St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-17

IT erS IN ghosts or
@SIhlV not, does not
Seem 10 Affect this case, as the witnesses
are reliable citizens who are wont to
tell the truth. are widely known for
their honesty, and were never known to
become victims of the supernatural
before.
The house. which is said to be in
tested by the spirits of the departed, is
a small two-story structure with fiat
roof and is located in rather wild spot
near the head of Green street, about
half mile from the river. 1t stands at
the head of little lane ten rods from
the main street and is embowered
in apple trees in front and
on the north side. while there
is garden spot with wall in
the rear. A little brook of dirty water
trickleS forth in front. Out of the back
windows can be seen the uncanny white
gravestones of the Catholic burying
ground and Mount Pleasant cemetery,
which are but a short distance away.
The house was once painted white, but
the clapbOards are now weather-beaten
to dingy wood color, while the blinds
which covered the windows are partly
gone or hanging in an unkempt cOndi-
ton. There is a cellar, four rooms on
the first floor and five on the second. A
cramped little l. makes out at the rear.
The buildings is the property of a Mr..
Bennett and for several years was Oc-
cupied by Charles o. Stone, carpenter,
who lived there with his wife. He was
affected with peculiar disease which
so puzzled the doctors that they were
unable to give any satisfactory dag
nosiS. Gradually he wasted away until,
about thirteen months ago, he died, first
requesting that an. autopsy should be
made to ascertain what caused his
death. His wishes were complied with
and the corpse was examined by Drs.
G. H. Brlckett and Robert Marin, two
young Augusta physicians, and they
pronounced the disease cancer of the
liver. Soon after his death his wife
sickened. She seemed to lose all her
vitality and strength, and her mind
failed so that she was placed in the in
sane hospital. While there were some
peculiar circumstances connected with
the death of Mr.. and Mrs. Stone, the
events Which followed were of the most
startling character.
The next tenant to occupy the house
was David Merrill, who is employed by
a West street coal-dealer. He moved in
about year ago and had resided there
several weeks when suddenly one night
after he had retired he was awakened
by three loud knocks upon the head of
his bed. Others followed at intervals
and he heard them in different portions
OF the house nearly all night, so that he
vas unable to sleep much. Very
naturally he was somewhat frightened.
IS was his wife, who was also awakened
~ the rapping. The disturbance was
repeated about every two weeks. Once
III. Merrill thought some one was
knocking for admittance at the door,
but on opening it suddenly no one was
there. Again, i'll the night, when the
rappings were most frequent, he took
lantern and made a careful eXami-
nation of the premises about
the house. A light snow had
fallen, but not vestige of a human
footprint could be discovered. On an
other night, when it was pitchy dark,
sense of something horrible seemed to
creep over him and he awoke from
deep sleep and gaZed toward the win
dow. There sight met his eyes which
he will never forget. Standing fixed at
the window was the motiOnlesS phantom
form of man with a thin face and
wearing Slouch hat. which was turned
up in front and behind. Mr.. Merrill is
a man of great nerve, but this was
blOod-curding, and he raised himself up
slowly in bed, upon which the spirit
form vanished and with it perceptible
halo which hung about with it. From
descriptions of the man. Merrill thinks
the phantom strongly reSembled the
deceased Mr.. Stone. He positively as
SertS that the statements are the truth,
and as he is man of veracity there is
no reason to doubt him.
But strong corroborative evidence
that the building is infested by super
natural beings is possessed. j. +. Frain,
an intelligent Young man employed as
preSSman in +. G.. Aliens publishing
hnuSp Snacapiad f:r MnrIi ac tan1nt
y few days after he moved in his wife
heard one of their children screaming
with fright III the chamber where the
child slept, and running in, the boy said
he had heard a voice shouting. and it
seemed to say ''E, - e" He asked her
if she could not hear it, and she re-
piled: No; it was nothing but the
wind" In about a week rappings on
the fOotboard of the bed commenced. and
a shutting was heard 10y the man and his
wife in the room below. as if a merry
party were Whirling i'll giddy dance.
The husband endeavored to quiet his
wife, who is very nervous woman. by
telling her that the noises were caused
by the tTamping of horses III an adioin-
ing stable. These sounds continued,
with variation. night after night. A
clinking. as if an anvil were struck with
hammer, was occasionally heard from
the chambers. apparently, on the first
floor. Going down stairs, the sounds
seemed to come from the cellar. On the
cellar being visited, the sounds an
peared to be ovehead. On other occa-
sions boisterouS laughter has been
heard, as if coming from a bevy of lively
girls.
One night, as the gentleman was in
the front room with the lamp lighted, he
opened the window to close the blinds.
IL ,,,+ 8 Il 81, L.
crash in the room behind him, and sup
posed a picture had fallen from the wall,
for the noise resembled that of falling
picture and the smashing Of the glass.
Mr.. Frain turned around, but the pic
lures were all hanging in their accuS-
toned places. 1t is not strange that Mr..
Frain and his wife got tired of these
supernatural exhibitions and desired to
move, as they did few days ago. They
both stoutly maintain the truth of the
story, and say they know what they are
talking about.
Mrs. Stone, the wife of the deceased
former tenant Of the house, died in the
hospital about q week ago, and since
then the ghOstly demonstrations have
decreased, and for two nights nothing
has occurred to mar the quiet of the
midnight watches. Another tenant has
been secured and will enter the building
at once. This is really remarkable
case, and while readers may Scoff, the
standing of the parties here is such that
il is difficult to diSbelieVe their aSSer-