Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-06
manner as the night before the rapping
AROUSED THE NEIGHBoRs.

manner as the night before the rappine
began.
AROUSED THE NEIGHBoRs.
This time it was 80 loud that it aroused
several of the neighbors who had heard
of the strange occurrence of Monday
night and were half expecting that some
thing would happen.
"Rap, rap, rap" came the knocks ,and
again the old gentlemen hurried to the
door in the hope of getting solution tc
the mystery. 1t was the same story
Darkness there and nothing more.' u
Mr.. Mascarel began to wonder if there
might not be something in his children'e
theory of spirits after all. He went back
to his room and the manifestations
continued. His wife, who had taken a
position by the window in the kitchen
from which the back door could be
plainly seen. reported that she had
watched while several rappipgs took
place and had seen no one. Several of
the neighbors came into the house,
listened and heard the noises. The
rappings never came while any one was
standing directly before the door, but
the moment that the coast was clear to
the distance of several feet from the
threshold, sudden blows made the
screen door tremble. One of the women
who had come into the house and
who was full of the belief that it was a
spirit called out demanding the name
and the purpose of the author of the
noises. No answer came except ia
creased rappings. Another neighbor, a
man, stole around in the back yard
within sight of the door, and he declared
to those within the house on his return
that Immediately after one succession OF
raps he had seen Strengthening black
object glide down the stairs and disap-
pear in the shadow of tie house.
Wednesday during the day Mr.. Mas
carel found himself very much annoyed
by the questions that kept asking them.
selves in his mind.
WAS 1T A SPIRIT,
And if 30, what did it want? Or was it
some kind of trick which was being
played on him? His suspicious rather
centered on the latter explanation, and
falling in with an old member of the
police force with whom he was &C.
quainted, he narrated the circumstances
to him. The latter individual, being OF
a very matter-of-fact turn of mind, took
no stock whatever in the supernatural
theory, and was confident that some hu-
man agency was concerned in the per-
formance. That evening two officers,
Dorsey and Harvey, were detailed to
maintain a strict watch around the
house, and learn, if possible, what was
the matter with the back door.
In the meantime certain members ol
the family kept urging the spiritualist
explanation upon the old man, and sug.
gested that he had better consult me.
dunn and learn what the residents of the
shades wanted him to do. One of the
neighbors-a lady-went 80 far as to take
it upon herself to make trip over to the
East Side and to talk with female ex'
ponent of spookery. The seeress allowed
that something was rotten in the state oi
Lazard street, and the matter had better
be looked into Immediately. 1t was moi
impossible that the old gentleman was
tions were warnings to that effect, and 6
suggestion that he should make his will
and make it right. She offered to ex
plain all the raps-for considerations
but Mr.. Mascarel declined to send fol
her.
MR.. MAscAREL's BELIEF.
The fact is that he had hit upon an ex.
planation of his own, granting that the
supposition was correct one that it was
spirit who was doing the pounding on
thu door. A week ago last Tuesday Mrs.
Trinidad S. st. Denis died, leav-
ing most of her property to her chill.
dren, with her old friend Jose Mas.
carel as executor. Every one thought
that her husband had not re.
ceived quite the attention in the
document which be had reason to ex.
pect, and it was limited that just before
she died Mrs. st. Denis came to thai
conclusion herself, and expressed the
regret that she had not made rathe,
different disposal Of the property. She
died with this thought, Mascarel firmly
believes, upon her conscience and thus,
instead of accounting for the appearance
Of the ghosts by any theory about the
other world being dissatisfied with the
terms of his will, ne referred the whole
matter to the accounts of Mrs. st. Denis.
What more probable that when her
spirit came to look back upon what had
been one of the last acts of its feshly
habiliament it should long to return tc
earth and warn the executor of the
estate of the change of purpose?
Secure in this conviction, the old mar
waited for the developments of Wednes'
day night. He felt that he had the sit
uation in good shape, whatever might
happen. With two police officers te
watch for the agent if it were all piece
of trickery, and with thoroughly salts.
factory explanation in his own mind tc
fall back upon in case it should turn out
to be real manifestation otspirit power,
the old gentleman went to bed with a
contented mind.
In the meantime Officers Harvey and
Dorsey, hidden in the bushes at one side
of the house, their presence unknown to
all the inmates of the house save Mas
carel himself, waited for the rapping to
begin. About o'clock the noise was
heard loud and distinct, and the officers
started up out of the bushes. No one
was to be seen. They concealed them
selves again somewhat nearer and
waited, confident that the performance
would be repeated. 1t was dark around
the door, and nothing could be seen from
the distance at which they were situated.
Now the knocking began again, this
time go uproariously loud that it startled
the neighbors about, and q number OF
them came running into the yard. Up
sprang the officers and bolted for the
door.
THE MAN IN BLACK,
AS they came near, tall
man dressed in black, with long
white whiskers, ran down the steps
of the officers made grab at his arm
~ al I4l s.r L