The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-11

Because he knows a frightful hend doth
close behind him tread
vet wben he looks around there is moth
ing.
one night ten years ago a Waterman
vho had been newly employed on the
force at the Capitol was passing through
stat,ary hall alone In the darkness' When
he heard a groan and saw a spectrai
figure. all In white. glide out from behlhu
one of the statues. He promptly are"
his nistol and fired two shots at H. MS
aim was disturbed by fright, when Was
fortunate for his fellow-ofncer Oh ~
guard. who had thought TO play d ~.
Joke by dressing himself up IN d snee
and hiding. On account or thls oCcuiiel
the watchmen have not since then peen
nermitted 10 carry their revolvers at
night lest a mistake should give rise 10
fatal consequences The illusion OF mys-
FERROUS footsteps often puzzles the guaIus
In MANY parts of the building. Time anu
time again one Waterman OF ano1No.
has been so convinced OF the realley "a
these sounds as to pursue them qulguly
in rubber shoes. without a hsn''
footsteps nave been cornered at lne NO
of corridors and elsewhere, put oniy " -
heard presently in another dlrectlon anS
never to be overtaken. The cats Which
race In tfOODS aDOul IN -
ore doubtless responsible for many OF the
Ghost stories connected with the struc-
ture.
The assassin OF Garfield is said 10 haunt
the United States jail here, where n woo
executed. Negroes confined there are en-
tremely afraid of being put In the een
which he occupied. one colored prisoho.
shut I'D I'm this cell was scared lhto d -.
by another. who rolled marbles lnto ~
at night from the opposite side ol tne
corridor. Another spectre attached 10 the
same penal Institution has, IN tne oei
az the ~credulous, the disagreeaDie led-
ture OF being without q heau' - 90
apparition OF a murderer hahisu o
who was the first Individual hanse
the iaiI. He was a large man., very Ad',
and his head was cut of by the rope as
Clearly as II the Job had been lone WIN
an az.
There are no ghosts in the famous
red -hrick house on Lafayette square
which Mr.. Blaine occupies, but II Is sac
that death haunts It. Something tragic
seems to happen TO every one VINO ven
lures 10 occupy II, and people "hsP
dismal forebodings when the $50
tary of State became It's tenant al -
beginning of the present admlhlsuias
In 1858. when the mansion was ocCupleI
by the Washington CluD, Barton NJ
shot by General Sickies on the paVeulen'
in front and was carried into the hoost
10 die. On the evening of April IL, iooy
almost at the moment when freSluen'
lincoln was assassinated, LOUIS Ihort
! ton Powell. alias Payne. entered tne resi-
dence for the purpose of killing secretary
| seward. who was confined 10 ms pea a
the time. With a knife and pistol ~
horribly wounded Mr.. Seward ana LOU
other persons. Since Mr.. Blaine tooh -
house he has lost two OF his IONS anu
daughter. but he has returned TO H. ne'ci
theIess, disdainlng superstition.
one OF the lieutenants OF the wateh a
the Capitol tells the story of a remarSaol
apparition which he investigated aDou
six years ago near Washington. A nous
in the suburbs. somewhat isolateu' wa
reported TO be haunted by two specters
which had a most extraordinary metho'
OF showing themselves. The dwelling II
Question was entirely surrounded by
picket fence, and many persons averre'
that on various nights they nad seen
pair OF sheeted spooks walking around OF
top Of the pickets. go seriously alarmed