The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-27
GHOSTS IN OLD INNS.
The COIOnel'S Story Of Sixty Years
AGO.


His Head-Fanous Old Iavsrns and
the Queer Beings That Inhabit Them.
From the Chicago Times.
Speaking Of the old punchbowl." re-
marked the colonel, as we SAT before the
CHEEKY CRATE IRE in the den smoking. ere
minds me Of our wedding journey. Not a
Ia Howells," he fastened 20 add.
He paused a few minutes while shad-
ows OF past memories fitted across his
mobile face. A more delightful man
than the colonel could hardly be found
Wide-swake. alert, straight and well-in-
formed. in spite OF his eighty odd years.
he was q welcome guest wherever he
might choose TO go. He was the last Of
family whose ancestors had come TO this
world with William Penn. Two brave sons
had offered their lives willingly for the
unity OF the nation and their warm life
blood had sealed the sacrifice A fair.
winsome daughter. OF whom he seldom
spoke. had Frightened the home for few
short years. and then passed away His
wife had tarried with him for over half
a century. and then. wearied. had lad
aside the mantle Of life, and he was alone
IFS knowledge Of his native city was al
most inexhaustible, and he was often
sought out TO settle disputed questions
regarding Philadelphia history
The colonel silently finished his cigar
and then carefully filled his meerschauu.
which, from long usage. had attained a
rich and somewhat unusual mahagony.
OF this pipe he was most proud. having
become its possessor during a trip through
Germany. Lighting It. he continued:
ct was-let me see. by jove old man.
over sixty years ago; certainly must be
getting somewhat ancient-when Dorothy
and took each other for better or worse
I had her for the 'better'-the conclusion
as to her bargain is obvious IL those days
wedding tower was rather unusual.
but we determined to have one our own
way. which was TO take the comfortable
gig and drive. guided by our own sweet
will, through the historic parts of our
state. particularly around Philadelphia.
We started amid the regulation rice and
shoes and angels food-for Dorothy. you
know. BY the way, one enterpris,ng shoe
dropped and remained iu the back of the
'Dolphus when We reached home.
But I won't stop for these details. The
memory OF that trip IS most pleasant. and
connected with it were some most thrill
ing experiences I remember one of the
old roadhouses at which we tarried rartic-
ularly. It was then called tine Old
Standby Where il received such a.
name is beyond me. Since then the cog
noraen has changed many times. and for
the last twenty years n has gone by the
| unrOmantc appellat ion Of The Tavern
1t is situated on Twenty-seyenth street,
below Brown. 1 went out to see il not long
ago for the first time since that trip
fact-and more forlorn place could hardly
be imagined The land on which n stands
is very high, and from the southern part
a fine view of the city can be obtained
The house itself is much smaller than
when We first went there, and 70 my
disgust the old haunted room has been
torn down. The religion OF the inmates
was not proof against the possible visits
of the 'bogie,' and so the room. which
might have been trmed an aeterthought,
had to come down.
There are but three parts to the build
ing now and each looks at the other in q
most deprecatory way. as if wondering
which one would be so discourteous as to
be the first to disintegrete. Dogs and cats
galore reVel in the old sheds, and the
fumes of bad whisky are almost sitting
On the edge of the little highland, to-
ward the city, is the pump And that
pump is a landmark for the neighborhood
The water, it is claimed, is a veritable
cure-all, from Group up to lconoclasm.
Don't know what that is, eh2 Why. gen
eral breaking down, don't you know
Around that pump. poor despised looking
as il is now. clings a most romantic legend.
If any maiden, provided only that she is
a native Philadelphia, viii take that par
ticular water in her mouth on the witch
ing Hallow cen and walk slowly three
times around a cellar she will see in WISH
BILE presence the form Of her future better
half l have only heard Of two girls
brave enough to try it, for you know II
must be at midnight, when the fairies have
power to bring such things to pass, and
they were so frightened that their memo
ries were hardly trustworthy
But when we tarried there over night
it was quite a large building and pretty
we'll kept of course, il was not hotel
in our acceptance of that term. but only
a road house, where travellers could be
accommodated for short time. The
view. as I have intimated, was superb.
That was before there were SO many Of
these abominable 'sky-scrapers' to dis
figure the vault above US, and we could
see on and on, until the glimmering in the
distance told US Of the presence of the
peaceful Delaware.
/ A hunting party was putting up there
as we arrived, and the neighing of horses
and the baying of the hounds created q
hubbub almost indiscribable and quite
novel to ears unaccustomed to such
sounds. Twilight was falling as we en-
tered, and after a bountiful, we'll cooked
meal, we were shown to our room. As
we were passing through the hall a maid
handed me a candle-most primitive, you
will say, but remember how long ago il
was-and together Dorothy and I as
cended the stairs. A few moments later
I went down for some drinking water
and the landlord came to me, and drawing
me aside, said, apologetically a nearly as
can remember: Sir, 1 am so sorry par
ticularly for the little madame. but the
room you have is called the haunted
chamber. DO you care very much?' He
was so perturbed that I was amused and
as I had long wanted for an opportun-
ity to try one Of these wonderful rooms
I declared that we did not at all OBJ
ject to it.
Il said nothing concerning it to Dor
othy, and ere long we were asleep. Just
what time it was do not know, but the
radiant light OF the full moon was stream
ing into the room when I was awakened
bv q cold hand being laid across my