The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-06-09

The Old Haunted House of the Port
land Stage Road.

brunswick Correspondence OF Lewiston Gazettel
Two miles west Of Brunswick village, on
the old Portland stage road. stands story
and-a-half house. which has been known for
the last forty years as the haunted house"
Many strange and weird tales have beepfold
by the occupants of this house. Itfias had
many occupants. none residing in 1t but only
for a short season, finding it too much dis
turbed by noisy and invisible spirits, Relia-
BILE persons who have attempted to make 1t
their abode, say that their principal trouble
has been from the extinguishment Of their
lights in the evening. While the family
would be seated around the light stand, sew
ing or reading, the lights in the room would
be suddenly and often extingulshed, leaving
them in total darkness, while the doors and
windows were all closed, leaving no oppOr-
tunity for gust OF air to put them out. At
other times strange noises have been heard
during the night. One Of the occupants, a
reliable man, says one evening, while himself
and family were seated around table in a
front room, reading, an uproar took place In
an ADJOINING room, sounding as though
sheet iron stove had been rolled down the
chamber stairs; at the same time the lights
in the room were extinguished. On relight-
Ing the lamps and visiting the room they
found no appearance OF anything disturbed.
Ing at school, and the husband away. the
lady OF the house took her youngest
child, and after locking up the
house proceeded to the field to gather straw
berries. On her return she saw a man
standing at a window in the kitchen. She
stopped and looked at him few minutes, so
that she could describe his appearance,
clothing, etc. Supposlng 1t might be some
man wishing TO see her husband she un-
locked the door and entered the house but
found no one present, and all the doors and
windows fastened as she had left them. On
another occasion, when the house was unoc-
eupied, man who was cultivating field In
the neghbOrhOOd, the day being hot, thought
he would enter the house to parGake Of his
dinner. which he had brought from home in
his dinner pail. While he was eating his
dinner In front room he heard heavy foot
steps enter the front door and ascend the
stairs, and heard similar steps In the cham
Der overhead. After finishing his dinner he
proceeded up stairs, suppOsing some tramp
might have entered the house but found the
chambers empty and no one present. On
his return 10 his dining room for the pur-
pose of gathering up his dishes he heard
similar steps descending the stairs but saw
no one and Is positive no one could
have got to the foot of the stairs
before he was there and he found no
one in the chambers above. Many other
strange stories have been related by the oc-
eupants OF this haunted house which cannot
be reasonably explained. IL Is not known
that any foul crime was committed in the
house and only one death ever occurred
within its walls--that of young lady who
died of consumption many years since. But
there exist strong suspicious that a peddler
of jewelry and fancy goods by the name OF
Gilbert Gilman, hailing from New Hamp-
shire, was murdered in the vicinity some as
years since. Gilman at that time occasional
ly visited this place on his peddling tours
and was known to have been one night at a
house gambling, and about midnight the cry
of murder was heard by the neighbors. AT
terward he was never seen here, but plenty
of jewelry was In the neighborhOod and
bloody clothing was found in the adjoining
woods. These mysterious freaks are not
continuous. but will cease for two or three
months and all will be quiet about the prem
ises, when they will break out again lasting
for few weeks. Several persons, when the
house was unoccupied. have tarried there
during the night for the purpose Of inter-
viewing the ghosts, but they did not find
them In a communicative mood.