The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-08-10
THE GHOST OF WANDA.
THE SECRET OF A HAUNTED HOUSE
SlNGULARLY DISCOVERED.

THE SECRET OF A HAUNTED HOUSE
SlNGULARLY DISCOVERED.
Clever Indian Jugglers Unintentionally
Solve a Village a1ystcry-what Disturbed
the Captnin-Remarkable Skill of Snake
Charmer.
Almost every town or village has its haunt
ed house, and the little village settlement OF
Wanda, in India, was no exception. Here
number of English officers and their families
live during the warmer months, returning to
their respective commands later OH. The |
rumor that Capt. Beauchanp's house was
haunted was circulated by a servant-a su-
perstitious old Englishman who had followed |
the captain all over the world and was, all |
things considered. a faithful servitor. Thomas
had for some days heard curious sounds about
the house. At first lie thought there were
rats or mice in the wall He was awakened
one night by n most extraordinary noise.
The door bell was ringing violently, and a
struggling, writhing voice in the wall of the
house-not in one place, but III several at
once. This was followed by n complete ST.
lence, and MS Thomas sat up in bed, his hair
threatening to stand on end, lie was positive
he heard long drawn sigh. This was the
last feather. So, leapinS from the couch, he
rushed to his employers room and aroused
him, avowing that the place was haunted,
and few moments later tho entire house
hold was in the room.
THE MoURSFuL PLANT
The notoricty so cheaply earned became
exceedingly disagreeable. First came strar.
gers, natives and others, who stood in front
of the house day and night and looked at it
with wondering curiosity. Matters stood in
this shape for some days, when one morning
party of jugglers passed through the town
and finally reached the haunted house. AS
there We're n number of children in the fami-
ly the performers wero invited into the
grounds and gave an entertainments Fl.
nally, rs a winding up ono of the men took
out small oval basket having an oritice in
the top, and seating himself near it began to
play quaint air upon Il flute
After industriously playing for n few min
utes up through the hole in the basket came
tho head of the cobra-one of tho most
poisonous of snakcs-up came tho hideors
head with its hood that gave n malignant APP
pcarance to the reptile, and when twelve or
fifteen inches above the basket it began to
wave to and fro rs if in obedience to the
measure of the music
After the snake dancc-or the snake
charming" as Europeans are won't to call
it-the Indian snake charmer walked around
the house, and among the bushes po nted out
hole which might have been madc by
rabbit To one of the native attendants he
said that for n small sum extra he would take
out cobra which he thought was in the hole
The English officer did not believe it, but
willingly submitted to tho experiment, and,
seating himself before tho hole, the magician
began his mournful plaint
For fifteen minutes he kept up tho noise,
and then from the opening there appeared
the ugly, hooded head of cobra. Another
hole was soon found, this being directly at
the base of the wall of the house. The man
examined it few moments carefully, then
began to play upon tho nuto
Hardly had the group gathered about tho
performer before n most remarkable noso
came from tho house. First, there was
sound rs of escaping steam, then a sound of
some great body striking the wall and rub
bing against the timbcrs. Dust in clouds
came from the hole, and tho ''charmcr''
started back i'll terror, overturning tho man
behind him. Recovering himself, he darted
at the hole and, thrusting his arm in, drew.
out, not n cobra, but the tail of larger
snake. Astonishment was depicted on tho
natives face, and horror in those of many of
the spectators as he >t"ul holding tho tip of
the tail, and five fec, oi the body was visible
MONSTER ny THE TAIL.
For Il second tho man hesitatctl, then re-
gaining his courage llc shouted in Hinloos-
tanee for the lockers on to stand back, and,
taking !. good grip upon the tail, bo pulled
gradually backward Out it came, foot bv
foot. inch by inch five, ten, fifteen, sixteen
fcet-eightccn, was thcro no cnd!-eightecn
feet of quivcring snake flesh as large ms q
mans thigh
y quick jerk now and the cntiro monste,
was clear at least twenty feet in length
bi. enough, to swallow Il deer and yet held by
q single r!an The native was, however, not
i'll the least discouraged. He clung to the
tail and as the huge reptile turned toward
him with an angry hiss he gave it a swinging
motion By turning slowly. Gradually he in
creased his speed, turning faster and faster,
until he seemed the center of a Wheel the
sposeS of which were the body of the python.
80 rapid was tho motion that tho snake.
body was perfectly straight, and it was cvi.
dent that as long as the motion could be kept
up tho man was safe, but if the monster
cpuid reach him he would in a moment be
crushed i'll the horrible folds of the reptile.
The lockers on had long since fed, the ma
tives had gone slreiing up the street, the
Englshman alone standing by, but even he
did not know what to do, as it was imposs
bic to shoot the animal as it was fyng
around 50 he stood for few moments
aghast at the curious position of the man
1t soon became apparent that the charr,er
knew what he was about Not far from the
house stood a stout flagstaff, a foot and a half
through, of solid teakwood, and toward this
he was gradually moving, whirng the snake
faster and faster Now he was within twen-
ty-five feet of it, and suddenly it dawned
upon the few spectators what he was about
to do This was to strike the head Of tho rep
tile against the pole.
Nearer he came, whirling faster and faster
until the reptile stood out like n whip LASH
and then, with quick step forward, he
brought the head of the animal against the
wood with crushing sound. He released his
hold, and the great reptile doubled up in con-
vulsivc folds, digging up the earth and send
ing clouds of dust into the air, finally drop
ping limp and lifeless to the ground
a wondering crowd soon surrounded the
dead boa, tho now brave natives expressing
their opinions as to its size. One thing was
evident, that here was the ghost" The big
snake had in some way obtained entrance to
the house, probably through the hole in the
foundation, and had produced tho mysterious
sounds heard by the men. The snake charm
ers had, Us is their general custom, placed
harmless cobra in tho hole, and before they
had time to call it out it had encountered the
big boa with the above result.-Cor. Phila.
delphia Times