San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-31
OF THE GHOSTS.
NO SILENT, GLIDING sPooK, BUT A
MOB OF NOISY COLLINS.
Story of Spirits Which Banged Furniture
and Seemed to Create Havoc Generally
Related by a Doctor Renowned for
His yeracity and Bravery.

/" ~ y hOA
His veracity and Bravery.
DR.. Viewer, who lived in Screven county,
this state, was a man Of high and unim-
peachable character as well as of brave and
fearless heart. No one ever doubted his
v~eracity or accused him of being supersti-
tious. He fought CALAMITY in the Mexican
war, belonging to the famous palmetto
regiment" of South Carolina, and holding
the rank of first lieutenant. And he had
in his possession until his death a beauti-
full silver sword, presented to him by the
citizens of Edgefield county for his bravery
at Chapultepec, Buena Vista and many
other hard fought fields of Mexico.
He was a very interesting and entertain
ing talker, and when in a reminiscent mood
ii was a treat to heal him ~H Of his expe-
riences in war and of many hairbreadth
escapes in the imminent deadly breach.
But the most exciting story | ever heard
from the doctors lips he told several of the
boys one night when we were spending the
evening over at his hospital home, and the
earnest and impressive wayi in which he re-
lated it made US ~involuntarily glance
round into the dark corners of the room,
and marred to a certain extent the pleas
ure of our ride home.
When he was a young man, the doctor
said, he took charge of one of his fathers
plantations in California. There was no
other white man on the place, and the
negro quarter was about half a mile away
from the old two story dwelling in which
the overseer had been accustomed to stay.
The house was in a lonely place, and many
were the stories told by those who had sue
cessively attempted to live in it, of the
strange, mysterious, unseen beings who
would come and hold high carnival there
in the deep, still hours of the night. In
other words, the house was said to be
haunted.
II HAUNTED. ROOM.
There was an ancient and gloomy air
about the place, such as usually gives rise
TO rumors of supernatural viSitants, and to
this the doctor said, together with its lone
illness and the excited imaginatiOns, per-
haps of those who stayed there, he attrib-
uted all the uncanny things he had heard.
Anyhow he had never known yet what
it was To be afraid, and as he had come
there fer the purpose of making a crop, he
intended, no matter who else might dwell
there in the midnight hours, to live in the
house that year.
The day he moved in the former overseer
and his family were taking away the last
of their household goods. The doctor be-
gan to locate himself in "A large room that
opened on the piazza down stairs. But the
3yerseer told him 1t was no use to do that,
IS he would be compelled to move. For"
said he, they won't let you have any
|eaCe down mere"
The doctor laughed and told him he
didn't care Il snap about they" and as
that room was the most convenient for his
business he was going to occupy it. The
man said he thought the same thing when
he came there, hut after the first night he
aud all his family moved up stairs and
stayed there the rest of the time.
The doctor laughed again and fixed him
self all comfortably in the large room.
That night he read for an hour or two
after he had finished his supper, and then
went to bed with his pistol and a box of
matches within easy reach of his hand.
tie had been asleep he knew not how long,
~wnem he was suddenly awakened by a most
terrific claShiAg sound, rs if the whole
house was falling n on him.
y FEAlEJL III BDUB.
Then, right in :ae room where he was,
the chairs were taken up and thrown furi-
0asly against the wall, the table was over
til ned with fearful violence and the noise
was deafening and terrific. Over him and
around him, everywhere in the room, up
ag..inst the ceiling and then down, as if it
would 20 through the very foor itself, was
the terrible banging and crashing of fur
niulre.
When he first awoke so suddenly he had
half raised himself in bed to listen, but ne
now found himself cruuching down to es-
cape If possible, the awful havoc that was
going on around him. 1t seemed as if
twenty men were in the room tearing
everything to pieces. For the first time
in his lie the doctor said he was scared.
his hair even began To play fantastic
tricks. But finally, the noise continuing
with tenfold fury, he reached out easily
aad found the box 0! matches. Taking
Dna out he struck il, expecting to see-hc
knew not what.
As the light flashed up he looked, and LOT
lvcrything was in its place in the room
,~!airs, table and furniture-just as he nud
left il. The noise had suddenly ceased
wien he struck the match, and it was now
skill. The air was so thick with silence
thai it was absolutely frightening
lie heard no more of it that night nor
the next, buJ the third night he suddenly
awOke as before with the curious noises in
his ears. Again the chairs were seemingly
thrown by giant hands against the wall
and broken to pieces. Again it seemed as
if the whole army of men were in the room
kIfccking it asunder. And again he struck
Il match and found everything in its place
and the silence of the grave.
TRACING THE SPIRITS.
In a week or two the doctor said he be-
came accustomed to the strange things,
and they did not affect him other than to
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