Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-09-16
AN EAST-INDIAN GHOST.
Il Proved to Be Boa Constructor Twenty
Feet In Length.

haunted house and the little village settle
ment Of Wanda, in India, was no exception
Here number of English officers and theii
families live during the warmer months
returning TO their respective commands
later on. The rumor that Captain Beau
champs house was haunted was circulated
by servant-a superstitous old English
man 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. A.
first he thought there were rats or mice in
the wall He was awakened one night by a
most extraordinary noise. The door-bell
was ringing violently, and a struggling,
writhing noise In the wall Of the house
not in one place, but in several at once.
This was followed by q complete silence,
and as Thomas sat up In bed, his hair
threatening to stand on end, he was posi-
tive he heard a long-drawn sigh. This was
the last feather. SO, leaping from the
couch, he rushed TO his employers room and
aroused him, avowing that the place was
haunted, and few moments later the en-
tire household was In tn e room.
The notoriety SO cheaply earned became
exceedingly disagreeable. First came
strangers, natives aud others, who stood in
front Of the house day and night and looked
at 1t 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 were q number Of children
In the family the performers were invited
into the grounds and gave an entertainment
Finally, as winding up, one Of them took
out small oval basket, having an orifce In
the top, and seating himself near it began
| to play quaint air upon flute.
After industriously playing for few mo-
| ments, says correspondent Of the Phila-
delphia Times, up through the hole in the
basket came the head of cobra-one Of the
most poisonous Of snakes-up came the
hideous head with its hood that gave
malignant appearance to the reptile and
when twelve or fifteen inches above the
basket 1t began to wave to and fro as il in
obedience to the measure Of the music.
After the snake dance-or the snake
charming" as Europeans are won't to call
1.-THE Indian snake -charmer walked around
the house and among the bushes pointed
out hole which might have been made by
rabbit To one Of the native attendants he
said that for a small sum extra he would
take out a cobra which he thought was in
the hole The English officer did not be.
lieve 1t, but willingly submitted to the ex-
pertinent, and seating himself before the
hole the magician began his mournful
plaint
For fifteen minutes he kept up the noise,
and then from the opening there appeared
the ugly, hooded head of a cobra. Another
hole was soon found this beng directly at
the base Of the wall of the house. The man
examinedit few moments carefully, and
then began to play upon the flute.
Hardly had the group gathered about the
performer before q most remarkable noise
came from the house. First, there was
sound as Of escaping steam; then sound
Of some great body striking the wall and
rubbing against the timbers. Dust in
clouds came from the hole and the
"charmer" started back in terror, over
turning the man behind him. Recovering
himself he darted at the hole and thrusting
his arm in drew out, not cobra, but the
tail of much larger snake. Astonishment
was depicted on the natives face and hor-
ror in those Of many of the spectators, as
he stood holding the tip of the tail, and five
feet Of the body was visible.
For second the man hesitated, then re-
gaining his courage he shouted in Hindoo-
stance for the lookers.on to stand back,
and taking good grip upon the tail he
pulled gradually backward Out it came, foot
by foot, inch by inch, 8, 10, 10, 16 feet-1S,
was there no end?-1S feet of qulvering
snake flesh as large as mans thigh.
A quick jerk now and the entire monster
was clear-at least twenty feet In length
big enough to swallow deer and yet held
by single man. The native was, however,
not in 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. Grad
all ha "a 10 -
and faster, until he seemed the center Of a
wheel, the spokes of which were the body
Of the python. So rapid was the motion
ehat the snakes body was perfectly
straight, and 1t was evident that as long as
the motion could be kept up the man was
safe, but IL the monster could reach him he |
would In moment be crushed In the hor- |
rible folds OF the reptile.
The lookers-on had long since fed, the |
natives had gone shrieking up the street,
the Englishman alone standing by, but even |
he did not know what to do as it was i'm
possible to shoot the animal as 1t was flying
around; 80 he stood few minutes aghast |
at the curious position OF the man.
1t soon became apparent that the charmer
knew what he was about Not far from the
house stood stout flag. g.staff, foot and
hall through, OF solid teakwood, and toward
shss hu Wao iuoNiuS, WulrluR the
snake faster and faster. Now he was with
in twenty-five feet Of IL, and suddenly it
dawned on the few spectators what he was
about to do. This was to strike the head Of
the reptile against the pole. Nearer he
came, whrling faster and faster, until the
reptile stood out like whip lash, and then,
with quick step forward, he brought the
head OF the reptile against the wood with
sound. He released his hold and
the great reptile doubled up in convul-
sive folds, digging up the earth and sending
clouds OF dust into the air, finally dropping
limp and lifeless TO the ground.
A wondering crowd soon surrounded the
dead boa, the now brave natives expressing
their opinions as 10 its size. One thing was
here was the "ghost" The
big snake had in some way obtalued en-
france TO the house, probably through the
hole In the foundation, and had produced
he mysterious sounds heard by the men,
rhe snake-charmers had, as is their general
,ustom, placed harmless cobra IN the hole