The evening times., 1896-10-26
CONVINCED THE WIFE.

CONVINCED THE WIFE.
He aroused her and She listened TO the
rappings for few minutes, then said:
ION. thatis some person III the next house
hammering un the wall"
The words naG scarcely left her lips when
Bang! Bang! Bang!' came the raps, al-
most as loud as pistol shots on the high
headhoard of the bed. With Shrek III"
wife sprang wildly from the bed and stood
shivering with fear in the center of the
room. The sounds, clear and distinct, next
came on the front wall of the building.
The frightened woman then rushed into
the rear room where her children were III
bed.
The raps continued until nearly daylight,
with an interval of about one minute he-
tween, and they always came three at
time. The wife and children did not sleep
any more that night but sat covering in
the center of the room.
on the following night the rappings were
resumed and kept up during the same hours,
from 1890 TO about a. IN. Several
neigh bors had been invited 10 be present,
and were in the room when the Shcstly
| manifestations commenced. Some OF them
remained until the cocks were sounding
| their early morning calls, when the spirit
rappers ceased from their labors-
The same mysterious program was car
ried out every night during the time the
printer andhis family remained in the house,
| about two weeks. At least fifty persons,
| including several spiritualists, called at
the house and spent the after-midniSht
| hours listening to the tattoos being played
upon the side and front walls by the
4 Ghostly drummer.
PROF. WOLFE INVESTIGATED.
| Among the number was the late Prof.
! Wolfe, a well known spiritualist leader
here. Both skeptics and believers invcstf
| gated the lbuse from cellar to attic, but
none could account for the strange sounds.
Prof. Wolfe, after cxtinguishing all lights
| in the house, attempted TO converse with
the rapper by returning the raps, but his
only response at the same regular intervals
| was the "Bangi bang! bang!'
| 1T is my opinion he said, that the raps
are beng made by a disturbed spirit who
is trying to express himself or herself, but
| cannot do So
At the end of two weeks, as the annoy
ance consumed, the printer and his family
decided to move away from the house. ON
the night before the day set for the moving
his wife, with her little ones huddled about
her, sat in rocking chair in the middle of
the room. Tie church bells had tollcd .
O'Clock nearly half hour before. Suddenly
she was startled by hearing what appeared
TO be the steady tramp, tramp, tramp of a
mans footsteps coming up the stairs toward
| the bedroom door.
The wife knew she had locked, boltcd and
barred all the doors and windows i'll tht
lower portion of the house, and her first
thought was that a drunken man had broken
into the premises, for she did not believe 4
burglar would make so much noise in as
scending the stairway. After reaching the
landing, the heavy footballs ceased for a
moment, and then tramp, tramp, tramp
down the steps they went. A death-likc
silence followed their arrival at the foot
of the stairs.
| STARTLING DEVELOPMENTS.
A minute later there came a great crash
in the middle apartment down stairs, which
had been used as n dinng-room. The wo
man and her children sprang to their fce'
and stood for u moment with pallid face!
| and uuiyering limbs Then there came
another crash, as though a table had beeI
upset, and every dish, plate and piece o
crockery ware in the place smashed int
fragments. The door leading to the celia
sounded as though it was being violently
slammed, and the lower part of the hous,
was filled with strange and Unearthl.
noises.
Rushing to the front window, the terrified
woman threw 1t open and yelled ''mur
der and police at the top of her voice
The alarm was heard by belated colore'
man. He came to the front of the house
under the window, and asked the cause o
the outcry.
There are burglars or some one in m.
house, replied the frightened female
go for the policer'
The man ran to First street and Pennsyl
, vania avenue, where he found a sergcan
; and two patrolmen of the Sixth precinct
: They hurried to the house, and the wifi
threw the night latch Ike Y out of the windov
. to them. The policemen entered the plac
and searched il throughout, but found tina
ali the doors and windows were secure an
nothing had been disturbed
FAMILY MOVED AWAY.
No other noises were heard that night
and in the morning the family moved t
, Capitol Hill. None of the persons who oC
cupied the house are or ever have bee
, spiritualists, and Mr.. Biggs has the names q
O number of persons who heard the dis