Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-11-19
A STORY OF HALLOWEEN.
How Five Daughters of Delaware
Frightened Two Men.

A good story has Just leaked out which
happened on halloween night. Two men
boarded the midnight train at Wilmington
that Saturday night about two weeks ago.
When the train arrived there they alighted,
muftied in great coats, and by the light of
the fading, moon they got into buggy
and were driven rapidly down the road to
the Buck and thence up the road to the
old Ellison homestead, which is known as
"Hedgeland.n The man who drove them
was Harry Ellison, their host. The two
men who got off the train were DR.. l..
Frank Ellison and friend, Mr.. Cooper
Of Philadelphia. who had met DR.. Ellison
at Wilmington by appointment.
Just before Hedgeland was reached the
three occupants of the buggy were re-
minded that 1t was hallowe en-. A big
gate lay in the road right across the drive
way. Some mischieyous boys from the
Buck" had beeu alongthe road shortly be-
fore. Judge Harry salfnons knows OK those
"Buck' that night and "monkeyed" with
the pile of boxes Before the three men
in the buggy reached the Ellison mansion
they had forgotten about halloween and
all its traditions. The visitors noticed
Lights in the second story Windows, but
they thought nothing of it, and after
alighting from the buggy they sat by the
d III buN DiE NbbllIb IOot1. l1bIlJ
Ellison their host Joined them and for
bali an hour the three men sat staring at
the. fire, shopping stories. During that
half an hour an occasional gigglc, that
was unmistakably girls gfgglc, came
from overhead in the room where the
lights had been seen. It was 2 O'Clock in
the morning when the host and guests
yawned and proposed going to bed.
The guests were shown to the second
story front room on the south side Of the
house. II is double house and wide
hallway divides the rooms on the north
and south side. The two innocent guests
didn't know that in the room across the
hall five young ladies were crouched in
the dark, hardly daring to breath. These
young ladies i afterward turned out, were
Miss May Holton, Miss Mary Pleasanton
and Miss Dollie Budd, three bellies OF Mid
dletown, and Miss Susie Ellison and Miss
Annie Ellison, the two daughters of Harry
Ellison. DIR. Ellison and his friend
Cooper weren't long in getting into bed.
DR.. Ellison looked under the bed to be
sure there were no burglars in the room
and then blew out the light The Doctor
and his friend Cooper began to talk and
suddenly there was a queer noise at the
head of the bed. 1t sounded like the claws
of an animal on the headboard. DIR.
Ellison is noted for his bravery. His fear
lessness is well-known throughout New
Castle county and his friend Cooper, who
is an old newspaper man, has seen 10 men
hanged and has wandered through White
chapel in the dead of the night thor
oughly indifferent Of the inurderers and
thieves who swarm in darkest London"
These two brave men each thought the
other was playing tattoo with their fingers
on the headboard. The noise continued.
The room was as dark as the forests of
Africa that Stanley has described. The
brave Cooper suddenly sat up in bed and
leaning on his elbows he asked Dr.. Ellison.
Doctor, what Is that noise r.
II don't know replied DR.. Ellison, II
thought that was you making that noise"
No" said Cooper lit wasn't me-,
The noise had ceased suddenly and as
suddenly it began again.
I'm going to find out what that is" said
Cooper to the doctor.
"oh, pshaw," said DR.. Ellison; that's
the dog.'
Dog be darned," said Cooper, mo dog
can crawl upa headboard Of bedn
Its somebody scratching on the wall
out in the hall, !" suggested Dr. Ellison.
Nonsense. said Cooper.
We'll let's see what it ISL said Or.
Ellison, starting to get out Of bed. This
dialogue was all carried on in hoarse
whispers, Cooper got ont Of bed on one
side and Dr.. Ellison on the other. To the
dismay Of both men neither could find
match and both expected every moment
to be attacked by a wild beast or 4 des-
perate burglar. Finally DR.. Ellison found
match in his trousers pockets. When
he lighted lamp Cooper's hair was stand
ing on end.
DIR. Elison's eyes were like saucers. The
two men looked at each other and then
started to search the room DR.. Ellison
led the voyage OF discovery lamp in hand
Cooper, who brought up the rear, looked
like llamlets fathers ghost without
whiskers. He was attired i'll Il long, white
night robe while DIR. Ellison, ia very
short night dress barely to his knees
was the walking photograph Of ballet
dancer about to do IA pirouette. They looked
under the bed, behind the bureau and
under the chairs; but nothing could be
found and then Or. Ellison boldly went to
the chimney place and looked up the
chimney, but there was nothing there but
black hole. All during the search neither
of these men spoke They held their
breath in their anxiety to not make a
noise while the weird sound that seemed
to issue from the top Of the bed continued
at intervals.
Suddenly DIR. Ellison peeped behind q
trunk sitting near the door and discovered
All endless string Of white cotton that was
moving stealthily through the crack in
the door.
Here it is Cooper" yelled DR.. Ellison
Cooper jumped two feet III the air and ex-
pecting to see bear or some fcrocious
animal with long claws, went over to
where the doctor was standing Watching
the white string that kept creeping out
through the crack i'll the door into the
hall. The two men followed the string
along the wall to the bed and under
Cooper's pillow was a little pasteboard box
and in this pasteboard box was Il spool Of
pfttfnn Sntull bntn hII l,aayl = 10,
the end Of the box through which the
string passed. Slowly the spool revoiyed,
unwindng the cotton, the spool making
queer sound on the sides of the box with
every revolution. That was the noise that
had frightened those two brave men.
When the discovery was made tho merry
peals of laughter from five feminine
threats filled the hallway. The Joke was
great success, and when il dawned upon
DIR. Ellison and his friend Cooper they re-
membered it was hallow eve and quick as
q fash they recollected the girlish gig
giles they had heard half an hour
before. DIR, Ellison started to open
the door leading into the hallway and
scampcring of bare feet and the banging
of the bed room door told that the perpe-
traitors of the scare were the fair occupants
of the room across the way BY closer
investigation Dr.. Ellison and Cooper saw
that the thin white thread reached across
the hall and through the crack of the door
opposite. The two men had hearty
laugh that night, or at least chat mornings
wee sma' hours and later, AT the break
fast table, it leaked out that Miss Holten
was the ring-leader and that Miss Budd
pulled the string, while the spool in the
box did the rest. DR.. Ellison confessed
that visions of Il hand-to hand struggle
with burglar had flashed through Bis
brain as he sAt up in bed in the dark room.
and his friend, Cooper, admitted that he
thought a raccoon had perched on the
head6oard and was clinging on with its
claws ready to jump in his face. 1t was
jolly good joke, jolly well played.