The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-17
A TRUE GHOST STORY.

IL IL not strange that a man As years OF age,
with fair intelligence. sober, and who have
knocked over this world great deal and have
always been skepticnl. and abhorrsd the idea
Of such things as ghost. to be made to believe
In such superns tural aRen ces this late In llfef
Such Ia our case. and We are almost ashamed
to own 1t. but nevertheless it's true. We
will state right here that we are
looked upon as q sober. truthful. honorable
man by those who know me land their name
10 legionl and what we relate below. my wife.
children and self are all willing to make sworn
afIldavits. II necessary. that queer things hap
pen around our homo JUST as stated. We
reside In Florida In q small new town. right on
the mRin line OF the Plant System r, r. lead
ing from Wayoross, Ca. to Tampa. Fla Our
residence 10 q nine-room. two-story structure.
with barn and stables. situated about one
quarter Of mile from the heart OF town. The
nrst indication we had that strange things
happen around the place was about three
months ago. About IL O'Clock In the fore
noon We came up home on our bicycle
and Just before We got to the lot gate
We heard terrible hammerins In the buggy
shelter. We made sure that It was one OF our
little boys out there. and We called to him to
como and open the gate for US. He needed US
not, and we called twice moro In very loud
tone. to oome and open the gate. He failed to
0Omb anu WI kOt Ulhu huu 10 COTEcut
him for not coming whom we called him to open
the gate for US. We open cd the gate ourself.
gathered up SWITCH and m ade for the buggy
shelter with the full intention OF switchinG
him. When We got to the buggy shelter We
found no boy there. We went into the house
and told our wife about It. Why" she said.
johnnie. nor any OF the children have been
about the stables to-day"
We have small clubhouse situated out about
forty yards from the residence and the door 10
hard to open That door will open and shut
twenty-five times . day without any human
being near 1t. and 1t Ii awful hard to open with
your hands.
The other m orninR about IL O'Clock my wife
was sitting In the dining room near the table
peaing some peaches. We were sitting OPP
posite her. Our pointer dog was In the room.
picking up crum bs from around the table. and
all at once we heard him hallowing and look
Ing In the direction where he was at the time
we saw him getting up from the floor He
got out Of that room in hurry. Ny wife says
that she was looking right at him and heard
the lick that knooAed him down. The first
thought struck US was that a stray bullet had
come In the window and struck him. But
after an examination Of the canine. abandoned
that idea.
couple Of SATURDAYS ago our little boy
brought q peck OF Irish potatoes from town
and set them on the dining table. My wife was
In tho kitchen when the boy came in. and we
table. reading. Pretty soon my vile came into
the nIng room took the potatoes anu placed
n N further on the taoIe-a6out I've tset'
when heard something fall to the floor. On
loo ing around there was the bag of potatoes
laying on the floor. There were no children
about the house nor nothing apparently to
throw them of. There was plenty OF room for
them to have caught upon the table-but they
didn't
few nights ago, after the children had all
was az still as death. my wife and self were sit
thug by he centre table reading. when all at
roS so someW6.re. o and i, ounded ak Ike was
up stairs. We hailooed and asked the children
who was thai pouring water pp there BY that
time they were al out OF bed, coming down
stairs. They said that il was none OF them,
and tnat it sounded like II was down stairs. II
around as your leg into barrel about half full
q water. Finally. after We Quoted the chill
pouring started up again-and ibis time II
seemed to be in the parlor We looked that
Eh and we Looked neS 6d p orr and
water came from. nor whore 1t went to yet.
Night after night you can hear soneoody
the assertion. that within the past three
months that walking has caused us to search
the house fifty times. with pistol In hand look
f for to re- The tbs. or os Th,
don't pay any attention to 1t.
A few nights ago alter my wife and had re-
tired, and everything was still was laying In
bed tanning the mosquitoes of with news
paper. as 1t Ia my custom at nights Pretty
soon ! heard something tall In the next room
like q large folded newspaper Pretty soon
heard one all in the hallway, then one fell at our
chamber door. then one fell behind our door.
My vile got NJ and looked and sure enough
tl"re were the papers. In the meantime We had
ceased to fan mosquitoes and had laid the
paper we had over on the bed. When my wife
retired again she put her right foot over the
Newspaper that had been using She had not
heen in bed IN ore than two minutes the second
time. when slap went paper right down by
our bed My wife raised up In the bed aud
loos ed on the floor. and remarked. that It was
identcally the same paper We had" And sure
enough it was. for we got out Of bed, picked
the paper up, and carried IL to lamp that was
burning low in the ROOM and looked at the
date. The reason that we are so positive that
II was the paper We had on the bed H. il was
the Atlanta COnStitu ION OF a late date that we
had been reading before We retired that night.
We have a son 10 years old. and two smaller
boys who sleeps up stairs. They are not
scarry. but last night had to quit their room.
Soon after they had retired something caught
no OF one Of the little boys hands and como
near pulling him out OF bed. 1t scared the lit
to fellow badly, but finally his older
brother coaxed HIM back to bed. My oldest
come downstairs three times during the
night. and said that he could not actually sleep
for some one walk ng around the room all the
time He said one time there was light that
went all around the room. and then went out.
He has changed rooms, but / don't know