Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-07-01
DANCE OF THE GHOSTS.
NO SILENT, GLIDING sPooK, BUT A
MOB OF NOISY COLLINS.


MOB OF NOISY Go6LiNs.
atory of Spirits which Hanged Furniture
aud seemed to Create Havoc Generally
Related by Doctor Renowned for
His yeraeity aud bravery.
DR.. Viewer. who lived In Screven county,
this state, was man OF high and unim-
peachable character as well as of brave and
fearless heart. No one ever doubted his
veracity or accused him OF being supersti.
tions. lie fought gallantly in the Mexican
war. belonging 90 the famous palmetto
regiment" OF South Carolina, and holding
the rank Of first lieutenant. And he had
In his possession until his death beauti-
full silver sword, presented to him by the
citizens OF Edgefeld county for his bravery
at Chapultepec, Buena Vista aud many
other hard fought fields OF Mexico
He was a very interesting and entertain
ing talker and when In II reminiscent mood
it was a treat To hear him tell OF his expe-
riences In war aud Of many hairbreadth
escapes in the imminent deadly breach.
But the most exciting story ever heard
from the doctors lips he told several of the
boys one night when we were spending the
evening over at his hospital home and the
earnest and impressive way in which he re
lated IL made tbs involuntarily glance
round into the dark corners of the room.
and marred 10 IA certain extent the pleas.
ure of our ride home.
When he was young man. the doctor
said, he took charge OF one OF his fathers
plantations In California. There was no
other white man ON the place, and the
negro quarter was about half mile away
from the old two story dwelling In which
the overseer had been accustomed to stay.
The house was In n lonely place. and many
were the stories told by those who had sue
cessiveiy attempted TO live in IL, OF the
strange, mysterious, unseen beings who
would come and hold high carnival there
in the deep, still hours of the night In
other words, the house was said to be
haunted.
THE HAUNTED ROOM.
There was an ancient and gloomy air
about the place. such rs usually gives rise
20 rumors OF supernatural yisltants, and to
this the doctor said, together with it's lone
illness and the excited imaginations, per-
haps OF those who stayed there, he attrib-
uted all the uncanny things he had heard
Anyhow he had never known yet what
II was to be afraid and rs he had come
there for the purpose Of making crop, he
intended, no matter who else might dwell
there in the midnight hours, tn live in the
house that year.
The day he moved in the former overseer
and his family were taking away the last
of their household goods. The doctor he
gan to locate himself in large room that
opened on the piazza down stairs. But the
oyerseer told him II was nc use to do that,
as he would be compelled To move. For" }"
said he. they won't let you have any
peace down here"
The doctor laughed and told him he
didn't care a snap about they" and ~
that room was the most convenient for his
business he was going to occupy 1t. The
man said he thought the same thing when
he came there, hut after the first night he
and all his family moved up stairs and
stayed there the rest of the time.
The doctor laughed again and fixed him
self all comfortably in the large room.
That night he read for an hour or two
after he had finished his supper, and then
went To bed with his pistol and box oI
matches within easy reach OF his hand
He had been asleep he knew not how long
when he was suddenly awakened by mos
terrific clashing sound. as IL the whole
house was falling in ON him
FEARFUL uuBBUB.
Then, right in the room where he was
the chairs were taken up and thrown furi
ously against the wall, the table was over
turned with fearful violence and the nois,
was deafening and terrific. Over him anC
around him, everywhere in the room, nj
against the ceiling aud then down, NJ IL !
would 20 through the very fioor itself, wa
the terrible banging and crashing Of fur
niture.
When he first nwoke so suddenly he hR,
| half raised himself ia bed TO listen, but b.
now found himself erouching down to es
cape, IL possible the awful havoc that wa
going on around him. IL seemed as
twenty men were In the room tearinl
everything To pieces. For the hrst tim
In his life the doctor said he was scared
His hair even began To play fantastic
tricks. Bat finally, the noise continuing
with tenfold fury, he reached out easil
and found the box of matches. Takinl
one out he struck IL, expecting TO see-h
knew not what
A, the light flashed up he looked, and Il
everything was In its place In the room
chairs, table and furniiure-jnst as he has
left It. The noise had suddenly cease
when he struck the match, aud II was no'
still The air was 10 thick with silenc
that 1t was absolutely frightening
He heard no more OF II that night no
the next, but the third night he suddenl
awoke as before with the curious noises |
his ears. Again the chairs were seemingl
thrown by giant hands against the wa
and broken 70 pieces. Again IL seemed a
If the whole army Of men were In the rooi
knocking II asunder. And again he struc
match and found everything in It's plac
and the silence OF the grave.
TRACING THE sPIRfrs-
In week or two the doctor said he b
came accustomed to the strange thing
and they did not affect him other than ,
rouse him up aud keep him awake unit
they stopped, which was generally In n fe
minutes Sometimes he would not hear
, for week, and again II would come sever
nights in succession.
As To what Il was he was unable to sa
: He could not account Tor IL In any way
the world He examined the house m
. premises thoroughly. but could get 4
elew to the mysterious visitor. Once, ar
once only, he heard the noise up stairs.
at least he heard IL going up the steps.
/ sounded like some one walking heavi
. with chains dragging around him.
Jumping from his bed he struck LIZ
and thought that at least he would find o.
: who his midnight intruder was. At q
. foot OF the stairs there WAS a door. whii
!. be closed aud locked, ~ that whatever