Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-09-10
HAUNTED HOUSE MYSTERY.
1t Was a Playful Skunk Having q
Game OF Football That aIysti-
1ed the Tenants,

"A mystery has been solved in house
not far from San Gabriel, Call" said
resident OF neighboring little town, Is
mystery that convinced several sensible
persons that ghosts do live and walk
about o nights, A certain ranche1
wished to go to the beach for the sum.
mer, SO he rented his cottage for six
months to some eastern people. and
there is where the trouble began. The
newcomers liked the place, but few
days after they had moved in one OF
the members OF the family went to the
man who was working on the place and
asked it there was anything peculiar
about the house. No. the man re-
Piled; why do you ask?' Well said
the new tenant, we didn't sleep muck
last night. We went to bed early, and
not long after my boy came and
Knocked at my door and said he heard
some one trying to get in the house. ]
crept out into the hall and then went
all over the house, but heard nothing,
SO went back to bed. In few minutes
my boy called to me, and said that he
had heard noise again. BY this time
the whole household was aroused II
went into the boys room, but still
heard nothing; then I put out the
light and sat down to listen, and it
wasn't ten minutes before I heard the
noise. It sounded like person crawl
ing along the floor Of tho next room;
then something seemed TO go bounding
along like ball, and we heard it strike
the wall. Some Of the children, who had
followed me, were on the borders Of
Mysteries by this time. crept out into
the hall again, my revolver In one hand
and some matches in the other, and to-
ward the door of the next room. 1t
was moonlight, aud as Ipceped through
the keyhole I could see the room suf-
fused with light, but apparently there
was no one i'll it; yet there was the
greatest scampering around that you
have ever heard.
For second continued the ten
ant, 1 could not see distinctly, but
when looked around the room there
was no one there; nothing to be seen
but ball. q big rubber ball, sort Of
child's football, resting in The middle
Of the floor. l was dumfoundcd; the
windows were locked and there was no
place In which to hide, SO l finally
backed out and went into my boys
room, and told the family that it was
the wind. But that didn't go, for as I
was telling them this the ball went
scurrying across the floor and the
phantom was after it. A gain l went out,
and this time I held the door open and
tried to look in. I waited some mo-
ments, but nothing appeared. and that
was the last we heard Of it chat night
1.-The following night the same
thing occurred, SO took the bull out,
and that ended the noise again, but
when put the ball back the ghost
comes, and it has made The family SC
nervous that they wish to leave the
place
That beats me- said the nstonishcd
workman. I have been around the
house for two years and never heard
that it was haunted. l believe, he add
ed, that I can get away With any ghost
that ever walked, and il YOU Will let
me go up and try tonight I'll guarantee
to find out the trouble
$50 it was arranged; the man slept
in the room which the boy had occu
pied, and the ball was replaced in the
haunted room. At II o'clock the man
was heard to go up and the ball started
to roll about. The ranch hand crept
to the door Of the next room very care
fully and at first made no attempt tc
open it; apparently he was listening;
then he slowly opened the door, lis
tened a moment, and closed it, and went
down the hall to where the tenant was
standing. DO you want to see the
ghost? he asked. Well, come on The
tenant followed him, and after waiting
for few moments he saw, through
the crack of the partially opened door
little black animal suddenly appeari il
q broad band of moonlight, and rising
up, strike at the ball with its fore paws,
sending it whirling about the floor. A
kitten!' calculated the new tenant, in
q whisper. No, skunk replied the
man; a polecat-thats your ghost, and
would be careful how you run in on
him. 1t was true, and after some search
small hole was discovered through
which the animal had entered the room,
where it amused itself playing ball by
the light Of the moon.'-N. Y. Sun.
kIeligolnnd ia Gern,nnizcd.