The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-01-22
THE GHOST LAID.
An Investigation Shows Little
Ground for Fear.
The Noises, and What Probably
Caused Them.

The ghost which was supposed to
have haunted the Klughertz house in
West Mankato has been laid, and
the very promising basis of a fairy
tale has been overturned. The mys-
terry surrounding the peculiar noises
heard there has been solved by Eber-
hard Klughertz, who, as administra-
,tor Of the estate of his late brother,
Louis Klughertz, has charge of
the property. This gentleman,
with Others, made a thorough in
vestigation of the premises Saturday
and found several places where the
wind could, when coming from just
the proper direction, make moan
ing sound very similar to the voice
of a person in the agony of a great
pain. A piece of the front cornice
was found to be loose, and two
rows of shingles torn off by stone
during the blasting for the extern
sion of the water mains. The
wind sweeping through this opening
ihoo OhC dOUiC LhlSuU uudhC uOlSC
that would apparently come from
almost any part of the house, when
heard by nervous listener in the
night. One or two doors and shutters
also creak when disturbed by the
wind.
A. @. Anderson, the late occupant,
was seen and said that his wife had
thought that she heard noises on sew
eral occasions during the past ten
days, and that he had heard peculiar
noise once. One night the noise had
been heard3 about ten o'clock, on
another occasion shortly before mid
night, and at three o'clock one morn
ing. He thought that the noise was
caused by something loose about the
house, and would as soon move back
at once if his wife was willing to, but
the latter had been much fright
ened. The noise had seemed
to be in different parts of the house at
different times, once in the kitchen,
and at another time in the center of
the house. The cause for it could not
be located, but he was satisfied it was
not supernatural. Mr. Anderson has !
occupied the house little less than
--month, and had paid the rent for a i
full month.
The family which occupied the
house just previous to the last occu-
pant was also named Anderson. This
family lived there nine months, and
never heard any peculiar noises. They
say that they would as soon move back
there, and believe that there |
are no spirits fitting about the
house by night. Four or five other |
families have lived their since the
first family moved out, and none of |
them had any unsual experiences.
The man who built the house was |
Louis Klughertz, who died at Denver.
Colo, six years ago, of typhoid fever. |
His remains were brought to this city, |
and funeral services were held at the |
German Catholic church. His
wife and daughter, Rose, also
returned suffering from the
fever. The former recovered after |
an illness of three months, but Rose |
died month after her fathers |
death. The daughter was seven
years of age, and was also buried from
the German Catholic church. Drs.
Andrews and Steel were the attend
ing physicians. This is the only death
that has ever occurred in the house,
and, as stated yesterday, there is no
foundation for the rumor that a babe
had died there and been buried clan
destinely under the house. There
is brick cellar under the building.
This is not an age when ghosts
thrive, and investigation generally
shows that what appears to be super
natural is in truth some very natural
and commonplace occurrence, as in