The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-05
-FOUR YEARS With SPOOlS
Queer Things That Happened to
a Newark Family.
PREPARED TO TESTIFY
A Strange Presence In Their House-Per-
ceived by Them and Others-Unex-
planned Noises-Some Physical
Manifestations Also.

- ~ -. -. fs@<Hf
Miss Rapp. who lived i'm Court street.
Newark tthe real names and street
number are withheld by The SUM. are
prepared To testify that there are such
things as ghosts. and also that ghosts
do all the unaccountable things that
have been ascribed To them. All their
doubts on the subject have been re-
moved during an active experience of
our years.
The Dicksons took a fancy to the
house because of its appearance, its IA
spacious rooms and its location near
the center of the city. The owner had
much To say in praise of IL. but pru-
IDENTIFY withheld some very important
information. which would certainly
have saved the new tenants much anX-
iety and considerable loss of sleep. For
instance. he never said "A word about
The peculiar ouble fasteners on the
windows, nor did he tell why chain
bolts had been put upon the inner side
Of every bedroom door. After the
Dicksons had been i'm possession of the
house "A couple Of nights some emb
of the household complained Of some
rafting windows and of the opening
and closing of doors on the third floor
very late at night. when they were GER
tain that every one was i'm bed. The
wind. of course, was blamed for dis
turbing them. but an entirely different
explanation had Ia be found for a hap
pening a few nights later. when a GER
tain door on the second fioor was re-
repeatedly slammed shut and zach time
opened again, though every one in the
house knew that no one was i'm the
room or even on that floor at the
time.
Soon afterward Miss Rapp. who occu-
pied the largest bedroom on the third
story, was awakened ms night by the
sound of some one walking about her
room Che ant IN In hnI nnI IgtnnAI
a~ttentively. Plainly she could hear on
the carpet footsteps. now advancing.
now receding. Sta re as she might, she
could see nothing. Soon the footballs
ceased. and Miss Rapp. having called
out and received no reply. sank back
On her pillow and tried to compose her
self to sleep. She knew she had locked
the door and fastened the window Sc
curely. No one could possibly enter.
In the morning she found everything
intact.
Many visitors at the house remarked
upon entering the parlor that they were
sure some one else had come i'm from
the street after them. for they heard
the front door open and the steps of
some one in the hall. Members of the
family invariably found that no one
could possibly have followed the visit
ors into the house. as after the admis-
sion of a visitor the door was imme.
diately closed and fastened. one even
ing Mr.. and Mrs. Dickson returned
home early after "A visit to a %neighbor,
and, after securing the front door. went
upstairs. They had hardly reached the
top of the staircase when they were
startled by the sound of the door swing
ing on its hinges. hut without the IA
miliar click of the lock. and some one
seemed to be walking rapidly through
the hall. Nothing, they aver. could be
more distinct than those sounds. Inn
mediately they both went to the first
floor. searched hat thoroughly. and
then went through every nook and cor
ner of the basement! Not only could
they find no intruder. but every door
and window was fastened tightly.
Miss Rapp was next disturbed by
some more strange walking at night in
her bedroom, and, thinking that she
was the victim Of a practical joke. she
determined to ascertain Just how much
sensibility her nightly visitor possessed.
Accordingly she bought several boxes of
carpet tacks, and without letting any
one know of her intention strewed them
carefully over the carpet in her room.
That night she took every precaution
against intrusion. No one could posi-
bly, get into the bedroom except by vio-
lence. u went to bed. kept herself
awake. and awaited DEVELOPMENTS.
About l o'clock the mysterious walking
began. The steps were those of a wo-
man. short and rather quick. and the
FOOTBALLS Indicated that the walker was
either barefooted or wore stockings.
The moonlight, which came through the
un~obstructed window, fell on the car
pet, and there was enough light about
To render all large objects plainly Wis
ible. Backward and forward the visitor
walked. the carpet could be heard
yielding as to the pressure of feet. but
the walker was still invisible to mortal
eyes. The lacks We're there, but their
sharp points punctured no feet and
caused no pain.
Miss Rapp marvelled at the incident.
1t was useless To call any one. No one
was playing a trick on her. She wait
ed until the footsteps died away. Then
she stepped I'm her shoes to the door,
found the chair bolt undisturbed and
the window fasteners i'm place. She
probed with a broom under the bed
In closets and corners, only TO have
the conviction forced on her that she
was absolutely alone and that no hu-
being had entered her apartment
she retired.
She a hardly settled herself in bed
when a woman's voice. strong and dis
tlnct, but wholly unfamiliar. called out
"Mollie." which Is her name. The tone
was very grave; there was I'm IL an UNI
mlstakable note or as of some
one in distress. This. Miss Rapp
thought, would afford her an oppor-
tunity 10 communicate with a disem- |
bodied spirit. She made haste TO an
swer. In the hope of starting a con-
versation.
Mobile" repeated the strange voice.
and then IL was silent. The effort TO
the spirit tell its troubles in the
hope of arranging terms of peace was
vain.
Members of the family noticed hat
Mrs. Dickinson invariably lit the gas
I'm one room. day and night. whenever
she entered IL. and she was asked to
explain her action.
Every time" she said. Il enter that
room something comes into IL along
with me. and l feel more comfortable 1
when the gas Is lit. IL matters not
how l try To steal into the room. how
little space l leave myself between
the door and the jamb I'm entering.
something or some one-it seems to be