The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1891-08-14
. AN EAsr.INpIAN GHOST.
" Proved TO lie "a Boa- Constructor Iweni
L.


ment OF Wanda, In India, was no exception
Here number OF English officers and their
families live during the warmer months,
returning 10 their respective commands
later on. The rumor that Captain Beau,
champs house was haunted was circulated
tya servant-a superstitious old English.
man who had followed the Captain all over
the world, and was, all things considered, n
faithful servitor. Thomas had for some days
heard curious sounds about the house AT
hrst he thought there were rats or mice ia
the wall He was awakened one night by a
most extraordinary noise. The door-bell
was ringing violently, aud struggling,
writhing noise In the wall Of the house
not In one place, but In several at once
This was followed by complete silence,
and IA Thomas sat up IN bed, his hair
threatening to stand on end he was posi-.
tive no heard a long-drawn sigh THIS was
the last feather. SO, lcaplng from tho
couch, he rushed tohs employers room and
aroused him, avowing that She place was
haunted aud n few moments later tho en-.
tire household was Ia the room.
The notorioty so chcaply earned became
exceedingly dsagroeabe First came
strangers, natives aud othcrs, who stood in
front Of the house day aud night aud looked
al u with wondering curiosity. Matters
stood In tits shape for some days, when ono
morning party Of jugglers passed through
the town and finally reached the haunted
house. As there were n number Of children
In the family the performers were invited
into the grounds and gave an entertainment
Finally, IA n winding up, one Of them took
out a small oval basket, having an oriice In
the top, aud seating himself near it began
TO play quaint air upon flute.
/ After industriously playing for few mo.
ments, says a correspondent Of the Phia
delphia Times, up through the hole ia tho
basket came the head OF n cobra-One Of the
most poisonous OF snakes up came the
hldeous head with its hood that gave a
malignant appearance 10 the reptile, and
when twelve or fifteen inches above the
basket IL began 10 wave 20 and fro as N In
obedience TO the measure Of the music
After the snake dance or the snake
Charming" az Europeans are wont TO call
1.-THE Indian snake charmer walked around
the house and among the bushes pointed
out hole which might have been made by a
rabbit. To one Of the native attendants no
said that for small sum extra he would
take out a cobra which he thought was In
the hole The English officer did not be-.
lieve II, but willingly submitted to the ex
pertinent, and seating himself before the
hole tho magician began his mournful
plant
For fifteen minutes he kept up the noise.
and then from the opening there appeared
the ugly, hooded head Of cobra Another
hole was soon found, this being directly at
the base of the wall Of the house The man
examines few moments carefully and
then began 20 play upon tho flute
Hardly had the group gathered about tho
performer before most remarkable noise
came from the house. First, there was
SOUND as Of escaping steam, then a sound
Of some great body striking the wall and
rubbing against the timbers Dust In
clouds came from the hole and the
"charmer' started back In terror. over
turning the man behind him Recovering
himself he dartcd at the hole and thrustlng
his arm in drew out, not cobra, but tho
tail OF a much larger snake. Astonishment
was depicted on the natives face and hor-
ror In those of many OF the spectators, as
he stood holding the tip Of tue tail, and Ave
feet Of the body was visible
For second the man hesitated, then re-
gaining HIS courage he shouted IN Hndoo-
stance for the lockers on 10 stand back,
and taking a good grip upon the tail he
pulled gradually backward Dat II came, foot
by foot, inch by inch, ., 10, 10, rs feet-ls,
was there no endY-lS foet OF quiyering
snake flesh IA large as "A mans thigh.
A quick jerk now and the entire monster
was clear--at least twenty feet IN length.
big enough 10 swallow deer, and yet held
by n single man. The native was, however,
not In the least discouraged He chung TO
the tail, and as the huge reptile turned
toward him with an angry hiss he gave IL
swinging motion by turning slowly Grad
ually he increased his speed, turning faster
and faster until he seemed the center of
wheel, tho spoltes Of which were the body
Of the python. SO rapid was the motion
that the snakes body was perfectly
straight, aud IL was evident that as long az
the motion could be kept up the man was
safe, but II tho monster could reach him no
would in a moment be crushed In the hor-
rible folds Of tho reptile.
The loolters-on had long since fled, the
natiyes had gone shrieking mp the street,
the Engllshman alone standing by, but even
he did not know what 10 do, az NJ was i'm.
possible TO shoot the animal as !, was flying
around; so he stood few minutes aghast
at the curious position of the man.
II soon became apparent that The charmer
knew what he was about Not far from the
house stood stout flag staff, foot aud a
half through, OF solid lockwood, aud toward
this he was gradually moving, whirliug the
snake faster and faster Now he was with.
In twenty-five feet OF II, aud suddenly IL
dawned on the few spectators what he was
about to do, This was to strike the head OF
the reptile against the pole Nearer he
came, whirng faster and faster, until tho
reptile stood out like whip lash, and then,
with quick step forward, he brought tho
head Of the reptile against the wood with
crushing sound. He released his hold and
the great reptile doubled up in convu..
ss-e folds, digging up the earth aud sending
clouds OF dust into the air, finally dropping
limp and lieless TO the ground. ,s~a
A wondering crowd soon Surrounded tho
dead boa, the now brave natives expressing
their opinions as To its size. One thing was
evident-that here was the ghost The
big snake had In some way obtained en-.
trance TO the house, probably through the
hole in the foundation, and had produced
the mysterious sounds heard by the men.
The snake -charmers had, as Is their general
custom, placed harmless cobra m the hole
and before they had time TO cali IL out Il
had encountered the big boa, with the above
result.