The Press., 1888-07-05
THE HAUNTER HAUNTED.

During the first three years of my career as detective had some singular jobs given to me to work on, and the manner in which one of them was worked, and the develop ments of the case, may interest the reader.
 About three miles outside the limits of a large city in Pennsylvania stood large farm house. There had been murder committed there, and whisky had played havoc with an heir, and the house had stood vacant for three years before saw it. The farm had passed into the hands of New Yorker on mortgage, and he seemed to have forgotten all about it. Naturally enough the cry of haunted house" was raised, and presently you could not have hired 8 neighbor to enter the house in the day time. There were peo- pie living within @ quarter of a mile of the place, and by and by they began to tell some queer stories. On two occasions parties of three or four went out from the city to stop in the house all night, but in each instance they were driven away by strange noises be- fore midnight lived in town forty miles from the haunted house, and consequently heard nothing of it.
 I had case against an absconding treas urer. He had the funds of large and pros porous lodge in his hands, and got away with $3,OO0 belonging to it. He furthermore bor- rowed about g, 900 of his friends, and got $500 more on a forged draft This occurred in a town about thirty miles from the haunted house. The defaulter had bought railroad ticket for Chicago, and had left behind him, as if by accident, a parcel addressed to party in the Garden City. It ought to have been reasoned that this party was he under another name, and that he had gone to Chi cago as fast as steam could carry him, but reasoned just the opposite He had gone without his trunk or clothing, but when came to overhaul his things, his landlady figured out that two clean shirts, several col lars, a stout pair of boots, and an old suit of clothes were missing from the house. The boots and old suit had belonged to boarder who died months before.
 There were three highways leading out of the town. I worked two of them without success. On the third soon found farmer who had seen foot traveller resembling my man pass on the evening he absconded. Five miles further on became positive of his identity. He walked all that night with only two brief halts before midnight to in- quire about roads, but once on his trail soon picked up plenty of pointers. The ab- sconder's name was Kelly, and he was a keen, shrewd fellow. He had planned the embezzlement and escape weeks ahead, and he followed out 8 regular programme. He left town dressed as laborer, and carrying a valise. He had a light felt hat, black felt hat and a cap, and about once in ten miles he exchanged his headgear. He was smooth faced man, but he had provided him. self with goatee and side whiskers. thus heard of him once as a smooth faced young man wearing a cap and having one arm in sling; next as a youngish man with goatee and a black hat; again as @ full whiskered 0Vxyifh 1fck0fh hot Y &IoA r badly puzzled and about ready to despair when came to farm house where he had stopped for dinner. He was then smooth faced and wore a cap, and claimed to be an agent for windmill company whose rights had been infringed on, and who were taking steps to collect royalty.
 When Kelly entered the kitchen for din ner hired boy of color, who was not per- mitted to eat with the family, was left in the sitting room. His curiosity regarding the contents of the valise was anpused, and he picked the lock and overhat1ed them He was careful not to say anything of this to the family, but when came along on my errand soon discovered that he had se- cret. The sight of silver piece 1oosened his tongue, and he told me of the hats and false whiskers. After that had no trouble in fol- lowing Kelly, no matter which disguise he assumed. There was direct highway from the town he left to the city with the haunted house, but he did not keep it. He would branch off here and there and make half circle to come back again. One or two nights he slept in barns, and so I lost track of him for a few hours. On another occasion his feet became sore, and he lay by at tav- ern for two days, and actually got ahead of him.
 While the towns were only thirty miles apart Kelly travelled all of 100 miles in mak- ing the distance, and he was twelve days about it. followed him mile by mile, and owing to severe storm was thirteen days. I traced him into the suburbs of the city, and there lost him, and, though had the help of three or four local officers, we could get no further trace of him. At length we heard of a person 100 miles away who bore Kelly's de- scription, and was about to start after him when overheard the following converse tion in a restaurant:
 "SO the boys who went to the haunted house got scare?'
 "An awful scare. I guess new ghost has taken possession"
 "What did they see or hearg'
 ''Saw doors open and heard groans and various other noises.'
 Well, it's funny"
 "Yes."
 It may seem strange to you that at once decided that had located Kelly again. It was quite probable that he had known of the haunted house for years, as it's fame was widespread, and the fact of new ghost showing up just at this time made me sus- picious. That night at 10 o'clock, accom- panied by local detective, visited the place. 1t was rambling, big farm house, situated twenty rods from the highway, and the ground around was grown up to weeds and bushes. All the windows were broken, and some of the doors stood open, and more gloomy place never saw. We entered by a rear door, and found the floors rotting away and the plastering crumblins off. We pushed on to the sitting room, where the young men had stationed themselves the night before, and here found some blocks of wood to sit down on. There was doorway leading into the front hall, but the door was gone There was doorway to the parlor, and the door was partly open. As we looked into the par Tor swung the door to and fro, and knew from the movement that the hinges had been freshly oiled.
 When we came to inspect the cellar we found little but cobwebs and dust Each of us had a lantern, and each inspected for him. self. At one corner of the cellar found an old oyster can in queer position It seemed to be sticking to the floor above, but after close examination, without, however touch ing it with my hands, I made up my mind that it was held up there by cord. said nothing to my companion about this, nor about another discovery made in the front hall. At one spot, where the plaster was off