Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-21

TO break his arm. IL was caught ID
band connected with an engine. Mr..
Norileet is one OF the commissioners OF
BERTHE county.
WELDON GHOST.
A Mysterious Toy Drops from tho Cell
ing-Strange Noises and n GhostIy
Presence-a Bowitched Board.
Correspondence Of tho Richmond Dispatch.l
WELDON, n. c., Dec. 19, 1890.
Ghost-stories are sometimes very good
reading, especially if the ghost is long
way of, and generally excellent things to
frighten nervous old maids and young
children, but when the supernatural
beings commence 10 gallop around the
house Of your neKt-door nei3hbors, then,
/ confess, they are rather uBwelcome
guests. Such we're my conclusions the
other day, when was informed that
very mysterious affair had occurred at
well-known residence III town, brighten.
ING the children out OF their wits and
fairly paralyzing the servants with fear.
Wishing TO get at the facts in the case,
for no respectable ghost would Ike to
he nisrepresented, [ called at the resi-
dence in question this morning in order
10 thoroughly investigate the mystery.
A neat little maidseryant opened the
front door and invited me into still
neater little parlor. When Informed
that [ wished to see Miss A. she grinned
from ear TO ear and silently left the
room. | have known Miss A. for some
time.
A PROBABLE MEDIUM.
She is a gushing young lady and just
Of the imaginative kind to see all kinds
of ghosts and COLLINS. She did not keep
me Whiting long and almost before |
was aware of her presence she was greet
ing me efiusively. yes she said, " L
know Just exactly why You are here, for
you horrid newspaper correspondents
are forever poking around to find out
everything. have perfect horror OF
YOU
or CONDITIONS.
I assured her felt very much fattered
at her good opinion OF newspaper serb
blers in general and that had no desire
TO be rude. but having heard that very
mysterious affair had occurred at her
residence / had called to learn If the
r1Imors were true. / assured her that
her name should not appear in connec-
ton with anything she might see lit to
disclose.
ooh well then" she said in a most
aflable and bewitching manner, "if you
put il that way and will not have the
whole town pointing this out as the
haunted house, l have no objection to
telling you what really did happen.
Owe girls" laying great stress on
girls, "were all upstairs the other night
PLAYING the game OF Nellie BY, when
suddenly a noise like rushing wind swept
every man from the board. We all
Jumped up and as We did 30 the wall
above rs cracked like whip and this
came plump down on my head. Inever
was so badly frightened in oil my life.
The "this she held out TO me, which
I took and found TO be a curious-looking
toy Of very peculiar shape and some
what resembling a small lady's pearl
handle knife.
"But did not some OF the girls play a
prank upon you ?" queriod.
mo she answered firmly, "they
did not. / myself accused them OF 1t,
but they we're all badly frightened and
would not even touch it. The door was
closed. the windows were all down, 50 no
one from the outside could have thrown
it into the room. have visited all the
81 ores in town and find that nothing like
IL is to be found in any of them Whera
It came from Ond how it dropped from
the ceiling is mystery | cannot ex'
plain"
DIDN'T SAY 1T WAS A GHOST.
"Well." "I said, have you since that
time had any intimation OF tho ghostly
presence
81 did not say it was n ghost" she
snapped. 81 do not believe IN ghosts
and the supernatural and all that But
it is a something cannot quite under
stand, and | do sometimes have the
dueerest kind Of feelings in this house
and hear strange noises, but my nerves
are pretty good and do not pay much
attention to them. Only the other
night" she continued, "let me see, il
was two days after my great fright, i
WAS sitting in this very room. The
lamps had not been lighted. | always
did love to sit in the dark, when all at
once cold chills commenced to run all
over me. ] Just felt that there was some
unknown presence IN the room. fairly
held my breath and | almost imagined
/ could hear it breathe and felt
that it was getting nearer and nearer
to me. l was as cold as ice and could
not move to save my life. l knew
if | looked around that | would
certainly see something. | knew
not what, so with almost super
human effort l sprang forward and
rushed from the room. ] secureda lamp,
and. closely followed by my sister, we
came back and examined the room
Everything was in perfect order. She
laughed at Inc and said ! was nervous
little goose. But as sure rs | am here
to-day If / had looked around in tins
room that night would have seen some
thing. In what shape or what 1t would
have been l am not prepared 70 say"
"And yet, Miss A, you tell me you dc
not believe in the supernatural
NOT TIE LEAST BIT AFRAID.
al do not, most assuredly. l have
not heard or seen anything since. | eau
not account for it in any way. | dC
know had the strangest feelings OF my
life then. but have not been the least
bit afraid since"
perhaps his Ghostly Highness re
turned to get the toy he dropped smont
you girls when he paid his first visit,
suggested -.
swell. if he did" she said, she die
not get il, and what is more l intend L
hold to it if can
THE MYSTERY UNsoLyED.
"And You really think that curious
looking toy you have dropped from tht
ceiling?"
ar -, aoooppt for ~ in No nfhar wav