Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-17
TWO LIVELY GHOSTS.
A Couple Of Spiritual Visitors Of the
Good 0ld-Fashioned Kind
TROUBLE A GLEN COVE FAMILY.
Midnight Calls, Sulphurous Smiles, Grim
aces and Hasty Flights,
WITH ALL TIE OTHER coNcoMITANTs


ily of William Eastment, who live in nice
house up near the railroad depot. are
troubled by a good old-fashioned ghost-one
of the kind that wears a sulphurous smile,
slides down the chimney at dead of night,
grimaces and skedaddles out through the
keyhole followed by moaning gust of
wind.
The dwelling issituated on the principal
street Of the village and is somewhat an
cient manorial residence. It is known as
the Old Captain Russell place, from the
time when that eminent skipper lived there.
Captain Russell was famous man in his
day. He came originally from Nova
Scotia and became noted for his ability
to run ocean clippers at high rate of
profit. 1t was said he could get more
money out of a voyage than any other
captain afioat. He married Miss Kings
land, the daughter of Stephen Kingsland,
of New York, who was an uncle OF Mayor
Ambrose O. Kingsland, of that city. Cap
tain Russell had two daughters. One mar
years the Paris representative OF Tiffany q
Co. The other daughter married Francis
Smith, who was q member of the firm of
Smith g. Jewell when they owned the Brook
lyn City Flour Mills. The Captain had
one son, Cornelius Kingsland Russell, who
was educated abroad to enter a profession,
but whose inherited taste for the sea was so
strong that on leaving college, he refused
to follow any other occupation than that in
which his father had made fame and for
tune.
The old Captain thought he would give
his son a taste of seafaring life that would
IL b;,, e;,L eo he y,1ooa1 hin, hafora tho
mast on China clipper ship and sent him
on q voyage around the world. On his re-
turn, however, he
PRoYEssED TO BE PLEASED
with his experiences, and after resting q
month with his family and friends he was
made first mate of one of johnson & Low
denis Mediterranean clippers Though Cap
tain Russell's influence, and made second
voyage. His next voyage was as master of
vessel. While in port in New Orleans he
fell in love with beautiful Creole and mar
ried her secretly. Her father was French
and her mother Spanish. The younger Cap
tain Russell died in New Orleans, leaving
one child. The loss of his son greatly pros
trated old Captain Russell, and he never
fully recovered from the shock. One day
his dead body was discovered in an clubhouse.
Such was the melancholy end of this fine old
seafaring gentleman. He was marked for
his amiability and grace Of manners, and he
spent his large fortune freely. He was sim
cerely and widely mourned.
somewhat tragic death his ghost began to
pay nocturnal visits to the house, and the
premises have been infested with ghosts ever
since, at varying intervals, years often elaps-
ing between these midnight manifestations.
Recently the ghosts have returned although
the secluded location of the house and the
highly respectable and conservative charac-
ter of the occupants have kept the matter
from becoming subject of general gossip.
The story leaked out through friend Of
the family. The coachman was the first one
to discover the fact of the ghost 's'return, and
he has been in troubled state Of mind ever
since.
TWO OF THE GHOSTS.
There are two of these ghosts. one being
an old man and the other an old woman.
After Captain Russell died the house was
occupied by Rev. Johannes Oertel, who was
the assistant rector of the Protestant Episco-
pal Church in Glen Cove. The Rev. Mr..
Oertel had been bank note engraver and
an artist of considerable repute. Sir Morton
ings. He painted the picture ''Rock
of Ages" from which the famous
chrome was taken. His wife was
an English girl andn his mother was
a very diminutive woman. The ghost made
frequent visits to the house while the Rev.
Mr.. Oertel ana his family occapied it. Mrs
Oertel saw it on numerous occasions and
mentioned the fact to many of her friends,
among them General Pearsall. The ghost
was the image of old Captain Russell. It
came down the chimney, dressed in the full
rig of clipper captain Of olden time,
brandishing Delaying pin and grimacing
and seeming to be in a towering rage. Ad-
vancing silently on tiptoe to Mrs. Oertel's
bed it would brandish the Delaying pin with
increased vigor, opening and shutting its
mouth without uttering sound, its eyesap
pearing to snap fire. Usually the ghost van
ished up the chimney whence it came, but it
often went out of the keyhole, contracting
in size to suit the dimensions of the keyhole,
the outlines of its grotesque figure becom-
ing more and more luminous as 1t con-
tracted, until finally it was little more than
a spark of light, when it would pass through
the keyhole followed by dismal sighing
and whistlipg Of the wind.
Sometimes the ghost was more belligerent
than at others. Once or twice 1t awakened
Mrs. Oertel by tugging at the bedclothes,
SO frightening her that she made an outcry,
on which the ghost vanished like fash,
brandishing its flaming Delaying pin as II
went. The ghost never bothered strangers.
and was fairly decent and well behaved, al
though very persistent and annoying.
What it was that was on its mind was never
discovered, as it never plucked up courage
to make even the slightest sound. It was
thought that maybe Captain Russell had
left some hidden treasures in the house, and
that his ghost was exercised about them,
but, although strict search was made,
from time to time, nothing was ever found.
Sometimes the ghost would slide down the
chimney minus its jacket or its cap, as
though it had been hurried away from its
abiding place before it had time to COM
plete its costume, and on these
occasions it would tarry only a
moment and disappear in unusual
haste, going up the chimney, mode of de-
parture which consumed fraction of a
second less time than the egress by way of
the keyhole. 1t was such harmless ghost.
without bloodthirsty manners or weapons or
accessories, that the members of the Rev.
Mr.. Oertel's family, and Mrs. Oertel in par
ticular, became familiar with it, and learned
to observe it with more careful scrutiny
than the beholders of ghosts often venture
to bestow upon them. But it was q verita-
Bile ghost, as was abundantly testified to.
There was nothing bogus or material
about it.
After the Oertels went away the old house
was taken by William Esstment, who has
occupied it ever since. After they moved
in the ghost Of old Mrs. Oertel began to ap-
pear, and It is this ghost which is now
bothering the family. 1t appears in only
one room, and that is the one usually set
A. L. I'll H. IA l. e