The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-08

a dark gray. and the hat a poor makeshift
straw affair. like some poor woman might
carefully trim up and make look respecta-
bic. looked at all this without a word TO
my companion. and he described precisely
the same vision TO me when morning came
ences. This. with the acconpa nying noises.
was the experience OF our first night.
SECOND NIGHTS REVELATIONS
The second evening was very similar. and
on both these occasions / had companions
with me who We're not given to vain imagin-
ings. and who were entirely skeptical
until the violence of their eyes and ears
convinced them. On the third succeeding
night we occupied the downstairs bedroom.
the chamber above being unoccupied. This
was Wednesday evening, and the pro-
gramme was unusually varied. complete and
noisy. On this occasion the usual drip
ping started in. the noise coming indistinct-
ly from above. Then the cracking came.
and 1t seemed for a while that the house
was being split into kindling wood. Then a
scuffing on the floor. like the impact Of a
could be heard proceeding from above. The
scft. stealthy swish of the felt boots on the
floor. the distinct noise of a struggle. then
ging a heavy sack across the floor. Then
the sound of the feet could be heard de-
scending the stairs. dragging the sack with
a tremendous bump behind. Near the bot
tom the ghostly feet slipped and came ka-
chug down two steps, and then along at
our bed and TO the front door beyond passed
the spirit boots. with the sack dragging be-
mind. This was all as real and material TO
us as the sunlight that now surrounds us.
and my two companions and myself left
that house the next morning with the i'm
preston that we had witnessed the dread
rehearsal of some awful, deadly crime. COM
mitted in secret in the small hours of the
night and that the victims were but rising
from their graves TO bring TO mortal notice
their grievous wrongs. This. with the plain
tive wailingS of the unseen infant accom-
paDying these manifestations. formed alto
gether an experience to freeze the blood.
81 have given freely of my time and money
to endeavor to get at the bottom OF this
pletely foed. There is reasonable
PLANTATION of il to be found on any moral n.y.
sion, after careful and thorough investi-
CATION. than that II is most plainly and un-
deniabiy a manifestation from the. spirit
understanding 1 have always held to he
utterly preposterous, but now confess to be
plainly apparent"
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAW.
Other wel-known residents of Madison
and Lake county have had the same expert
ence as Mr.. Moger. His father rad precisely
the same experience. only that the elder gen.
tleman was touched upon the shoulder and
was violently shaken in bed. Mr.. Anderson
and Peter Lysager are two others that tell
similar stories. Joseph Opperud. cahsier of
one of the Madison banks, was one of the
skeptics who were called in to investigate
and he returned fully satisfied OF the super
natural character of the incidents of which
he a witness. Another well-known citi-
zen was suspicious of the genuineness oe
the phenomena, and requested permission to
remain in the house over night alone. He
declared himself anxious to run against
real spirit, and sad that IL such a thing
happened he would fix EN-" His request
TO have sole possession of the house was
granted. and the family PASSED the night
at the home of a neghbor. He retired to
bed early, with cigar in his mouth Tor
company. When the family returned TO the
house early the next morning anxious to
seee that no harm had befallen him, he was
found, half dead, with fright. his body
chilled, his blood stagnant. and the poor
fragment of the defiant cigar still In his
mouth, but chewed to ribbons. The poor
pened to him. simply stating that he had
been stricken powerlesss to move muscle.
and that while he had been keenly alive to
every sound. and had even heard the team
that was driven up to the house in the
morning with the returning family, he was
utterly unable to move or 10 speak until
given restoratives. To this man also had
come the apparition of the pale woman In
the gray dress. the lamp held by the fem
mime hand, the lamentations Of the spirit
struggle of he of the felt boots and the
dragging sack. All this. together with noises
Of e G sp dev M
the dragging hours of that awful night.
The stories told by Mr.. Olson and his
wife bear out the above incidents The
couple, while occupying the house. became
somewhat hardened to the noises. but in the
case Of Mrs. Olson this was not ALL She
was several times handled rather roughly,
on one occasion being grasped on the thigh
so tightly that she shrieked aloud with the
pain, and for many weeks after the flesh
remained red and infla med where the in
jury had been done. At length. worn out
by the continued strain upon her nerves,
Mrs. Olson prevailed upon her husband to
give up their tenancy. and on March 10 the
family moved out. They have since en-
joyed uninterruptedly the rest Of which they
were deprived while occupants of the haunt
journalist who furnished your correspond
ent with the facts in this article. in COM
pany with a friend, proceeded to the house
about O'Clock of a fair winter evening.
The building was entirely unoccupied. but
to make assurance doubly sure. thorough
search was made of all the premises, and
When this was finished the party was pre-
pared to make affidavit that there were no
other living souls within half a mile Of the
house. The pair OF explorers did not sep
arate for the night. as might be imagined,
but arranged a temporary bunk on the floor
and awaited developments.
Two phenomena were almost immediate
| ly noticeable" afterwards said the journal
| list; first, the spirits began splitting kind
| ling wood on most gigantic scale: second.
an extraordinary eruption of 'goosef1esh' be-
came apparent TO both members of the ex-
| p,oring party. Then for the next three hours
| an uninterrupted progra NINE OF plain and
| ornamental noises held full sway Outside
| the moon was bright and air calm; the
| prairie absolutely noiseiess. Inside the
| most Internal din was in evidence; noises
| that one might be sure could be heard for
| forty rods or more. L stepped outside once
| or twice during the night, but not a sound
| was audible there. The seat Of disturbance
| was all on the inside of the house, and the
| rumor of il was held within the four walls.
| We heard the ogre in the felt boots walk
| the floor; heard the sounds of his devilish
| struggle. and were all but witnesses of his
| murderous deed-in imagination. Then
| slowly down the stairs came the boots and
| the bump. bump. bump Of the loaded sack,
| and on by our very feet passed the phantom
| party. With all this came strange e;ec-
| trical disturbance in the reportorial party.
| showed a strange disposition to stand up
/ and be counted It was hair-lifter indeed.