The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-20
A SMALL WHITE HAND.
Captain Burris Has QIite an eresting Ex-
percnce IN IN Empty House.

| pericnce IN an Empty House.
Another CHEST has arrived in the cit,
and made her debut yesterday morning at
10 o'clock. Very little is known
OF her except that she has
delicate white hand. She had {
male partner. and he arrived In the hum
bic guise of paper hanger. As genera
thing ghost stories are not reliable, bul
this one is as well authenticated as the
constitution of the United States or the
Declaration Of Independence. II is not
necessary to locate the haunted
house, for of course the pail
of ghosts were seen in a house at that hour
of the day. 1t is not only not necessary,
but it is not right as the house Is good
one aud commands u handsome rent when
occupied
1t will lie noticed that no one believes in
ghosts, but it will also be noticed that
| when house is known TO be afflicted with
one it generally remains empty. 40 matter
how admirably it is located or how hand
some its appointments.
If you want to ascertain how many peo-
pie believe in ghosts consult rental
agent vino has a haunted house on his
nanuS and he Will Tell you.
! Another singular thing about ghosts
is that those who ''believe in them" are
not afraid of legion of them. while those
who Go not believe in them are the very
people " no are afraid as death OF them.
We'll, to the story.
Captain Burris is quiet. respectable.
credible gentleman that resides at the
| Goodyear house.
! Wednesday night be would break his
sides laughing over the absurdity of q
ghost story; last night it Is doubtful
whether he slept wink from the time he
went to bed till the ROSTERS clarion voice
was heard in the distance. commanding
| the spirits To HE themselves off to
their own habitation. Yesterday morning
| vt o'clock Captain Burris was taking q
| quiet walk, and, being mau of basi ness
| and interested in property, be looked at
the houses along the streets which he
traversed. He came to one excellent house
| which he found empty, aud being Of an in
qnisltlve disposition, he went IN to ascer-
tain something about its appointments.
He walked slowly from one room to aD-
other until, in one OF the rooms, his atteD-
tioa was attracted to il little closet. He
leIsurely walked up. caught hold of the
knob, and partially opened the door,
when, to his surprise, it was drawn
shut again wiNh 4 siam. lie tried to open
ii again and to his establishment the sams
thing was repeated. He concluded that
| there was powerful spring somewhere
and his curiosity WAS aroused He braced
himself against the wall with his left
hand while with the right he made ter
rible effort to open the door, Que jerk
opened it, but TO his horror and fright
small white hand caught hold of the
knob and pulled the door back despite his
efforts to hold it. 1t was Il lady's hand,
and Mr.. Burris' hair raised on
his head as straight the
quilts of the most angry norcupine that
ever lived. Cold chiljs went chasing each
other along the spinal column, and still
he didn't believe in ghosts. He was de-
termined to solve the mystery, and he
stood by that closet and watched the
street with the eye OF a hawk, determined
to call the first man that passed to his as
sistance. In about twenty minutes man
appeared on the sidewalk, aud Mr. Burris
called him in. He told him the story and
asked him to try whether he could open the
closet door. TO his surprise the man
called his attention TO the fact that the
closet door WAS open. Mr.. Burris was
more astonished than ever when be found
the closet was too small TO contain any
living being larger than a mere child. He
was still more surprised to find that there
WAS no possible exit from il except through
Z ha nj oh he konf nh all he
time.
The two men stood on the threshold of
the room door talking about the strange
affair when little boy with bundle Of
school books came along. When the boy
arrived in front of the house he came to \
sudden siand-still. as if something in the
Rouse attracted his attention. he entered
the yard and went straight up to the door
when be started around the house TO an
other entrance. The men asked him where
be was going and he said he was going
into the house to see what that man
wanted"
What marY asked Mr.. Burris.
why the man la the house." said the
boy.
The house was sgain searched, but no
man Was found.
The boy said that when he WAS passing
he saw a man kneeling on the floor in the
house rs if he was paperinX 1t. and that be
beckoned to him to come in. When ne
arrived near the house the man beckoned
him to come around to another door, and
it was there he was going when Captain
Burris and the other man accOst
ed him. Every door in the house
was locked except the doorway
Was imposslb bic for any man to be III the
building; and yet the boy was positive that
there was u man in the room and that he
beckoned to him TO come in.
Captain Burris was more sstonishe6 than
ever. and he came right down town aud
took john Goodyear into MS confidence,
Both of them went to the house again but
no more ghosts were seen. 1t was learned
in the neighborhood, however. that a
tragedy was once enacted in which lady
lost her life. an3 while Captain Burris does
rot believe III gnos.s. nevertheless he half
way believes that the hand he saw was
that of the dead woman.
A spirituaiisiic test will be made in the
house il "A few nights and il there are any
troubled souls there they will DC brought
10 the front and made 10 make expiana
tions.
Yr = c T. LECTURE COURSE.
The Shipp Bros English Hand Bell !
Ringers Concert company which IS 10 APP /