that
changed the course of two lives and caused
the new house to go to rack and ruin.
1.-THE young fellow that put it up is an old
man now, an inmate of the state asylum for
the insane. His wife who was to be, is also
an old woman, nurse in a New York hos
pital. They were engaged to be married
years ago, and the world seemed to be very
bright for them. In those small Connecticut
towns everybody knew everybody's else busi-
ness, and so it was pretty well known that
they were engaged and only waiting for him
to get little money ahead. He was school
teacher and superintendent of the Sunday
school. She taught a class every Sunday.
Together they went to church. They had
picked out the spot where they would build
their house and were only waiting to get a
little start
"All at once. so the story is told, bought the
lot picked out and began the construction of
house. 1t was a surprise to everybody as
they did not understand where he got his
money. About the time the house was COM
pleted it leaked out that he had drawn prize
in some lottery. Ho told il to his bride-elect
would live in a house that had been paid foT
in that way. Trouble began. He got to
drinking and soon the engagement was
broken. He went to the dogs and landed in
an asylum. She never married. And the
old house was never occupied"
~
''Washingtou had for long time the best
haunted house in this country" exclaimed
travelling resident of that city. ''It was in
the early days considered quite an elegant
place and was occupied by the families of the
first men in the land. The occupants soon
began to talk about the peculiar noises which
were heard during the night in the front room
on the third floor. Nothing was heard in the
day time and the noises at night were some
what of mystery. People moved out and
and the house soon became vacant and re-
mained so for several months as no one cared
about occupying a house where such unac-
countable noises were heard during the dead
of the night. The noises varied. Some times
they resembled the clatter of horses feet on
a board sidewalk. At other times human
voices, engaged in conversation, were heard
with great distinctness.
"The owner reduced the rent but it had no
effect, for the gossip about its being haunted
reached the ears of possible tenant and
prevented the completion of the lease.
Zone day an old man, a professor like old
fellow, came along and asked to be shown
over the haunt ed house. The owner took
him through the place. The old professor
said that he heard it was haunted, but inti-
mated that if the rent was put clear down
and long lease given him, he might take it.
1.-The owner was too glad to rent it at any
price, so he fairly let the tenant haveit at his
own terms. The lease was signed. The old
man slept in the haunted room that night. The
next day he didn't say much, but was around
slept there again, and on appearing the next
day announced that he had solved the prob
| lem.
HE explained that the noises heard in the
third story room were in the nature of an
echo, and came from the old long bridge
that led over the Potomac. The windows
| looking out in the direction of the bridge were
| just in the right position to catch the sounds
made at a certain point Of the bridge. The
slightest noises made at that point were dis
tinctly heard in the room, although the house
was quite distant. 1t was on the principle of
the whispering gallery. The reason the echo
was not heard during the day was that out
side noises prevented it from being clearly
distinguished
''Of course the old man lived there with his
family for long time, and the echo room
became quite a resort, as he, being something
of scholar, loved to take visitors up to that
apartment and show the peculiarities of the
haunted house business
~