The age-herald., 1897-10-09
WHAT WAS lT2
A True Story of Halloween Night in the
 @ City of Washington.

From the Washington Star.
 In one of the suburban graveyards of Washington there sleeps today a young woman of P, who, two years ago, was the life and light of large circle of friends. She was engaged as clerk in one of the largest stores in town, and was as great favorite with her em- ployers and her fellow clerks as she was with patrons of the house. Her closest friend was the sister of a young fireman, whose home was not far from Le Droit park, and this chronicle deals with occurrences which took place there. the sister being her brothers house. keeper
 In October, 1895, the two friends deter mined that they would celebrate Hal loween as it should be celebrated by the usual weird and ghostly proceed ings, and they met at the young fire mans house to carry out their purpose. By Il o'clock. when they intended to cal up the spirits, they were the only occupants of the house, and they had begun to get nervous. However, they did not propose to be frightened out of their design on the spirits, so, going to the room which they had selected for their incantations, they locked the doors and fastened the windows and began. Just what they did to call up the spir- its may be left to the knowledge of those who have tried it at Halloween, but suffice it whatever they did was productive of results, and in the midst of their work they were startled by steps on the stairs leading up to the door of the room in which they were. As the whole house below stairs had been locked up and there was no noise of any kind previous to the footballs on the stairs, this noise was the more disturbing to them, but they felt safe enough, for their own doors were lock- ed and neighbors were near in case the intruder proved to be a mortal of evil intent.
 As it was the young clerks fortune which was being told, of course she was the center of attraction, ands as the footsteps approached the door, though the two girls rather expected the fire- man had come back to frighten them, they continued their call on the spirits as the manual directed. Then before they had thought whether the footsteps had stopped at thsir door or not, the door slowly swung open and a coffin of full size appeared sitting on end in the doorway, which immediately began swaying in and out, as if lowing. The lid was removed, showing the occupant to be a dead man, whom neither of the young women knew. Both saw it dis tinctly, and as suddenly as it appeared it went out again, leaving the door lock- ed, as 1t was in the beginning.
 The effect upon the girl whose fortune was being told was much more serious than it was upon her friend and, while the latter screamed, the former fell over in a dead faint. Some other Halloween merrymakers, not far away, heard the screams, and getting into the house. found one girl stretched on the floor as if dead and the other in mysteries. Ex- plantations were given after the young woman had sufficiently recovered to be coherent, but from the night of the mys- terious appearance of the coffin with the dead man in it, who apparently bore no relation whatever to either of the girls, the young girl began to fade as a flower might. Her merry spirit was subdued, the sparkle of her eye was gone, her step was heavy; she lsver spoke of the vision of that night, and before anothed Halloween she had gone into the shadowland, whence had come that which had darkened her life.
 Sporttne- RIood --Enhrairo Cseeh a vv fof