The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-05-21

Lake county. South Dakota have been
compelled TO abandon their task and
acknowledge their defeat. Respectable.
elderly. matter-Oi-fact mea. with posi-
tive dlstaste for anything on the NOR
bid or sensational order. have gone as
deeply as they dared into the matter
and retired discounted. with their ma
terlalistic ideas completely disorgan-
lied. Madison. the county seat OF Lake
county, Is n college town. aud lis IN
habltants are imbuod with that intel
lectuality that characterizes all educa-
tional centcrs Yet a large proportion
OF It's peoTle have the sinocrest belief
possible that fpiritualistlc manifesto
tons are common. everyday occur
renee in a certain farmhouse near the
town.
The house Is three miles from the
town and Is located on ordinary prairie
land. 1t Is about iSx2i feet In size.
with an upstairs chamber divided into
two rooms. The lower floor also has
two rooms. The rooms on the first floor
are plastered. while those upstairs have
been lathed. but the plastering has new
er been put on. The house was built
three years ago. The owner never lived
on the land. but has leased II from year
TO year to responsible renters. None
Of these has over remained on the place
any length OF time.
The last was an intelligent young
Norwegian farmer named Carl Olsen.
who. with his family. moved into the
house Dec. ~. Olsen now recolleets
that the previous tenant had not en-
tlrely removed his goods from the house
when he himself moved his family In.
and that when night came the former
occupant rejected an invitation to sleep
In the house The next morning. when
he returned for the remainder OF his
goods. he asked the olscas II they had
passed comfortable night.
They had heard strange noises dur
ing the night, but. thinking these may
have arisen from natural causes. made
no mention OF Il. On Christmas eve
Olsen and his family retired early and
during the fore part OF the night slept
soundly. About 10 o'clock Mrs. Olsen
awakened and heard the sound OF a
flute playing a sweotly pathetic air.
The sound was not close at hand. but
dulled by an intervening
wall. as though the music was proceed
Ing from an adjoining room. hut the
air could be easily distinguished.
Mr. Olsen also awOke and heard the
mgglc, and for three hours the couple
lay and listened 10 the interminable
strains from the spirit flute. A curious
feature OF this ntrange music was the
fact that the notes would proceed TO a
certain point and then a false note
would be sounded. The ghos,ly must
clan would hesitate and make two or
three attempts to strike the note prop
erly. and. failing. would 20 back to the
beginning and play the few bars all
over again. stumbling at the same point
and repeating again as before. Olsen
and his wife listened to this until the
nerves OF the latter collapsed. Then
he arose and III the lamp. whereat the
music ceased. This feature OF the ghost
y sounds has never been repeated since
hat time.
After this the demonstrations sub
iided to the ordinarily nightly nolseE. It
being noted that on Sunday nights the
house was invariably quiet. On each
night. however. the nois,
was 20 loud tina; Il seemed at times that
he house must fall around the lisien-
RS ears.
Soon after the Christmas eve hap
reninga the attention OF Mr.. Moger
IN intelligent citizen Of Lake county.
vas called 10 the house. lie
vas decidedly skcptical as TO the cause
II the reports. but finally yielded to
and sIent a night In the house.
he was so startled and interested by
he nights experience that he gave up
bis time for the next five nights 10
/ thorough investigation OF the mys-