Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-05-14

the truth from him, and thus protect my
self against further alarm and fright.
When descended the next morning,
was so fortunate as to meet my cousin
alone in the lower hall. Come into the
library and let me speak with you, said.
He led me into the room, saying laugh
ingly, Have you too, seen the ghost?'
Indeed / have I replied, and then told
him of what had happened to me. He
seemed annoyed. 1t is very strange, he
said. No one is confined here in the
house. Soon after we came this same lit
tie brown woman appeared to my wife,
When she told me of it, laughed at her.
In few days, however, the thing repeat
ed itself. Both of the girls have seen her.
myself have not yet been honored. Seri
ously, though, begin to fear that there is
mystery. Something must be DONE My
wife and daughters wished to give up the
house month ago, but felt that there
must be some mistake, and I determined
to remain and prove to them that either it
was their overweight imaginations or
something which would in time explain
itself naturally.
Sat breakfast my cousin related my ex-
perience to the family. We discussed the
matter very seriously. That same day my
cousins wife heard low cries of distress in
one of the vacant bedrooms Summoned
by her, we went into the room Immediate
~, but found no one. On the night Of that
day was again awakened from my sleep
by the appearance at my bedside of this
same little woman, as silent and pathetic
as ever.
ION the following day the cries of dis
tress were again heard in the vacant bed
room, but no clew to them could be dis
covered. OF course the whole household
was aroused and excited and there was
little rest for any of us. Had it not been
for the ardent feeling of my cousin con-
corning the old family house nothing could
have held us there day longer. Appreci-
ating his pride in the matter, we deter
mined to wait awhile, and with the assist
ance of skilled detectives see If the mys-
terry could be solved.
"a week passed. Detectives came and
went, but they discovered nothing. In the
meantime, however, the little brown wom-
an appeared twice to me in my room and
as often to my cousins wife. When we
called or rang for some one, she disap-
peared as suddenly and as mysteriously as
she had come.
II can give you no idea of the sensation
she produced upon those who saw her.
Above everything we saw at the time and
recalled afterward those pathetic eyes Of
hers, looking beseechingly into ours.
Whoever she was, she was woman of
deep sorrow, and in some way, we all felt,
she represented some terrible tragedy or
undying grief
Zone evening at the end Of week Mr..
Graves, young detective, called and
asked to see the family. He was shown
into the library and drawing package of
papers from his pocket begged leave to lay
before us some information which he had
obtained. Somewhere in New York, 1t
seems, is kept record of all the old houses
in the city. This enterprising young de-
tective, baffled by his Investigations at the
house, was convinced from what he had
learned that the affair partook Of tho su.
pernatural; consequently he had gone into
these records and hunted out that of this
old family house in Blocker street. What
he told us contained the only explanation
of the little brown woman which we have
ever had, and as my cousin gave up the
house Immediately none Of us has ever
seen her since"
What was it9" asked in whisper the
group of women.
After this house had passed from my
cousins family" continued Miss Blunt,
sit was occupied for some years, 1t seems,
by M. Grovoche, a French wine mer-
chant He lived alone in Blocker street
with his servants and was supposed to have
amassed a large fortune. When some
L. l,,k =,
disappeared, and for many years no expla-
nation could be discovered. His mother,
peasant woman from the Gironde came
to this country in the hope of finding him,
She spent the remaining years of her life
in the search, and the devotion and energy
with which she pursued her purpose made
her at one time familiar figure to the po-
lice Of New York, and especially to the
people in Blocker street, where she was
frequently to be seen. The poor woman
died without obtaining any clew to the
fate Of her son, and soon the whole matter
was lost sight Of by those who had taken
an interest In her. A few years after her
death man died In New Jersey who left
confession to the effect that the house of
M Grovoche In Blocker street had been
entered by him one night with the intent
to rob; that NJ Grovoche had discovered
him concealed in his bedroom and had at
tackled him; that forthwith he returned
the attack and murdered NJ. Grovoche by
q thrust In the side with dagger. He
knew the house very we'll, for in planning
the robbery he had been familiarizing
himself for some months with 1t. He
dragged the dead body below to cellar,
which he knew contained drainage we'll,
into which he dropped 1T, He then made
his escape noiselessly, leaving the Treasures
of the house untouched When search was
buried in the well, 1t was readily discov-
cred and identified as that Of M. Grovoche
by silver chain and crucifix which still
hung about the skeletons neck. From
that time until my cousin bought and re-
fitted the house 1t had remained vacant,
and an air Of mystery had chung about it.
have no doubt unless II has been pulled
down to make way for stores or ware
houses, 1t is vacant today and pointed at
as place where crime was enacted"
As Miss Blunt finished her story very
handsome and stately lady entered the
room, She threw III her wrap and drew
near the attentive group. As she did SO a
blond young girl rose from her seat and
said to her in a husky voice:
Mother, will you tell these ladies what
you saw in your room yesterday"
"Oh, yes" exclaimed the lady. "Some-
thing 40 strange, must tell you. Yester-
day morning US was dressing, when had
just lifted my face from Its bath and was
about to give 1t its usual rubbing, saw
standing before me the funniest little old
woman, all clad in brown, with white
handkerchief crossed upon her breast and
with the most pathetic eyes ever beheld
They will haunt me to my dying day.
just as spoke to her, demanding an OK
PLANTATION Of this sudden intrusion, she dis.
appeared, and my daughter there was
awakened by my running about tho room
calling: Where Is shes Where is shes' f"
Miss Blunt gave q scream Of terror No.