The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-08
A YAMAoRAw GHOST STORY.
A Sense OF Mystery the Spirit
Dauntsd

| OdunEeQ
Savannah has ghost story Of the most
approved pattern. with all the proper
ghostly accompaniments, such as super
natural noises, unexplainable rappings,
creeping sensations, and to crown all. an
alleged sight OF the ghost itself.
This ghost story is vouched for by re-
spectacle people with plenty OF every day
common sense, who have not hitherto be-
heved in stories of haunted houses, but,
nevertheless, they have suffered from
| ghostly vtsitations for a month past.
II. II. Gardner, who works with the
Knickerbocker Ice Company, has lived at
253 Bay street, with his family, for about
one month and half. One day last week
the family moved out and they say 1t was
all on account of ghost.
A MORNING NEWS reporter happened 20
be passing the house described and was told
| the family was being routed by the spooks
| The house is a large three-story brick
building, showing evident signs OF age. A
wagon stood in front of the door and a
couple Of negro men were loading 1t with
| furniture, while two ladies were packing
up household effects IN the basement and
otherwise fastening the removal.
Entering the house the reporter asked,
SIS this the place where the ghost hyes"
"Well, yes sir, reckon 1t Is, replied one
Of the ladies, "You are reporter, aren't
your
The reporter answered In the affirmative
and inquired for further particulars, and
expressed desire to interview the ghost. q,
The lady informed him that he dropped
around at the wrong time. as tie ghosts
| night, at which hour she, for
it is a female ghost, is almost
invariably to be heard, II not seen. Neither
of the ladies' were averse to talking about
the annoyances in the haunted house.
"We have only been here a month and
fourteen days. said Mrs. Gardner. land
there has been something wrong With the
Every night regularly from about 10
O'Clock, or 1920 o'clock this house
shakes as if from an earthquake,
or some other powerful agency.
The noise never starts until after
10 O'Clock and always stops about o'clock.
Some nights It is worse than Others, especi-
ally If there has been any music, singing
or dancing in the house during the evening.
Music always makes it worse and If there
| is any piano playing, the noise that night
| will be terrible.
''The house feels just like a ship some
| times, and makes us actually seasick, tust
| as If We were at sea. The building doesn't
| shake from the drays and wagons passing
| In the daytime, which shows that 1t is not
| caused by anything in the neighborhood. 1t
cannot be caused by people in the house,
because we have looked over the house
every night, and it is too regular, happen
| ing every night almost"
Then" put i'll the other lady, Its such
a strange feeling. It's just like somebody
was pulling at you by the sleeve, trying to
wake you up, and you feel queer all over.
There are noises like somebody walking in
! the house, accompanied by grOaning. The
mo- ntu ksoH sa
were trying to catch their breath"
Mrs. Gardner said that frequently when
they heard the noises az night the whole
family would get up and search through the
house, but at no time could they discover
any cause for the noise. Sometimes they
were unable to sleep for hours.
This ghost seems to have a decided aver
sion to piano music, and the piano was the
occasion of its manifesting itself to human
vision for the first time. On Wednesday
last a young lady was giving Mrs.
Gardeners little boy music
lesson at the piano. All at once, as the story
goes. she became conscious of something
| lowering over her, and strange feeling OF
dread took possession Of her. She was
was afraid to look around, and in little
while this feeling seemed to be relieved by
the departure of the strange presencs.
Presently the same feeling came over
| her again. She was afraid to look
up, but she felt exactly as If there
was somebody, Or something in the
room besides herself and the boy She called
the little boys attention TO it and asked him
if there was any one else in the room He
| looked around and exclaimed that there
was, and that it was moving around be-
hind the looking glass. The young lady
jumped up and ran out of the room in a
fright being almost overcome by her
fright
When the boy was asked to describe what
| he saw, he said OF looked like an old negro
woman dressed in a long white gown, and
| that the figure moved behind the mirror
TINS confirms the belief of the family that
the house is haunted.
Mr.. Gardner tried to laugh off his wife's
fears, but 1t was no Use. She was determined
to leave the house. She said to the reporter,
ut would kill me to live here another
week.
The house in question is said to be the
| property of Claudia Gibbons an old colored
woman, who is now at Springfield, Mass,
with her family. They lived on the premises
long before the war, and were free colored
people. No one else has lived
on the place, the reporter was
Informed, since Claudia Gibbons moved -.
and old colored people living in the
neighborhood, who have known the
place for many years, have said
repeatedly since the GARDENERS moved into
the house that no one would ever live in the
house but the owners. The superstitous
negroes give no reason for this assertion,
but they seem convinced that they speak
the truth, and the experience of the Gard
ners seems to indicate that they are right.
Old Ann Gibbons who died ia this house
few months ago, after having lived there
forty odd years. is said by those who knew
her to have been one Of the best old souls
that ever lived. She was very fond of
music, and the superstitious say that it is
her ghost that has come back to her old