The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
DILL srERErrs GHOST RACE.
10 Came After n Trying Experience with a
Kitten in n Haunted House,

10 Came After n Trying Experience with n
Kitten in Haunted House.
TIL bet you $40 you won't 20 out 70
that haunted house and stay there all night
alone" The speaker was Judge Ed Bower,
who for years was the County Judge Of Dallas
county, Texas His remark was addressed TO
Col William Green Strrctt better known as plain
Bill Stcrett who for ten years was a well known
correspondent AT Washington, and is now pictu-
rescue personality Of wide reputation The
banter was made TO Bill" away back in the win
ter OF 1885 before he went to Washington. A
party of conviviai friends sat around comfort
able fire In q restaurant In Dallas, Texas dis.
cussing politics, spinning yarns slipping from
the cup that cheers, and incidentally keeping
out Of the storm that was raging outside
The storm was what is known in Texas as
wet norther" and wet norther" is TO Texas
and the Southwest what blizzard is to the Dar
kotaa and the Northwest While a blizzard kills
people wet norther" only makes them wish
they were dead "northcr" OF the Southwest
Is simply the tail end of blizzard and II depends
upon the amount Of moisture In a blizzard whether
the "norther" is wet or dry. dry norther
Is bad but wet norther is something awful.
IL blows and drtZzles and frcezcs. man caught
out In one of them on a bald prairie with light
clothing on and no stimulnnts TO speak Of 10
In for the toughest experience OF his life
The norther Of this night was fully up to the
sample and it caused the friends in tho rostau-
rant to tarry longer than usual The CONVEX
sation finally turned to ghosts spooRs. haunted
houses and uncanny thinga Judge Bower
told story Of a haunted house about a mile from
the city limits Of Dallas. Hesaid the ghost that
infested that house known TO assume many
different shapes and to appear at any and all tmes
and that no one had ever been able TO stay at tho
house all night much less live in IT, and con-
sequently IL had been tenantless for more than
year. "Bll" Sterctt announced his utter dis
belief in anything Of the nature of ghosts and
denounced Judge Bowers story as superstitious
rot II was then the Judge made the banter
In the opening sentence of this story. Bill took
his wager at once and his friends set to work to
help him prepare to win tho money
Bill wrote his wife note saying that he had
been sent 10 Fort Worth on assignment bought
quart OF good whisky borrowed six shooter
and linked" out for the haunted house II was
terrible night and Bill had not gone two blocks
from the comfortable restaurant before he regretted
making tho bet not because he was afraid Of
ghosts, but on account Of the weather Tho
fine rain hit his face and stung like yellow Jackets
The payements were slippery and outside Of q
radius Of ten feet from an electric light, which
pumpkin. il was as dark as the inside OF a tunnel
at night AT the city limits Bill hit the black
In the blac ok waNy" mud OF central Tex as doesn't
know what human locomotion under difficulties
fly paper is 10 the ieet Of the n.y. $500
the b,nS es. nnd finally reached
candle with which he had provided himself,
stuck stu II on ,hs mantle in some its own grease.
exert an emGG'yy cracker box: There HsI. lew
and kicking an end out Of the box and whiting
a lew shveTs from 4, Bill started chunk fire
n e. e fire on h the Sos
soon ION began to feel an l,,s comfortable
found netting but dampness and darkness He
the exclamation that it was nothing but the
wind" In less than two minutes the same sound
longer to reach that window than il had the other
though 1t Vas no further from him. He found
dfrk He was begnnn t To- feel it'd IT'D. ueer
and TO wish he lad not left the comfortable res
touIant In very few minutes the same hair.
door was only fifteen feet from him. but II took
Bill almost fifteen minutes 10 reach it and summon
and Back Wh Eias
cooked and ready for instant use
and ID pao snd fs91 Is 1 ne s
IR Hi sand sand then sd on
as he wa, that little kitten He petsed Il " and
talked 10 II as though IL were human. Them
feeling that he had company, he took two drinks
The warmth Of tho FIRE and the whiskey made
him SO com fortabc that he soon fell into doze
The same noise that had before startled him
came this time almost from his feet He Jumped
up frozen with fear. Not three feet from him
stood this kitten grown TO the size OF young
calf, with eyes a. large as saucers; unnaturally
visible and shining in the middle OF each was
a. incandescrnt electric light As Bills b at
began u slowly rise this thing said as plainly
and distinctly as a man could say ~
There isn't anyone here but you and IN 600"
That's So" said Bill. as he made q dive for
tho door, "and in about second there won't he
anybody here but you"
Bill leaped ton feet from that door and made
running motion before he hit the ground That
BLACK waxy mud was no impeachment 10 his
speed. He made good time on II as no would
have done on cindeT path. Bills pudgy little
stomach stuck out until il resembled little boy tot
inga big drum al a muster. He kept up the gait for
about half a mile when from sheer exhaustion
he was compelled TO sit down on stump and
got his wind. He had been sitting there. the
worst scared man in Dallas county, for about
one minute when slight tap on his shoulder
caused him TO Jump three feet in tho air. Thero
was the horrible object again. II stared at him
and then said
That was a nice race We had
Yes" said Bill with bound, as he again
hit the black waxy. and We arc going to
This time Bill held out until he fell exhausted
in his own dooryard. lie hid out from his friends
for week. and To this day Bill Sterett will shy
at ghost story like a moon eyed morse at .