The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-23
A GHOST HUNT IL KOREA.
TRAGEDY al The End Of d Naval Officers
Adventure.
The Result OF a Midnight watch II a
Haunted House at Chemulpo Was the
Capture Of a Ghost-A swede's ate.

Capture Of Ghost A Swede's ate.
From the New York sun.
Washington. Dec. ia lieutenant in
the navy has a story t1 tell q an adj
venture that beten him. just before the
declaration OF war between China and
Japan. at The seaport town OF Ch=mu'po.
in Korea II was a ghost hunt. wiki
tragedy at the end OF IT,
The Lancaster. Of which was second
watch officer" said he steamed into the
harbor Of ChemuIpo for coal after a Ions
sea voyage, and land. no matter how
desolate the coast. was a welcome sight.
. The prospect. however. was not encOur-
aging. and, further than a chance 10
. give ones legs a good stretching and an
. opportunity TO buy fresh meat and veg
etables. the situation did not promise
any snlivening gayety. Nobody expected
the joys Of Paris, but pouring rain that
set in soon after our arrival made the
chances for even a leg-stretching seem
dubious. and gave the Ileak-Iooking walls
an aspect of utter desolation. With the
fresh meats and vegetables and few new
faces from the shore. spirits in the ward
room revived wonderfully, and the mess
. table that night was sufficiently jovial
TO seem 10 promise better things. Among
the visitors who took dinner with us was
the Swedish consul He was fine-look-
ing young fellow. less than 80 tall and
well made, with a rosy. fair skin. very
light hair, and clear gray eyes. the very
/ type, in fact, Of the north country man.
and Of the very ood-looking one at that
He spoke English well. and added his
stock Of stories and anecdotes TO those
already in possession of the mess. He had
keen sense Of humor. and from all ac-
counts was "A wag who usually succeeded
IN amusing people when he tried He
was engaged to be married TO a girl at
( nome, and endeared himself to us by
I swearing at Chemulpo for a town of
/ mean antecedante and absolutely no re-
sources for the man seeking TO be amused
Ihere are pirates and smugglers.'
SAID ne. Il had job several months ago
putting together the pieces of one of nv
I couhtrymen those fellows, or one of them
/ I'm Foo by name, had hacked up and
shipping him back to his people. They
are horrible wretches. those fellows. and
they are all up and down the coast, but
nobody can catch them-or nobody tries -
Flrates were interesting, but as nobody
seemed TO know where to put a finger on
them. and as a sail at sea meant two
weeks IN junk In cramped quarters of
1 doubtful cleanliness, or rather undoubted
HItn' the pirate hunt was abandoned.
Well, we have haunted house con-
tinued the Swede determined to he hos
pitable and offer every resource avail
able. This sounded more encouraging. al
though watch officers do not usually look
with favor on propositions that involve
sitting up at night when they can enjoy
that doubtful pleasure every night in the
year If they wish it. From the consuls
story, the people of the town held the
house in mortal dread, none Of them ever
daring TO venture within hundred yards
OF it, even in daytime Lights were said
to have been seen al the windows and
horrible screams We're heard between u
and o'clock in the morning This seemed
to be the correct thing in the ghost line
and correspondent with our ideas of what
ghosts should do. of course the whole
thing was easily set down to Monaghan
superstition and might readily be ex-
planned in hundred ways But seeing
no prospect of arousing the circulation of
the blood unless by some such means four
of us consented to form watching partv
who, together with the Swede, would look
into the matter thoroughly To while
away the tedium and keep the drowsv ones
awake deck of cards and box of chips
were to be taken along and the Swede was
to be taught the interesting if sinful.
American game of dray poker, so that he
should have something worth remember
ing to show the other consuls when the
Lancaster sailed away. He agreed to this
and was to bring a few bottles of old
wine
Although our less enthusiastic mess
mates found our project infantile, the in
PRODUCTION of the poker game enlisted two
new recruits before the evening was over.
The evening after next according to an
pointment the six of us went ashore after
| dinner and trudged up the muddy street
Gh 10 TlsTf
there we were met at the door by a huge
Monaghan, who informed us by signs as
well as he could that the consul was in
bed with a sprained ankle The fellow
grinned the while in such a way that we
thought he might he lying for a bad
Korean servant is as bad as they are
made. We were admitted to the consuTs
room, and he really seemed to be suffer
ing much pain 1t was seen that if we
desired to go on with the ghost hunt we
would be obliged to do it without the
company of the Swede. He seemed very
sorry about it, had set his heart on it
he said, and did not want to spoil our
| evening, but, as We could see, it couldn't
be helped l. for one. was for giving llp
the whole business and going back aboard
ship, but the Swede used all his persuas-
ions. and it was finally decided to continue
the expedition, especially as a couple of
blue jackets had been dispatched ahead
with a big basket of provender of both
the dry and moist varieties.
The haunted house was a large. ram
bling, and apparently rather Fckety con-
Germ two stories in hight in the center
of scrubby growth of trees. 1t had
very desolate appearance, for it stood
on the top of a slight elevation and the
after glow of the sun, which had been
down some time, shone through some of
the rooms and made it look very much
ike skeleton of what might once have
been respectable establishments one
efd Of he Mo I
/ gloomy, but the men had kindled a FIRE
for the air had n nip in It and
lighted an enormous ships lantern. as
well as several other lights. so that the
room was very bright and cheerful. We
examined the lower floor with scrupuous
care. All the doors were open and some
of them We're hanging from their hinges
The interior of the rooms was much the
same as that Of the other Korean dwell
inSs, but stained and discolored by the
rain, which had beaten in through the
windows. There We're bits of broken fur
I niture lying about the rooms. The room
{ in which were contained q ricIrat1