St. Paul daily globe., 1893-08-27
SCIENTIST AND GHOST.
A VERY STRANGE STORY or TIE DIS
- c0HERY 0FlSR RfcHARD OWEN.
IN vEsTIGAGloN OF MYSTERY

ss "A BaDy'S SoneS Under the
- Hearth-IfIt We're Rat, New
r. Species Had Been Discovered
How a Philosophers Opin-
ion on the Soul Was Modified.
1t is not necessary to go to the length
of asserting that the following extra
ordinary incident in the early life of Sir
Richard Owen. the English scientist.
who died Dec. Is. 1892, was the sole
reason that the "Newton of Natural
Science" held views on the subject of
the soul diametrically opposite to those
of Spencer, Darwin or Huxley. That il
was "a factor in modifying his opinion
There is his word for it that the story as
here related is absolutely true.
.7 Sheen Lodge, the residence in the
royal park at Richmond given to the
professor by Queen Victoria, was built
by the famous Adelphi, brothers for one
of the caSt-off mstresSes of George IV.
1t is not intended that the following
veracious history should be the means
of casting additional aSperSlons on the
morals of dead woman, for of morals.
as the term is usually employed, she
seems to have been quite innocent; !; hut
the faetis worth mentioning, and there
is nothing to prevent people drawing
their conclusions, remarks the San
FRANCISCO Chronicle; <a- r.. So 'afs
just at the time the professor took
possession nf the picturesque cottage i'll
Richmond park, his wife was not enjoy
Ing the best of health and was ;wakcful
and restless at night. for whlnh reason
she Slept i'll a rOom adjoining that 6ccu-
pied bY her husband. For more than a
week the professor had been greeted
the. flrSt-tnIng.in the morning after this
fash ION: sr5' z%4 s-
my dear, there was that
-plsil,t in my room again last night Il
could hear the patteriag of the little
feet.p
He finally remarked: "I,Ii see if /
cannbt put stop to this Infants wan-
deritSgs. even if have. to sit up all
night, if. indeed. the whole thing does
not originate in your Imagination and
the State of your health"
rs Hceofdfngiy. che night. after the rest
of 4its household had retired. Sir Rich
ara Iiaced table in his .Wife'S room,
t.kiiig ip also his fav; te b ooks and his
writing materials. He sc y tied himself
fhenlto pass night in work instead of
ttsleep. So Is ~
u Fog an hour or two he wrote steadily,
tflIfh I'M gIi6W ana again to his books of
refer renco4 tDas' secretly 9eongratiiiatng
himself hpoii the facility with which his
Thoughts arranged themselves into
sss due eiice as his pen flew over the paper,
owing to the perfect quiet which pre-
vailed, unbro!Seu save by the ticking of
the old clock OH the landing. Mrs. Owen
! seemed TO be enjoying an unusually
sound sleep, possibly sootiled by the
presence of her husband in the rooHf
Long past midnight the scientist had
| fallen to muSing, when all unusual
sound recalled TO him the purpose of his
/ vigil. A rat, of course, he thought. an
+, unusually large and heavy Que, bat still
| II rat. 1t could be nothing else. Iattcr.
t patter, patIer. Now close TO his chair.
now moving away. .hesitatiug and irreso-
! lutte. the sound continued.
! Sir Richard agreed with himself that
the sounds bore a remitrkablel reSern-
bianee to the patterilg, of little chiid's
/ bare .feet-now indistinct. as if on the
carpet; again sharp and well defined
coming apparently from The border OF
polished oak allowed to show free from
ieafpet around the room short distance
front the walls.
!. Mrs. Owen was becoming restless, and
Sir Richard feared that if she awoke
her nervousness would impede careful
! Investigation He followed the sound:
carefully. Always they returned to one
part tOf the roOm-the hearth. The pro
tessor rose from his chair and moved i
close to the spot WHITTIER the sounds
!, seemed to tend. Pitter-pat, again. Z
=, Ii it was a rat, a new species had beef
/ dIscevered-one that could run hea(
downward like fly, for the sounds
were now directly in front of Owen
Still he could see nothing. Mrs. Over
was turning uneasily and seemed on TIL,
point of awaking. 1t undOubtedl!
sounded like the pattering OF a littl
childs bare feet around the room. com
ing always TO halt in the vicinity o
the strangely situated fireplace.
This fireplace is curiosity, th,
ingenious work of tire -Adelphi brothers
1t would serve as akind of architecture
| cnnundrum. Given fireplace and graft
situated Immediately underneath ;
easement. find the exit for the smoke
The solution Is that two passages art
provided, one on each side of the dia
\ mond-paned. window, forming sort o
double-harreled fiue. uniting again ant
appearing on the roof again as on
chimney. Modern limitations there are
! ana IT IS interesting 10 KNOW VIII
iswhom the clever device originated.
Down on The floor dropped the pro
fessQr, mis- ear pressed to the floor.
Pit-a-pat once more. Something
: passed closed to his face, creating
Slight draught. Suddenly he saw tina
the dust on the hearthstone had beer
disturbed.
Plainly printed in the white dus
caused by the holystoning of the heartl
was the print of a little child's bar,
foot.s
Richard. Richardl There's tha
child again! Don't you hear it? Oh
; Richard, don't leave mev cried Mrs
Owen. now wide awake.
SQuickly crossing the room. the pro
lessor took up his position at his wife!
bedside, stroking her face and hair. Il,
spoke reassuringly, trying to sooth,
: her, The room was perfectly silent
save for the pattering of the unseel
feet. The impression on the hearth wa
l'vIsible from where he stood. but he wa
yet unable to persuade himself that
was due to naught but natural causes
J Pfen as the clock chimed again th
| sound ceased. For fully five minute
{ the scientist stood listening intently
but could hear 10 sound beyond tn
. beating of his own blood and the regu
ular breathing of his wife, who ha
fallen fast asleep.
Leaving the bedside. the professo