Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-07-21
DANCE OF THE GHOSTS.
NO SILENT, GLIDING SPoOk, BUT A
MOB OF NOISY COLLINS.

MOB OF NOISY COLLINS.
Story of Spirits Which Banged Furniture
and Seemed to Create Havoc Generally
Related by Doctor Renowned for
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
veracity 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 beauti-
full silver sword, presented to him by the
citizens of Edgefeld county for his bravery
at Chapultepec, Buena Vista and many
other hard fought fields Of Mexico.
He was very interesting and entertain
ing talker, and when in reminiscent mood
| it was a treat to hear him tell 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 way 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 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 mile away
! from the old two story dwelling in which
the overseer had been accustomed to stay.
The house was in 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.
THE HAUNTED ROOM.
There was an ancient and gloomy air
about the place, such rs usually gives rise
TO rumors of supernatural Yisitants, 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 for 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.
p 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
E . no v,fny 4 OF n
+ overseer told him 1t was no use to do that
as he would be compelled to move. "For,
= said he "they won't let you have any
/ peace down here"
The doctor laughed and told him h'
I didn't care a snap about they" and "a
, that room was the most convenient for his
{ business he was going to occupy it. Th'
, man said he thought the same thing wheI
/ he came there, but after the first night h'
and all his family moved up stairs anc
stayed there the rest Of the time.
! The doctor laughed again and fixed him
. self all comfortably in the large room.
y That night he read for an hour or two
after he had finished his supper, and ther
/ went to bed with his pistol and box o.
i matches within easy reach of his hand
He had been asleep he knew not how long
r when he was suddenly awakened by mos
= terrific cashing sound, as if the who'll
T house was falling in on him.
n A FEARFUL HUBBUB.
a Then, right in the room where he was
r the chairs were taken up and thrown furi
y ously against the wall the table was over
l. turned with fearful violence and the nois
e was deafening and terrific. Over him am
e around him, everywhere in the room, u
r against the ceiling and then down, as if
|, would go through the very floor itself, wa
|, the terrible banging and crashing Of fun
e niture.
When he first awoke so suddenly he ha
y half raised himself in bed to listen, but h
s now found himself crouching down to e'
e cape, if possible, the awful havoc that wa
e going on around him. 1t seemed as
+ twenty men were in the room tearin
II everything to pieces. For the first tim
in his life the doctor said he was scared
d His hair even began to play fantasia
d tricks But finally, the noise continuin
with tenfold fury, he reached out easil
n and found the box of matches. Takin
It one out he struck it, expecting to see-h
knew not what
lie As the light flashed up he looked, and Il
lie everything was in its place in the room
Is chairs, table and furniture-just as he ha
At left it, The noise had suddenly cease
he when he struck the match, and it was no
m still. The air was so thick with silenC
Of that it was absolutely frightening.
rs He heard no more Of It that night M
the next, but the third night he suddenl
awoke as before with the curious noises
!, his ears. Again the chairs were seemingl
= thrown by giant hands against the wa
AZ and broken to pieces. Again it seemed Z
10 if the whole army of men were in the roo
" knocking it asunder. And again he struc
10 a match and found everything in its pla'
u and the silence of the grave.
TRACING THE SPIRITS.
hal In a week or two the doctor said he b
10 came accustomed to the strange thing
nj I and they did not affect him other than
in rouse him up and keep him awake unit
of they stopped, which was generally in fe
minutes. Sometimes he would not hear
no for a week, and again it would come sever
k nights in succession.
a, As to what it was he was unable to sa
no He could not account for it in any way
~ the world. He examined the house M
a premises thoroughly, but could get I
,n clew to the mysterious visitor. Once, al
~. once only, he heard the noise up stairs,
il, at least be heard it going up the steps
as sounded like some one walking heavi
b,. with chains dragging around him.
- Jumping from his bed he struck a ig
a. and thought that at least he would find o
~, who his midnight intruder was. At q
foot of the stairs there was door, whit