The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-13

STEPS. rms 50 tffftued hltn mot ne ftn,
and In "a few hours. after having rccov-
cred sufficiently TO toll his tale. he died.
This unforunase afair which was fully
investigated BY an oilciai inquiry. is be-
fevcd 90 have arisen from phantasma-
goria. and the Governor doubled the sem
try. and used energetic precautions that
no moro ghosts heunted the Tower from
that time The soldier sore a high char
actcr tor bravery and good conduct. and
the affair created a considerable sir az
the period.
The most famous modern example Of
how stories OF this hind can be manu-
featured even in our day. out OF hcaraay
and third-hauded statements. e. that ~
the haunted house IN Berkeley Square.
which seems 20 have received its popular
ty and fame from being identified through
some accidental circumstance as the scene
OF similar story In Tempe Bar for 1873
by Miss Broughton OF house IN the
country. Tho house IN question belonged
70 an eccentric gentleman He was IN
good circumstances. but chose 60 spend
no money on a.. For many years soap.
paint. ard whitcwash were never used,
and then by degrees began the most out
raReous stories OF servants and VISITORS
going out OF their minds after sleeping
night In one particular room, while
some imaginative individual was 80 car
ried away with unwholcsome excitement
that he stated that the vary party walls
Of the house when touched were
found saturated with electric horror
the mysterious noises were heard ~
night by the neighhors thus giving rise
60 the apprehension that the house was
being used BY a gang Of colucrs. is prob
ably true. for q subsequently appeared
that the occupants eccentrioity took the
form Of wandering up ard down the stair
cnses and passages during the small
hours
The lease hnd sllIl six years 70 run
when the unfortunate gentleman died.
whereupon the action OF hi sister. 20
whom the properly passed. in refusing
either 90 ict the house or I've ia II herself,
caused the ghost stories concerning q TO
be circulated more freely than ever. Fin
nlly this lady sold the lease aud the
house passing 10 a skeptiesi firm Of houre
agents. the exterior and interior were put
into a thorough state Of repair. Tenants
were then speedily forthcoming. and as
these. needless 10 say neither saw nor
heard anything abnormal. the haunted
reputation soon became a thlng OF the
past The manner In which the series OF
outrageous spook stories had grown 10 be
connected with q was very c.everly and
individually exposed by the correspond
ents Of Notes aud Queries. Only one point
remained TO be cleared up when the house
was renovated. viz, whether u had pos
Eessed the reputation OF being haunted be-
I fore the eccentric genileman's tenancy.
Fortunately the butler OF the previous oc-
cupicr was discovered and he solemnlv
stated that during the years he had been
IN the house often alone and ut all houra.
| he had never seen any bigger ghost than
| himself" The moral, II any. S. keep the
| exterior Of your house ia good repair. 9TH
erwise q ghost may be appropriated 10 YOU
with as little show Of evidence. authority
or Justification as s. the case OF the so
called Berkeley Square mystery. The
house was quite the London ghost sensa-
ton OF the seventies" though Il T. said
q certain house in sloane street then pos
sessed and may SIN possess. % far more
substantial horror. an apparition which
could squeeze you rs n In an iron wise.
A Chelsea ApparftIon.
One OF the first cases Of haunted
house which the Society for Psychicai Re-
| search was asked TO investigate was sit
uated I'm Chclsee. where an artists studio
was tho scene OF weird Visitati0ns. An ap-
partition was seen By the artist IN broad
daylight. and appeared TO him constantly
during his three Yeas tenancy. The cir
cuuistanccs were such as to preclude all
self was - distinct and nfelike that he
| succeeded IN producing a portrait OF 81. a
/ rough sketch OF this portrait which 10
| now IN possession OF the society. repre-
ssnts a young man Of about Is with the
right arm torn away from the shoulder
| and q strangely mournful, pleading ex-
preston in the eyes. The society exam
ined the house. and found that It's then
tenant. who had replaced the artist. had
seen nothing.
II was discovered, however. that a dis
tresslng suicide had taken place ia the
house shortly after Il had been built (and
at forty years before the date OF the
vision alleged 10 have been seen by the
artisD but Il dld not seem poniibie 10
connect this IN any way with the latter.
And there the matter ended. This ~ the
last bona-nde case OF a London haunted
house which we have been able TO trace.
The West ksnsington one reads spurious
~. as though the reputation had really
originated in tho tempting target which
a long-ompty and defeiies-iookiug house
always offers 20 the stone-throwing pro-
pensities OF the small boys OF the neigh
borhood. Nevertheless, Il IL only fair to
add that. according 20 some accounts. this
unfortunate villa has suffered It's uncan-
ny distinction Ter some sixteen years
past.