Omaha daily bee., 1888-04-29

estate is OF mucN historical 1nteresJ,ahu
upon il is the Rcbecca Nourse house,
famous in the annals OF witchcraft, ana
whence Rebecca Nourse was taken TO
Gallows Hill in Salem and hanged, Jnly
19, 1892. A suggestion was made year
or two ago that the town should pur-
chase the estate for park purposes, and
letter Of approval of the project was
written by the poet Whittier. The
proposition, however, was not enter
tained, as the urice asked was constd-
cred TO high.
The Coming Illusion.
4 London News: A lady will, we are
told soon appear in London, who is an
apparition at first, afterward solid pal
pable, and even somewhat fat lady;
then she retires from her fat and her
solidity and dissolves into airy nothing
ness. In the center of the exhibition
room globe will appear without,appar-
emily, anything suspending 1t or sup
porting it. From that globe, after the
mystic words have been spoken, to the
accompaniment of weird music, female
form will be seen to. emerge (drapedl,
but hardly recognizable, so vapory will
she be. Then she will gradually solid
= ify, nourished on nothing 10 much de-
sired attainment in these hard times),
and after smilingly, but speechlessly, in
terviewing the public, will gradually
become vapory, and retire finally to her
residence in the hanging globe.
Turned to Stone.
An Augusta tGa.) special to the At
lanta Constitution says: A most sim
gular discovery was made in the Au-
gusta cemetery to-day. In accordance
with instructions received from mem
bers of the family, the remains of S. G.
Gillett were exhumed by Cemetery, Su-
perintendent Bryan and inferred III
diggers had uncovered the coffin and
went to remove it from the grave, it
was found that two men could not bulge
it. Usually after body has been in
the ground for several years it becomes
very light, but it took six men to lift
this one from the grave. This singular
fact induced Superintendent Bryan to
investigate into the cause, and 1T was
found that the body was completely pet
rifed, and was as hard and solid and
heavy as rock. 1t was in wooden
coffin, and the top had decayed so
that the glass had fallen on the face.
The weight of the glass had somewhat
disigured the nose, but with this eX-
ception, and the sunken appearance OF
the eyes, the face preserved its familiar
appearance. When buried, however,
the face was clean shaven, and when
looked at to-day it was covered with
beard several inches long. The face
was dark, and presented the appearance
oi iron, looking not unlike metal cast.
Superintendent. Bryan and those pres
ent, after making the examination,
proceeded to bury the remains in the
new lot, but the story leaked out this
evening, and Undertaken Platt and
others will make an effort to get the
consent of the family to again exhume
the body for the purpose of making a
more critical and scientific examination.
The remains were buried less than four
years ago, and the short time in which
petrification has occurred makes it re-
markable and unusual case.
Driven Out by n Ghost.
Albany N. Y. Journal: The latest
sensation at Little Falls, N. Y, is a
haunted house, and many believers in
''spooks' actually think that the terri
fed people that were frightened have
the best of reasons to vacate the dwell
ing, which they did without much de-
lay. No. 90 Porteus street, is dwelling
occupied by two families, that of James
Carney on the first floor, and Mrs.
Moynahan, widow, and her children
on the second. These families have oc-
cupied the house for the past two
months.
OF late they have been startled by
ghostly and unusual noises, such as a
dry, sepulchral cough and the slamming
and opening of doors. If a door was
closed it would suddenly spring open
without the aid OF visible hands, and il
it was open it would close with slam in
the same mysterious ways. In one oi
the rooms occupied by the Carneys afte,
dark the dry coughing commences, sc
ghostlike in sound, as Mr.. Carney de-
scribes it, it makes the hair rise on the
head, and can be distinctly heard all
night long, and apparently comes from
under the bed.
Doors locked at night are found un.
locked in the morning, and yet there
are no signs that a human hand has un'
fastened them. The families being un
able to solve tho mystery of these
ghostly manifestations have vacated
the house. Last Monday night the
coughing and opening and closing o
doors so demoralized them that they
tools refuge in one room. There were
seven in all, but still the ghost was no
disturbed by their presence, for it KEEP
on coughing and making peculiar noise!
the entire night, and the coughing al
ways proceeded from the same spot un-
der the bed.
1t was n long and fearful night, ant
the inmates of the haunted house cluns
to each other and waited with beating
hearts and terror in their souls for tn,
break of day, when the invisible spiri
would vanish. With its Disappearance
the coughing ceased. The night wa
one long to be remembered, and the,
shiver now when they think of it. Th'
following day after their usual exper
fence the premises were vacated.
Policemen Terrified by Hobgoblins
Pensacola tFla.) correspondence st
Louis Globe-Democrat A short tim
since two foreign sailors were drowne'
in the harbor here, and the stevedore
say that their ghosts walk, and, nothin,
can induce the majority OF them to G
near the wharves at midnight. 4
dozen sailors of British vessel lying a
anchor a quarter OF a mile from shor
came ashore on liberty, and, like al
Jack-tars, had jolly time, ending b
getting drunk as so many lords. wv
of them missed the return boat, and o.
going down ut midnight found out tina
they were left. Being just far enougl
lover seas" not to know the dangers c