Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-02-19
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IN A HAUNTED ROOM.
A Singular Experience Which Shook
Mans Belief In Ghosts.

singular Experience Which Shook a
Mans Belief In Ghosts.
"There is no such thing as ghosts, "
said a Chicago drummer. 81 used to
think that maybe spirits did return un-
til about a year ago, when was stop
ming at a hotel in small Iowa town.
Then was convinced that they are
only apparitions. Registered one night
about 9 o'clock and found the house
crowded. In fact, the landlord, an hon
est old back number, said he couldn't
give me q room at all unless, he whis-
pered to me, you amt a-scared of
ghosts. I've only got one unoccupied
room in the house. he continued, and
it's haunted. About year ago one of
my boarders committed suicide-cut his
throat with a razor-and ever since then
his ghost has appeared Well, had
never seen a ghost-had often heard of
them, but never believed they existed.
SO took the room right gladly and re-
tired at once.
although was worn out, couldn't
20 to sleepfo thinking, not of the ghost,
but of the man who had committed sui
eide. Who was he? Why did he do itf
Was he in lover Lose money? And
hundred questions continued to march
through my mind, despite my efforts to
sleep. The more l thought of the case,
the more intense my thoughts became.
l became nervous and began tossing
around the bed, all the time thinking of
the unfortunate man who had committed
suicide. 1t was growing late. Not
sound could be heard. Every one was
in be0 asleep. Finally began to think
Of the ghost. | began to wonder what
he looked like; what his proportions
were and how he looked, when, 10! the
ghost appeared.
saw him as plainly as I see you. He
seemed to rise from the floor just at the
foot of the bed. He was long and gaunt,
and his hair fell about his head in long,
tangled mats. He stood, both hands
resting on the footboard, staring at me
with such an awful intensity that
quaked. Big beads of cold, clammy
perspiration came out all over my body.
Yet / was hot and thought | would
burst open. wanted to run, but could
not move a muscle After looking at
me intently for about five minutes, l
suppose, as if were the cause of all his
troubles, the ghost walked to the wash
stand, which was few feet to the right
of the bed. He stopped and pulled open
drawer and took out something which
| could not see. Then he closed the
drawer softly, as if fearing some one
would hear him.
He then unbuttoned the collar band of
his nightshirt and rubbed his hand
around his neck as though feeling for
something. Next he raised the other
hand, and for the first time saw arazor,
which he had taken from the drawer.
Again he rubbed his left hand around
his throat and started to put the razor
to his neck, but he pulled it back and
continued to rub his throat. He did this
nearly 10 minutes, l think, when sud
denly the other hand was brought up,
and the keen edge of the razor sank into
his throat. He dropped-I heard the
fall-and that was the last l saw of the
ghost. No. l was awake at the time.
l didn't go to sleep that night at all. But
then it was no ghost; it was only an APP
partition, the child of my own excited
nerves, for / looked for the razor, and
there was none there, and it could not
have dropped through the floor. No,
sir; when a man tells me he has seen
ghosts, l tell him he needs some liver
regulator. Fort Worth Gazette.