The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-04-29
4 "GHOsTUS'' DID TT.
Awful Groans In the Cellar of the
City Jail.
SCARE COLORED GIRLS NIGHTLY.

Frightened Into Paying Their Fines
as soon. as POssibIe-An Ingenious
JaflOr's Trick.
1t was night at the city prison. The
Kangaroo court had adjourned and all
was quiet save the monotonous snoring
of the suspects" an occasional Rrunt
which told that some one. was coming out
of drunken stupor, the sound of rats
gnaWing at the victuals left over from
supper, and sometimes sthump, thump,
thump," as Peg Leg hobbled across the
floor. In the women's cell the prisoners
had become tired of singing and dancing,
but were still awake.
Night Jailer Albert Hopkins unlocked
the door to the women's apartments with
s'Sh-h- b" and said in Mortified whis-
per, "Say, girls, didn't you hear a noise
in the basement just now?"
"Yes, sah," they replied in a chorus,
''dey's somebody down dere grooming
and taking on terrible. We's been hear
ing 'em up here for a half houah."
"Well, that's strange" replied Hop
kins 81 kept hearing noise down
there like woman groaning. and Ive
been down twice and searched the whole
basement and there isn't anybody there"
"Oh, laws" shrieked Teeny Williams,
sit must be ghostus."
THAT'S just what 1 was thinking" re-
sumed Hopkins. "There is nothing
down there except that big bundle of
Mrs. Matson's clothes. They're the
same clothes she had on when she was
murdered. They are in a big basket
just under this window. Now that l
think of it, some of the boys did tell me
when | first came here that the basement
had been haunted ever since Mrs. Mat
sons clothes were put there They say
oh ofo inh NV eb hoa
groans like she was being murdered over
again. It's funny though. l was down
there twice and | didn't see any gho-"
"Wo-o-o- 600" came from the lonely
basement, in a wierd, unearthly groan,
like a voice from the tombs.
1000 oo-o," it continued, like the wind
in chimney kitchen. "Oh-h- h-ugh-ugh-
ugh; bif, gurgle, gurgle; WOO 600; OH
b; ugh"
These were the groans and walls that
came plainly from under the window of
the cell. The six colored women huddled
together, with eyes protruding and
horror depicted in every line and horror
in every movement.
The women prisoners did not sleep a
wink the rest of the night, but sat on
their couches trembling every time the
floor cracked, jumping when the wind
ratified the windows, and starting when
ever the t0l0pnOno Doll rang.
1t is well known fact that this class
of prisoners, and these particular pris-
oners especially, were never known
to pay a fine hardly ever. But
the first streak of daylight
had scarcely appeared over the Santa
Fe shops when the women had messen-
gers flying among all their friends, be :
seeching them to get them out The
appeals were not in vain, and before
another night Teeny Williams, Fanny
Wright, Mary Wade and Carrie Jordan
had paid their fines aud the rest had
given bonds that theirs would be paid
The result is that there isn't woman
confined in the city prison and the
jailers are no longer annoyed with this
bothersome minority.
Many people who read this may doubt
that there was any ghost in the base
ment that night, but there was one just
the same. As might be suspected, Jailer
Hopkins and Trusty Pete Callihan took
turns being the ghost. Hopkins did the
grooming until he went to the door to
note the effect of his game, and
then Pete Callahan went into the ghostly
grooming business and did it to finish.
1t all came about this way. Hopkins
found the cOlored female prisoners to be
terrible nuisance during the time he
was in charge of them from 9 p. III. till
a. IN. He longed for some legitimate
way to get rid of them. The best way
was to make them pay their fines, but
how? Perhaps the ghost idea was an in
spiration, but anyhow he went to Chief
Wilkerson and volunteered the assertion
that he could make every colored woman
in the prison pay her fine or give bond.
| The chief was delighted, the considera
ton being not only the amount of the
fines, but the saving of eighteen meals a
day. The chief told Hopkins to &c
| ahead He did.