Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-10-27
WHAT WAS ITa
A True Story of Halloween Night Ii
the City of Washineton

A True Story of Halloween Night In
the City of Washington.
In one of the suburban graveyards
of Washington there sleeps today a
young woman of 90 who 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
employers and her fellow clerks as
she was with patrons of the house.
Her closest friend was the sister of
young fireman, whose home was
not far from LIE Droit park, and this
chronicle deals with occurrences
which took place there, the sister
being her brothers. housekeeper.
In October, 1895, the two friends
determined that they would cele-
brate Halloween as it should be
celebrated, by the usual weird and
ghostly proceedings, and they met
at the young fireman S house to car
ry out their purpose. By II O clock,
when they intended to call up the
spirits, they were the only occu-
pants of the house, and they had
begun to get nervous However,
they did not propose to be frighten-
ed out of their designs OF the spir-
its, so, going to the room which
they had selected for their incanta-
tions, they locked the doors and
fastened the windows and began.
just what they did to call up the
spirits may be left to the knowledge
of those who have tried it at Hal
loween, but suffice it that 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 dis
turbing to them, but they felt safe
enough, for their own doors were
locked, and neighbors were near in
case the intruder proved to be
mortal of evil intent.
AS it was the young clerks for
tune which was being told, of
course she was the center Of attrac-
ton, and as the footsteps approached
the door-though the two girls rath-
er suspected that the fireman had
come back to brighten them-they
continued their call on the spirits as
the manual directed. Then, before
they had thought whether the foot
steps had stopped at their door or
not, the door slowly swung open
and a coffin of full length appeared
sitting on end in the doorway, which
Immediately began swaying in and
out as if bowling. The lid was re-
moved, showing the occupant to be
a dead man whom neither of the
young women knew. Both saw it
distinctly, and as suddenly as it APP
peared it went out again, leaving
the door locked as it was in the be-
ginning.
The effect upon the girl whose
fortune was being told was much
more serious than it was upon her
friend, and, while the latter scream
ed, the former fell over in a dead
faint. Some other Halloween mer-
rymakers, 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.
Explanations were given after the
young women had sufficiently re-
covered to be coherent, but from the
night of the mysterious appearance
of the coffin with the dead man in
it who apparently bore no relation
whatever to either of the girls the
young clerk began to fade as flow
er might. Her merry spirit was
subdued, the sparkle of her eye was
gone, her step was heavy. She never
spoke of the vision of that night,
and before another Halloween she
had gone into the shadowland
whence had come that which had
darkened her life.
A simple white slab of marble
marks the spot where she sleeps,
and on it, with her name, is the in
scription, land there shall be no
night there. Washington Star.