St. Paul daily globe., 1889-10-20

Ndo dti tifNtA III LliCll NCditlls AANoNtii-
ing the thread Of his thoughts, the sick
man said:
Il have been confined to the bed now
/ for more than a year. and. of COURSE.
anything that takes place within the
narrow range Of nv lookout here at
tracts my attention. One of the first
things l noticed was the frequent
change of tenants in that little house.
and naturally my curiosity was at
tTacted. | have not kept count until
lately. but | actually believe that Two
dozen families have moved into and out
Of that house in the last year. and it
has been vacant a good part Of the
time. too. 1t is seldom that a family
remains longer than one week, and l
/ have known them several times TO move
in one day and out the next.
Zone day l saw a family, the head OF
whom | had some acquaintance, mOvein
and l Watched the result with more tnan
an ordinary degree Of interest. The
next morning | woke up at an earlier
hour than usual, but the new nelghbOrS
were ahead of ne and already had most
of her household goods out in the yard
again. Soon afterwards a truck drove
up ana the goods were loaded up Tor
another move. My curiosity had be-
come so aroused over the matter that
l sent out for the head of the family,
and when he came in l asked him what
the matter WaS-Why lie was going 10
move away again so soon? In reply he
exclaimed: Il wouldn't stay in that
house another night if you were TO give
it to me! had been told by family
which had lived there before that II was
haunted. but | laughed at the idea, and
thinking | might rent house cheap,
hunted up the owner, who told me that
l could have il for 81 per mouth. as he
would rather have it occupied at that
rate than TO nave it stand empty, but 1t
is worth SO if everything were all right.
So, without saying anything to my wife
or the children about what l had heard.
we moved in last night. We went 10
bed about the usual time. myself and
wife down stairs and the three children
up stairs. Being lired, we both fell
asleep at once. About midnight my
wife clutched me by the arm ana shook
NE until ! awOke. when l found her all
in a tTembe and asking: For heavens
sake. Henry. get up! There's some
thing the matter with one of the chill
dren!''
81 listened a moment. and suddenly
heard the most unearthly gTOan that
ever fell upon human ears, followed I'M
mediateiy by the scream of child. L
got up and lighted lamp as quickly as
possible. and rushed up the stairs 10
find the children huddled in one corner
of the room. frightened out of their
wits. and their eyes 5ulging out of their
heads As soon as they could collect
their senses one of them managed to
tell me that there had been woman in
the room dressed in a long white night
gown. as ne described it, that she had
awakened them by grOanlng. and that
they saw her by the electric light which
reflected into the room. standing IN the
chamber doorway looking at them and
making the 'aWluleSt nOiSe.' as the lit
tie fellow put il. / made a careful
search all over the house. but fail ed to
find the least sign that there had been
anything there except our family.
The children would not stay up
stairs another moment. 50 we brought
them down ana made up beds on the
floor in our room. but not one of us
slept another wink all might. At inter-
walls we could hear the same Uneartnly
grOaES. and OCCASIONAL something like
a light f0Otstep on the floor above. l
went up stairs several times, but the
closest search failed to discover the
cause OF the disturbance.
Il don't believe, OF, at least, never
have believed. in the existence of ghosts
nor gObblins. but there is something
queer about that house, as sure as
you're born. and l am going 10
leave it,
"Sinee then" said the invalid, Il
have talked with several people who
have tried to live in that house, and
they all tell the same story, excerpt that
one man declared that he heard the
footsteps one night coming down the
stairway. and even saw the latch to
the door raise, but himself and wife
were so frightened that they at once
rushed from the house and spent the
night at neighbOr'S.' The next day
they also moved away"
INQUIRY in the neighborhOOd revealed
the fact that the reputation of the
house as being haunted Is well eStab-
liShed in its vicinity. One Old lady de-
clared that she had on more than one
occasion seen a white-rObed figure at an
upstairs window when the house was
tenantless. The children are all onto
the mystery. and many of them won't
pass it on the same side of the street
even in the daytime.
A call was made on the owner Of the
! property, and. after much questioning,
/ he admitted that the house had ''queeT
reputation" as be termed it. but he
secuted the idea that it is haunted. At
his earnest request the exact location is
not given, but il Is within a very short
distance of the chamber of commerce.
The last regular tenants of the house
are said TO have been a hackman. with
! his wife and a gTOWn-up son and daugh-
ter. The latter had an unfortunate
love affair. and one morning the neigh
bOrs woke up to find the house empty,
since which time they all say. not
word has been heard from the family,
and their whereabouts are unknown.
-
The latest Richmond in the field for
the Republican nomination for congress
in this district next year is no less a
parsonage than our distinguished fellow
citizen. Col. Charles w. johnson. There
is not the slightest doubt that quiet
| canvass of his chances for success is be-
ing made by some politicians who think
that Capt. SnideF has scarcely the reqUl-
site mental capacity demanded in rep
reSentatiYe OF the great cities ROW en-
/ braced III this district, but which Will
no doubt be separated by the next appor-
| tiOnment. The chief argument used in
Dor or this new aSpIrant is ''hlS magnItl-
| cent voice" as his admirers fOnGly term
il. 1t is said to excel in volume and
resonant musical tones anything heard
! in Washington since the death of Mr..
Clisbee. the once famous reading clerk
of the house. This. with his Weli-knOWn
oratorical ability, familiarity with par
Iiamentary usage, and complete knOwl-
edge of the wants OF Minneapolis. it is
claimed. would enable him at one leap
to get to the front rank in the national
beer garden at Washington. The Meth
Odist church is expected % take great