The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-03
Life on tho Schuylkill.

Philadelphia enjoys, and we trust de-
serves the title OF the city Of homes; and,
Judging from the real estate records OF the
town, the requirement OF home by purchase
Is no great item Of expense. Thus we read
among the records OF this weeks sales:
Fountain street. east of oge IS feet by $3.50
Juniper street, south of Race Is feet by 25... $500
Federal street, west of Twenty second street. 10
feet by S Observation-Disclosures. ............. 100
Boudinot street. west of Cambria IA feet by o. 2lo)
Baker street west of spoford 20 feet by Co.,. 1900
Modest figures like these are in striking
contrast to those reported in the real estate
transactions Of New York; and 1t might be
difficult sometimes to understand them
were it not for the remarkable and even
sensational accounts which the daily jour
nails Of Philadelphia publish from time to
time, concerning episodes and occurrences
In the old town OF PENN. LEEDS, and QUAY
One Of the most exciting Of these narra-
tives OF contemporary life in tho city of
homes, where houses are so cheap, has Just
appeared. Mrs. JONES is tho heroine.
Small houses are the rule in Philadelphia,
and Lombard street contains considerable
number of them. A short time ago one was
inhabited by Mrs. JONES, described as a
young Philadelphia bride" 1t appears
that this house has lately "been the scene of
some remarkable things" Early in January
last Mr.. and Mrs. JONES rented the man
sion and sublet rooms to othe rs, among
them to Mr.. and Mrs. INGALLS,, Miss MossEL-
la DAVIS, a young music teacher. and to
Miss BELLE and Miss BEATRICE CAsSELL.
This was, 1t might seem, n sufficiently nu-
merous household for purposes of mutual
protection, but 1t did not prove so. THE
first thing" said Mrs. JONES, that
happened and set mo thinking, was
one afternoon soon after wo got there !
was coming up the cellar steps with n
bucket Of coal. when l saw a part OF Mr.
JONES ia the kitchen. He was apparently
walking toward me. AS | assembled the
steps further to my horror | saw it was
only Mr.. JoNEs's legs that were coming
His boots were nicely blacked and adorned
with brightly polished buckles. l knew
they were his legs by the trousers he wore:
but all of the body was missing down to
within six inches OF his knees. They APP
peared to he cut off rs by sharp razor
His legs walked past mo- and 1 could
distinctly hear his footsteps. was
very much troubled at the time, and
feared that Mr.. JONES had met with an acct
uclL VII LIlo IulHOtiu DOIllt uuNS uIIpT,
while Miss MoSSELLA DAVIS and l were
seated in tho dining room, five mon came
tramping in, all strangers, and, without
speaking, marched down the cellar steps.
We waited a minute or two. and then went
down to see what they were doing. when, to
our CONSERVATION. they were nowhere to DO
seen, having vanished. 1t was winter time,
the cellar windows were fast and wc never
found out what became Of those men,"
The proof Of such strange cvcntuations in
Lombard street docs not, however. rest
wholly upon the evidence and observations
OF Mrs JONES. Prior to her occupancy OF
tho house in question "a young girl was
frightened there by seeing human monster
enter her room" The apparition that fright
cned her into commissions was half human
and half animal: human body with most
horrible grcen-eyed animal head, having
long crooked horns, Il protruding forked
tongue, and white teeth"
1t Is also reported that none of tho partition
doors in the house would ever keep quiet;
they were all continually rafting and vi
hrating as II some one WAS shaking them.
MIS-. JoNEs used TO fasten tho sitting
loom door back with n chair, but IL would
Lo3n begin to shake until tho chair was
pI shed ASIDE, and then it would slam
shut" II shut and pIoppcd fnst 1t would
shake unti il came open. She became so
frightened and annoyed that she fell i'll; and
while in that condition ono afternoon, a
lcmoa or oraugG-colorcd woman, wearing
pink dress, came and stood over her bed
holding large open book" When sho
moved, Mrs. JONES was Mortified to find that
tha woman Wng headlesgI
1t will be observed that this Philadelphia
fashion plate. this headless lemon-eolOred