Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-10
THE GHOST OF WANDA.
THE SECRET OF A HAUNTED HOusE
SiNGULARLY DISCOVERED.
Clever Indian Jugglers UnintentionalIy
Solve Village Mystery-what Disturbed
the Captain n-Remarkable skin cf "a snaLa
CIarmer

Solve Village Mystery-what Disturbed
the Captain Remarkable skill Of a Snake
CIarmer.
Almost every town or village has its haunt
ed house, and the little village settlement of
wanda, In India was no exception. Here a
nun Der of English officers and their families
hVe during the warmer months, returning to
Their respective commands later on The
rumor that Capt. Beauchamps 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 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 voice in the wall of the
house-not in one place, but in several at
once. This was followed by a complete 81
lenoe, and as Thomas sat up in bed, his hair
threatening to stand on end, he was positive
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 a few moments later the entire house
hold was in the room
THE MOURNFUL PLANT
The notoriety cheaply earned became
exceedingly disagreeable. First came stran-
gers, natives and others, who stood in front
of the house day and night and looked at il
with wondering curiosity. Matters stood in
this shape for some days, when one morning
party OF jugglers passed through the town
ano finally reached the haunted house As
there were number of children in the fami-
ly the performers were invited into the
grounds and gave an entertainment Fl
nally, as winding up, one of the men took
out small oval basket having an orifce in
the top and seating himself near il began TO
play quaint air upon a flute
After industl'iously playing for a few min
uteS up through the hole in the basket came
the head of the cobra-one of the most
poi 5onous of snakes-up came the hdeous
head with its hood that gave a malignant ap-
pearance to the reptile, and when twelve or
fifteen inches above the basket it began to
wave TO and fro as If in obedience to the
me lsure of the music
After the snake dance-or the snake
charming" as Europeans are wont TO call
1.-THE Indian snake charmer walked around
the house, and among the bushes DO nted out
u
rabbit To one of the native attendants he
sail that for a 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 the experiment, and
seating himself before the hole, the magician
bes an his mournful plant
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 being directly at
the base of the wall of the house. The man
examined 1t few moments carefully, then
began TO play upon the flute
Hardly had the group gathered about the
performer before a most remarkable noise
came from the house First, there was a
sound as OF escaping steam, then a sound of
some great body striking the wall and rub
bhng against the timbers Dust in clouds
came from the hole, and the "charmern
started back in terror, overturning the man
behind him. Recovering himself, he darted
at the hole and, thrusting his arm in drew
ou5, not cobra, but the tail of a larger
snake. Astonishment was depicted on the
natives face, and horror in those of many of
the spectators as he stood holding the tip of
the Land five feet of the body was visible
A MONSTER BY THE TAI.
For a second the man heSitated then re-
ga ming his courage he shouted in Hindoos
tanee for the lockers on to stand back, and.
taking good grip upon the tail he pulled
gradually backward Out it came foot by
foot, inch by inch, five, ten, fifteen, sixteen
fett-eighteen, was there no end?-eighteen
fest of quivering snake flesh as large as
mans thigh.
4 quick jerk now and the entire monster
IVES clear-at least twenty feet in length
biz, enough to swallow a deer and yet held by
a single man. The native was, however, not
in the least discouraged. He clung to tha
tai and as the huge reptile turned toward
hi n with an angry hiss he gave it a swinging
moton by turning sloWiy Gradsally Ind ythsttF rs if
uD til he seemed the center of a wheel the |
spOkes of which were the body of the python
Sc rapid was the motion that the snakes
body was perfectly straight, and it was evi-
dent that as long the motion could be kept
W the man was safe, but if the monster
could reach him he would in a moment be
CT Ished in the horrible folds of the reptile
The lockers on had long since fed the ma
tives had gone shrieking up the street. the
Engilshman alone standing by, but even he
did not know what to do, as it was impossi-
ble to shoot the animal as it was flying
ar ouDd; so he stood for few moments
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 a stout flagstaff, a foot and half
I'll rough, of solid teakwood, and toward this
he was gradually moving, whirling the snake
70 ster and faster. Now he was within TWEEN
y-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 the rep
tile against the pole
Nearer he came, whirling faster and faster
until the reptile stood out like a whip lash
and then, with n 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-
vulsive 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, the now brave natives expressing
their opinions as to its size One thing was
evident, that here was the ghost" The big
snake had i'll some way obtained entrance to
the house, probably through the hole in the
foundation, and had produced the mysterious
sounds heard by the men. The snake charm
ers had as is their general custom, placed a
harmless cobra in the hole, and before they
lad time to call it out it had encountered the
tig boa with the above result-Cor. Phila
oelphia Times