The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-07-26
A NIGHT With spooks.
The Quaker City Comes to the
Front with q Haunted House.

Thomas Farley, of 4143 DARBY
road, who one year ago kept a bar
ber shop at $40 North Forty-fftl
street, says the Philadelphia Times
is a young man of more than aver
age intelligence, whose veracity has
never been questioned. Yet Mr.
Farley told a Times reporter tht
other day of his experiences while
living in the house 91O North Forty
fifth street, which for weird anc
ghostly experiences surpass the
widest dreams of the writer's ro
nance.
Mr.. Farley, in telling his story
wants it distinctly understood that
he is not the least bit nervous mol
at all inclined to be superstitious
and does not believe in the exist
ence of ghosts. Yet the phenomena
he describes as having troubled his
rest at night, while in the Forty.
fifth street house, to say the least,
are remarkable.
Mr.. Farley, who keeps a tidy little
barber shop at 4143 Darby road,
said: "About the middle of June
last year I moved with my young
wife to the newly built house at $40
North Forty-ffth street, and opened
business as a barber. The first three
nights we did not sleep in the house,
but went to my mothers house,
Forty-second and Chestnut streets.
After the floors and woodwork
in the house had been scrubbed, the
carpets laid, stove put up, and
my shop put in running order, we
retired for the night in our new
home, very much pleased with our
surroundings. We were both tired,
the extra work of moving having
nearly exhausted myself and wife.
We went to bed early. l think it
was about S:15 o'clock, and were
both soon fast asleep, and slept
soundly until 8 o'clock, when we
were both startled by noise neither
of us could account for.
THOUGHT IT WAS THE ALARM CLOCK.
"Our first impression was that
the little alarm clock had gone off
and it was time to get up. | went
over to the mantle and turned up
the light, but instead of it being 5
o'clock in the morning the hands
of the clock pointed to the figure 8.
We should have gone to sleep again
and thought no more of it had not
my wife suggested that / Irewind the
alarm. This I tried to do, but
found it would not wind, it not hav-
ing gone off at all.
This fact l tried to conceal from
her, she being in delicate condi-
ton, and l feared to arouse her
nervous sensibilities at that time.
But she was not to be fooled, and
insisted on having the alarm wound.
| handed her the clock. She took
it and soon discovered that the noise
had not proceeded from the clock,
and looked at me in a beseeching
manner, while an ashy pallor over
spread her features.
AWAKENED BY UNHoLY SOUNDS.
Placing the clock on the mantel,
we both retired once more, but not
to sleep. We had been discussing
the cause of the noise for half an
hour or more, when suddenly and
without warning a noise like the
bursting of a cannon seemed to
come from the cellar. We were
both startled and lay for some time
intently listening for further devel
opments. Suddenly the lamp,which
was burning brightly on stand
near the mantel began to grow dim,
fickered and went out.
"Now thoroughly alarmed, l got
up and relit it. had barely time
to get into bed again, when an aw-
full bowling and shrieking reached
our ears. The noise in every case
seemed to protrude from the cellar.
1 got up and, taking the lamp, went
down stairs and proceeded to in
vestigate. Our dog, a small beagle
hound, was found whining at the
kitchen door. All the doors and
windows communicating with the
cellar were found intact.
Fastening up the kitchen, / once
more ascended the stairs, the dog
keeping close to my heels. AS soon
as | got in my bedroom the dog
leaped on the bed, and, curling
himself up, lay trembling at our
feet. The alarm clock seemed to
again go off, but on examination it
was found wound tightly. This
was only a prelude of what was to
follow. The lamp again grew pale,
hickered and went out. l got up
and tried to light it, but tailed
utterly.
MATCHES WOULD NOT LIGHT.
"Match after match was struck,
but, save the making of a pale blue
mark on the box, there was no sign
of fire. A dampness like heavy
fog seemed to settle over the entire
room. The walls were covered with
great beads of water. Soon my
clothing was SO damp l could have
runp it out.