Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-08-05
A HAUNTED HOUSE.
Startling Experience OF a Guest Ia an Old
Southern Mansion.


Five hundred Thousand philosophers have
proved conclusiyely TO their own satisfae-
tionl that there ARE no ghosts, but just the
same 5oo,0oo,ooo people believe that there
are, and 5oo, ,OOO.ooO more are a trihe shaky
ON the subject
Many interesting stories have been told
Of supposed ghosts and one OF the best as
well as the latest is by gentleman recent.
~ returned from long visit To a southern
family living in one OF the oldest dwellings
Ia North Carolina His host had told
many stories about the alleged haunt" of
the house, and So the guest retired 10 hia
rather lonely room and To bci in a proper
state of nervousness The rest be may tell
in his own words
was suddenly aroused by a peculiar
noise, heard tap, tap, tap at the window,
and knew from the situation OF the house
that the glass could not be touched by any
earthly human being. Starting. sitting up
In my bed, heard repeated In rapid sue
cession thud, thud, thud. right near my
bed, and then prolonged uuearthly SCREAM,
while chair in the room began to move
and the table to jerk
How can ! tell you the rest, | could
scarcely breathe My whole body was as
cold AS marble. Had you seen me you
could not have told whether was dead or
alive. To make noise was more than
dared; to escape was an impossibility. One
of the windows had left open on account
OF the mustiuess OF the room Ii was not
very high, but how could | get 10 it with
out coming IN contact with the ghost or
whatever II wasi Imagine IL you can the
distress was in
Something seemed to come near me
Straining my eyes 10 discover anything, |
saw plainly white object moving, but
without sound, before me. ! knew that the
door was shut and no one could get In the
window because Il was too high up from
the ground
BY an effort seized match lying on the
chair 10y the bed and struck light No
strange object could be seen The room ap
peared to be as when went TO bed But
the match was hardly extnguished when
louder than ever, heard the same un
earthly cry, followed by the same thud
thud, thud, and accompanied by sweeping
and heating sound over my head among the
curtains Crash went one Of the chairs on
its back Swoop went something over my
head accompanied by the uncarthly scream,
With one piercing shrek | rolled out of
the opposite side Of the bed and fell with a
crash on the floor. The space between the
bed and the floor was little higher than
reckGned upon and the fall nearly made
me inscnsible. There lay, unable to move,
my head on fire, eyes almost starting from
their sockets, cold perspiration streaming
| from every pore
| Carefully opening my eyes. | looked slowly
and unwillingly toward the bed Peeriug in
tently, | saw that Il had deep ruilie around
IL extending to the door. 50 much the bet
ter for me, thought, but reckoned with.
ont my host, for just as silently raised my
head preparatory to disappearing under the
bed two flaming balls of fire were star
ing at me from under that self same rufiie
That finished me | swooned
How long ! lay there know not, for
when | returned To consciousness was
still In the same position on the floor, while
sitting beside and purring contentedly was
an immense white eat, which nearly caused
me to 20 OF again. with the largest bat |
had ever seen between its paws
| The whole thing came 10 me then In a
moment. The disturbance was all caused
| by darned old cat IN her efforts TO catch a
bat. which had flown into the window prob
ably To escape the storm