Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1893-07-29
THE MAN OF THE GARRETT
Ghoulish Result of the Mad
ness Of a Bride Elect.
AND SUICIDE OF HER YOUNG LOVER


Persisted in Declaring What He Saw.
''Your story Of the English sea cap.
tain and the black mastiff which saved
him from murder and robbery reminds
me Of an experience l had In Philadel
phia about thirty years ago." remarked
an agent and intelligent Englishwoman to
an EVENING JOURNAL reporter.
In what respectY" asked her listener.
I'm its supernatural feature" was the
reply. II came from England to this
country in 1868 just at the close Of the
civil war My husband and three
children-Harry, Albert and Annie-ac.
companied me. They were g. 4 and 2
years old respectively.
1--WE landed in New York from the
steamer Glasgow, long since burned TO
the waters edge In mid ocean After a
short stay in Patterson, N. J. we re-
moved to Philadelphia at the solicitation
Of newly made friends named Thompson.
They were even 80 kind as TO rent a
house for us on Christian street. This
we duly furnished, and It made us a
small, but, withal very comfortable
home
ION the first floor were a parlor, sit
ting room, dining-room and kitchen. On
the second two airy bed rooms and a
bath. One Of these was occupied by my
husband, little Annie and myself. The
other was reserved for company. The
third floor was really an attic lathed
aud plastered on the sides, but the
rafteIs, single laths and shingles were
bare. There WAS nothing uncomfortable
or forbidding about IL, and | put the two
boys up there to sleep.
The trouble began on the FIRST night.
We had all retired and were In fair
way to drift into dreamland when Harry.
my Oldest boy, began crying. called to
him TO stop and 60 TO sleep AS per
suasion was of no avail / went no with q
slipper prepared to enforce my com.
mands. AS q preliminary l asked him
what he was crying about.
oh, mammal he exclaimed, Use
frightened. There's man in the room.
He has been standl ng at the foot of the
bed looking at me and Albert.
81 pooh poohed the idea, took him out
of bed aud showed him all over the
apartment TO reassure him. l saw that
his fright was genuine, and / always
made 1t point never to whip a
frightened child. Then tucked him in
bed kissed him, told him to pull the
coverlet over his head and 20 to sleep.
| waited a few minutes until his sobs
had died away and his breathing told
me that he was asleep. Then / quietly
withdrew to my own apartment.
Next morning we all cracked Jokes
at the little fellows expense He took
them good naturedly, but nothing could
shake his belief that he had seen a man.
Another day wore away, and when
night came Harry begged to be allowed
to sleep in our room. 1 laughed at his
fears and told him to get along upstairs
He did so. To please him l left a dim
light burning / suppose 10 was 10 30
when Tom and / went to our room. /
had just begun to disrobe when | heard
a scream from the boys room. brushed
upstairs and found Harry sitting up in
bed his eyes protruding and his face
blauched.
81 ran to the bedside and asked him
the trouble. He pointed to the foot of
the bed and said:
It's the man, mamma, it's the man :
There he is, at the foot of the bed He's
dot black eyes, an hair, an whiskers.
Don't cry; he won't hurt you; he's been
cryin'
Il looked in the direction indicated by
his extended arm, but could see nothing
resembling man.
He's comm to the head Of the bed
Here he is by the pillow. He won't hurt
you. but l don't like him here-he won't
let Harry 90 TO sleep
"We!, | tried persuasion again and it
wouldn't work; 80 | bundled the bows
down into our room. inadvertently
casting backward glance as de
scended the stairs
Next day the friends who had so
kindly rented the house for us made a
call. and / related the occurrences of the
two previous nights They exchanged
significant glances and insisted upon
knowing the truth The daughter
spoke.
Mrs. Jacobs. she said, it is very
strange The person who rented this
house prior to your occupancy of 10 was
young and prosperous Jewish merchant
He furnished IL in good style for the recep
ton Of his bride, a beautiful Jewess
Two days prior to the time set for the
wedding his beautiful bride elect became
violently and incurably insane. In
&c of dependency the Young man 70
paired TO the garrett and hanged himself
from rafter My father helped the
coroner TO cut him down. But the most
peculiar thing is that he had black eyes.
hair and whiskers The lady is now in
one Of our insane asylums, a raving
maniac That is the story, snd l am
sincerely sorry that we have been In
strumentalin causing you such annoy
ance
Harry is now grown man, afraid of
nothing or nobody. | have secuted his
story ever since he tod it, but to this
day he reiterates that he saw man in
the garrett. AS concluding argument
he invariably asks:
We'll mother, if you didn't believe
me. what made You move out OF the
house the next day after Miss Thompson
told you about the young Jew 2"
Sell 90 tickets, get one free, Aug. 1st.