The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
Converting a Skeptic.
Something regarding ghosts?

Some thing regarding ghosts?
To tell you the truth never took much stock
in supernatural things, but now that you sug-
gest it to me / remember an incident wherein
made friend of mine believe that all the
spirits and ghosts of the other land had been
turned loose on him in one night.
Naturally he was most pronounced skeptic
and for this reason alone l argued against his
beliefs. We had many long conversations re-
garding spi-itualism and l always argued that
there was something in it, while he scoffed
the idea and jeered my beliefs. His sneers
and jibes so annoyed me that l finally con-
Guided to put up job on him, which if sue
cessful would not only turn his ideas to my
way OF thinking, but simply scare him out of
his head.
lived in Virginia City at that time and he
lived in Gold Hill. Our association in news
paper work brought us together several times
month, so concluded to fix things up bit
and invite him to spend a night with me.
First of all tied pair of dumbbells under my
bed on an inclined plane, so arranged that
could release them at any time. Next / fast
ened a piece OF black thread to the gasjet and
ran it around to my side of the bed After
that stretched long but light rubber hose
across the other end of the room and ran it up
to the side of the mirror. Then l wrote on the
glass in phosphorus the name Alice so that q
After these preiminaries had been gone
through with and all the strings and tn bes
were properly collected at the head of the bed
/ placed one of these circus squawkers under
my pillow, and turning off the gas at the meter
in the hall sauntered down to the train to meet
him, as had agreed.
From the train we went to the residence of
some friends, and remained there until IL
O'Clock, psrtaking of copious refreshments,
10 a;
which is above price IN the Sagebrush State.
After we left and were on our way home, I
turned the conversation upon spiritualism and
told the most terrible tales could conjure up,
all of which caused him to laugh uproariousIy
Finally, we arrived at my room, and the in
slant turned the key in the latch 1 struck a
parlor match and ignited small tallow candle
which had placed on a bracket for the occa-
sion, explaining to him in the meantime that
the gas pipes were being repaired and would
not be fixed until the following night. The
candle fame threw dim light over the room,
but not sufficiently bright to enable him to dis
Germ my paraphernalia.
Well, we turned in, and Just as was about to
blow the candle out l explained that man
had been murdered there by his sister few
months before and that the place was little
peculiar at times. "That'll be all right, Sam.
guess / can stand anything that occurs here.
Blow out that candle. Blast your dead men. "
/ did as he instructed me and for few mo-
ments we lay on our backs chatting and telling
stories. All of a sudden he grabbed me by the
arm and hoarsely whispered: "Sam, look at
that gasjet See, see, see it swinging. Look,
look, Sam. What in IS the matter with it?
Look, look"
l told him it was nothing unusual and that
it did that every night. Turn over and go to
sleep. Don't let that bother you,' answered
him. Just then the phosphorus began to glow
and the word Alice stood out like far-off
light. Again felt his grip on my arm.
"Sam, Sam. There it is Her name, Sam.
My sweetheart. Great heavens, Sam, what
does it mean?" His voice sank to a breath.
and Just then l blew a soft puff into the rubber
| tube and the phosphorus was waited away for
a second. / felt the skeptic shu9der. and he
grabbed me again like a maniac. "See see,
it's gone. There 1t is again. My God, what
shall 1 do, Sam? Alice. Her name, Sam.
Alice. Alice
advised him to get up and talk to the name
telling him that it would disappear once
| for yes and twice for no. Every once in
| a while he would break out again, and
| it took me some moments to get him
| in conversation with the phosphorus. Finally