The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-12
CHIoAGo's HAUNTED HOUSE.
Agent Turner Has Very Unroman-
tic Explanation of the Mystery.
From the Cbicnoo Ne,ge

From the Chicago NeUs.
The north-siders take great deal of in
terest in the ghost-haunted house on Belder
avenue, whore DR.. Rowe lives. YESTERDAY
| probably thousand persons viewed the
| house, and most of the time the street il
front oft was blocked with people. When
evening came the crowd grew larger. and
even the flashing lightning and the threat
enlng ralnstorm failed to drive all the peo
PIE away. 1t was noticed that the police
man on the beat passed by on the other side
DR.. Rowe went off TO a Sunday school pic.
mic at Llewellyn park and took his family
along, leaving the housekeeper alone. She
SAID she was not a bit afraid, for she did
uot believe in ghosts, and besides, the
strange noises were never heard in the day
time or before the midnight hour
Ihe house is located at 1874 Belden avenue
and IS one of pair. The houses are two
story and basement bricks, with flat roofs
and are shaded in front by large trees DIR
Rowe returned at 6 o'clock in the afternoon.
lie regretted exceedingly that the strange
noises heard in the house had been told
about and described in the newspaDers He
said he did not believe that ghosts caused
the noises, and said further thai he did moi
believe i'll ghosts at ALL He had heard
queer noises, very unusual noises, in the
upper hallway. When he first heard them
he thought burglar was in the house and
looked through all the rooms. finding all
the doors and windows fastened and every
thing undisturbed. He said he would not
pretend to account for the noises.
But Mr.. Turner, of Turner g. Co., real
estate dealers, OF liz Lincoln avenue, thinks
be can account for the mysterious noises
He disclaims the ghost theory and argues
mat somebody made the noises to brighten
DR.. Rowe and make him move out.
II am the agent for the house." said Mr..
Turner last night, land it is owned bv a
Mrs Mcmillan, a widow who lives some =
where on Fitty-ffth street in Hyde park.
Now, she Is very estimable lady. who
wouldn't do anything that wasn't perfectly
square. That property was owned, M to
about year ago, by Mrs. George Wilson.
and Mrs Mcmillan purchased it at that
time for something under $1,000
Mrs. Wilson'S husband is very we'll
known here in Chicago. He keeps a saloon
on Clark and South Water streets that is
patronized by a good many men in a
day. Well, little while after Mrs Wilson
sold the house on Belden avenue property
values III the neighborhood began to slide
up IN great hurry, and the place WAS
soon worth great deal more than she had
sold it for. Now, what do you think Mrs.
Wilson dido She very coolly repudiated the
sale, declared there wasn't any sale, and
a a l.
CATION was commenced and is still drag
ging on in the courts, with Mrs. Wilson On
one side of the fence and Mrs Mcmillan on
the other. The court recognizes the fact
that Mrs. Mcmillan had probably the right
side of the lawsuit and gave her Temporary
possession of the property.
I'VE rented the house to DR.. Weaver.
who was in there some time, but moved ont
last October and went TO practice on Center
| i,,aa
there to see him this afternoon about the
ghost business. He says that in all the
time he was there he never saw ghost or
heard ShOStly sound. SO far as he knows
there never was anybody killed in the house
and never anybody died there. But he did
tell me that while he was in the house Mrs
Wilson came around there with a lease and
tried to make him sign it but he wouldn't
do it. That shows how she acts and there's
the secret Of this whole business. | tell
you t anybOdy's been dressing in white
and flying over house tops up there it's
Mrs. Wilson; and if anybody has been
hrlng pistols and moving chairs and rat
ting doors and falling down stairs in DR.
Ro YES house its Mrs Wilson or sonebodv
she sent. Depend upon it, l am right in
the matter, and she is at the bottom of the
whole business. Why the house was va
cant from October all last winter through
that womans scheminC.n
But Mr.. Turner, how could Mrs. Will
son spirit herself through a closed door into
DIR. Rowe's upstairs hallway and then fire
pistols, toss about chairs, tumble downstairs
and escape before the doctor could get ous
in the hallway with lightg
81 don't know anything about how she
did it, but depend on it, she did dot. It's
not ghosts; its Mrs Wilson,
Although Mr.. Turner's theory supplies a
motive, 1t does not explain the mysterious
not have been possible for any nerson mo ro
remain concealed in the house night after
night aad escape discovery. One night DR.
Rowe did not go to bed at all and heard the
noises in the hallway as usual. The mo.
ment he heard the sound of footsteps on tn q
stairs ne rushed out with lamp in his
hand. but found nobody and nothing that
could have caused the noise.