Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-08-09
4. A HAUNTED HOUSE
Strnnge Sights Beheld by Two Ven
tursome Texnns-A CHASTITY Voodoo
Sacrifice.

tursome Texans-A CHASTITY Voodoo
Sacrifice.
A Sartartia CTex.) correspondent Of
the St Louis Globe-Democrat says:
Upon the country road leading from
this place to Richmond. the county
seat, is an old deserted house that bears
the reputation of being haunted. and in
consequences is avoided by the eolored
people at night, and is only passed in
broad daylight when company is TO be
had The house presents IL most desc
late appearance with It's shutterless
windows and ruined chimney. 1t is a
notable fact that no green thing grows
within one hundred feet of this house.
All around is as bare AS il fire had laid
waste, but outside this barren circle
immense oaks and lofty elms stand
like giant sentinels draped in the gray
moss that adds, with its funeral hang.
ings, TO the ghostly aspect of the place.
Various extravagant stories are in
circulation regarding this haunted
house, but no one has possessed any
accurate knowledge of its history and
mystery. The oldest inhabitants in
the county say that thirty years ago
the place looked very much the same
as 1t does now. Indeed. decayed aud
ruined rs it is it seems as il time has
no power to dcmoish it. That it has
boen left as II monument OF n frightful
crime was proved by the sights wit
messed within it few nights ago by
two well-known farmers Of this neigh
borbood. One of these gentlemen
was riding along the ROAD which runs
about two hundred yards from this
house, when his horse suddenly SHE'D
aud all but threw him. The animal
was his ordinary saddle horse. aud had
never been known to do such thing
before. so Mr.. N. concluded that some
small insect had bitten him, for the
moon. shining brightly. showed that
there was no one near, at least i'm the
road. The large trees and under
growth on both sides. however. pre-
vented him from seeing any great dis
lance to the right or left. The horse
refused to stir. and on being struck
with the whip reared up and then be-
gan to whinnv, as if in fright Mr. A.
now decided to alIght, and was about
10 do so when something ran across
the road, emerging from the under
brush Oh the left and darling in the
direction Of the house. 1t was gone
in n second. but Mr.. A. saw that It was
a human form. bent and twisted in a
most unnatural manner. and about the
size of twelve-year-old q RI.
Whether the gentleman would have
tarred TO investigate the matter alone.
had not his horse decided in the mega
tive, will never be known, for the sa-
gaciouS animal took to his heels and
never stopped until he reached home.
But Mr.. y. persuaded his brother-in-
law. Mr.. A, to spend the next night
with him in the haunted house, and,
equipped with double. barreled shot
guns, a revolver, and plenty of candles.
the two departed. On reaching the
house half dozen of the candles were
disposed about the smaller of the two
rooms the house contained, and the
weapons handy. The second and back
room was nearly twice as large. and in
the middle of it stood large kettle
somewhat like those used now for boil
ing syrup in sugar mills, though this
had been there long before there was
such thing as sugar mill in the
country. This kettle was red with rust,
and entirely empty.
The gentlemen, after brief inspec-
ton. returned TO the front room. The
windows were guiltless of glass aud the
shutters. as said before. were gone.
so that the wind caused the candles to
glare fitfully. An unnatural silence
rcigned. which Mr.. A. found so oppres-
sivc that lie proposed Il game of cards
10 his campanion. who consented.
They played about an hour, when n
st fling odor. like the fumes of sulphur.
filled the room. and Il hand. long. hairy,
and gnarled. with cruel, hooked fin
gers made clutch Mt the cards and
flung them TO the floor. The hand
alone was visible. All about and be-
yond the wrist was curling smoke. The
men sprang to their feet and Mr.. A.
made an attempt to seize the hand, but
1t was gone and half howl, half laugh
ran through the room.
Mr.. n. says be felt himself slapped
in the face and could not see who
dealt the blow Running to the guns
they found that the charges of both
had been drawn, and the revolver was
dripping wet. though all three weap-
ons had been in their sight all through
the game of cards. The interior of the
room was dimly but sufficiently lighted
by the candles to show them every OBJ
ject in it, and the sulphurous smell was
unaccompanied by any smoke. While
they gazed uneasily Mt each other the
house was violently shaken and cries
of exultation. terror. and pain broke
out from every part of 1t. making u
horrid medley. There was sound of
running, naked feet in the back room.
and the two men made rush for it,
The crazy door between the two apart
ments was slammed loudly as they
passed through. They found the room
illuminated with an unearthly. yellow
ish light. which, curiously enough, APP
peared to emanate from the old kettle.
which, upon being approached, was
found to be filled with simmering.
transparent mass, evidently hot, al
though there was no fire beneath the
kettle. While thew looked the sound