The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-29
MORE REAL GHOST STORIES,
FELIX'S SECOND ABLE ARTICLE
ABOUT SPOOKS.
Face Of "a sad-Eyed Hooded Nun Seen at
House on Firth Street.-The Investiga-
,,on-peserted House searched-A Dy-
tny Friends Voice Heard.

House on Firth Street.-The Investiga-
t,on-Deserted House scsrched-A Dy-
Ing Friends Voice Heard.
The contagion of CHEST story lore is rapid
" spreading, fresh cases and new symp-
toms OF the nncanny mania are daily do
yeloping: but so long as the sensation pro-
duced is that of chills creeping down the
back. and an imaginary clutching OF icy
fingers, it is not an unwelcome seizure, IN
this time of % degrees Fahrenheit The
truth IL that a certain amount Of ghost
stories circulated in the air, may i'm time
create the chilliness Of atmosphere, that may |
reduce the cost Of ice and make refrigerat- |
inc stock 90 down. We had but 10 wait |
and the inevitable Richmond story would |
break out, and the vision OF a haunted house |
in our own immediate locality rise up.
Ghosts, as a meddlesome, prying and i'll
Omened class, have no more rampant enemy |
than the real estate agents, with, perhaps, |
daylight excepted, so for fear of sharing the ]
disfayOr along with the ghost, for subtle in-
Jury of property, OF those who have vacant
houses on their hands, we would refrain
from "A too precise description Of the locality.
=
ago that superstition was broadcast
throughout this Richmond land. and excite
ment ran high over an alleged ghost.
sAD-EYED NUN.
Late uDon a shadowy evening at that
time a young man was walking out Flith
street, when some uncertain distance be-
yOnd Leigh, where the horses are all grey and
lettering with unkept old age, he absently
turned his gaze upon a vacant and silent
looking house. At an upper window his
astOnshed eyes discerned the solemn face
Of sad-eyed, hooded nun peerng out. He
stopped and looked long and carefully, but
no closer scrutiny proved an error in his
sight or impression, unmOyed and with
melancholy steadness the solemn eyes OF
the nun looked down at him from out their
frame Of black yelling, looked beseeching-
ingly and lOngngly until he was conscious
| Of no impulse but to release prisoner, who
seemed 10 he one by some strange chance or
| accident. so he bounded up the dust-ladened,
trackless steps, to try the front door in vain.
\ yellow, rain-smeared card, tackled upon
the wall. told that it was "FOr Sale" the
ragged, oyergrOwn weeds ch0ked the side
entrance to the yard. but forcing that. be
| brayely tried to get in the back way, but
the locks, at least, were still on duty and
resisted his efforts. Ii was growing late
llltli. ~ diil " alNfh hAVuilh i''fN'A
up mt the window, 30 see in the gathering
darkness the same face Of the beseecning,
saint-like nun at the window.
SOUGHT THE AGENT.
still believing il TO be human being i'm
prisoned, he sought the agent Of the deserted
house and told his story, but ne only found
an increduIous listener, who assured him
that it was nonsense, that that was zone Of
! the most desirable houses in town, nice and
quiet. away from the hustle and noise, yet
convenient 10 business" Having thun-
dered out this formula Of his business,
which is kept in readiness like ready
| loaded cartridge 10 fire of at whatever rises
| in the field, he thought the matter ended.
But the yOung man was impOrtunate, and
finally persuaded him 10 get the keys of the
house and to 20 with him, and if he con-
fessed 10 seeing the face there they both
would 20 in and make a search.
CARRIED HIM IN.
| Even by the stngy, pale light Of the moon
and a ftful lantern they carried, the agent.
J too, could not help seeing that in verify
| there was the face of a nun pressed close
to the glass and looking out. They entered
! bravely, with the heavy, forward tread
which marched over the carpetless floor
and rickety stairs and resOunded in all the
empty space with some sound akin to echo,
! but the heart Of each futtered with an I'M
manly nervousness that neither Of them
would have liked to confess. They. how
| ever came 10 the room from whose window
the face peered, confidently expecting to-
there lind "A miserable, frightened woman
for them TO release and remove to some
more cheerful quarters. They entered, and
the ray Of the lantern fell directly upon the
window they came 10 search. but il only
tell upon vacant cobwebbed sill, and lii
with a sickly. paid shine the empty, glar-
ing window-panes.
NOT EVEN A SHADOW.
Not so much a. "A shadow did the Ian
tern there reveal, but only the weird shine
of the dim. smoky light on the glass. There
seemed an insutlerable silence in the room.
and something more dread than fright
seemed 10 make it impossible for either OF
| them 10 speak a word. They moved about
the room, but even their f0Ot-treaCs had a
smOthered, distant, far-aWay sound. and
while neither Of them could discern the
faintest trace Of any object in the room.
however after they turned the Ian
tern in it, corners and around its
| walls, there was "A strong feeling
| with each that there was something
underlined, which moved around with them
just sufficiently to disturb the waves Of
| air that came in contact with their bodies.
They LETT the house without further search
| that night, both of them more unstrng and
over wrought than they knew. The next
day in the full glare Of the nOon-tide sun,
In the unimaginatiye clearnes Of afternoon
light, or at what ever hour Of the day that
one looked there was TO be seen that same
unmoyable steady, pleading stare Of the
solemn black yelled nun.
THE NEWS SPREAD.
II did not take many hours for the news
| Of the advent OF the strange and sudden aI-
partition to spread. The neighborhOod was
in riotOus state Of nervous tumult, and
| fled the vicinity with more rapldity than If
the smallpox dag had hung from the win
| dow instead Of the shadow image OF pale
| faced, sad-eyed man. In two weeks the
empty haunted house had company in plen-
| Is for its misery 10 love, for every house on
the block was vacated, and the real estate
agents were up in arms ready 10 march into
the grayeyards and open warfare against
the whole army OF ghosts.
From morning until night crowds OF curl
Gus and awe-stricken people gathered
around the house. thousands sometimes
going a day to look at the haunted window.
Some few were brave enough to explore the
| room, the incredulOus ones, but such would
come out trembling and convinced. There
were a few attempts made 10 burn the us
| turbing phantom home, after which police
men were placed on continuous guard. The
reporters had Widows, Screws supply
of material. and interesting matter
seemed 10 increase for them regard
ing it day by day. At. last il was
thought eXpedient to tear down and ruth
lessly destroy such useless element Of an
noyance and mental discOrd. From the
heavy telling blows Of the pick-aXe and the
spade the haunted house was mutilated
and the sad-eyed, solemnly-yeiled nun shat
| tered in her image existence upon the win
dOw-pane and driven back into her proper
sphere. in the shades Of some deserted
clOister, or the clammy realms OF celled
vault, where she could look beseechingly
out through rusted iron bars and win the
sympathy of bats and owls, while peace
once again reigned on Fifth street, and de-
spair ceased its hold upon the mind OF the
real estate agent.
MYSTERIOUS HAPPENINGS.
Such incidents as are related in these ar
ticles are not at all the work of the writer's
Imagination, but are simply the relation OF
some of the mysterious happenings and IL
lusiOns in the lives Of those people that we