The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-24


home of Jacob Stahl, of Paterson, N. j.
Phenomena which defy any explanation
other than the agency of the spirits of
the neither world WOO I'D have repeatedly
manifested themselves in the presence Of
StahPs entire housel old, and have well
nigh wrecked the hapiness Of his family.
Stahl and wife have been firmly con-
WINGED that malevolent spirits have set
their seal upon the house and are deter
mined upon it's destruction.
The Journal made the discovery that
Mrs. Stahl possessed e& traorbinary power
as a medium but was unaware of it.
Stahl, with his wife, Elizabeth, and
seven children, the oldest of whom is
thirteen, lives in an unpreterEious frame
house at East Fifth street and Sixth
avenue. He is a middle-class German,
and by industry and frugality has saved
enough money to buy the house in which
he lives and another small house on the
same block. He is employed by the Pat
terson and Pasaic Gas and Electric
Light Company. Up to Christmas of last
year he was regarded by his employers
as one of their soberest and most reliable
men.
Stahl married his present wife seven
years ago, within two months Of the
death of his first wife Five children
have been born to them. The present
Mrs. Stahl is small, swarthy woman
with jet black eyes. She speaks English
brokenly, and prefers to converse in her
native German. They have lived in the
house for a little more than two years
the house which they now occupy.
For the past two days the residence of
the Stahls, on Sixth avenue, from day.
light until long after midnight each day,
has been surrounded by crowd Of more
than a thousand persons, each one eager
to get glimpse through the narrow win
dows of the weird occurrences which are
said to take place within. So great was
the crowd last evening that Stahl tele-
phoned to Police Headquarters that he
must have a squad of policemen sent to
clear the street.
Every time the pale face of one of the
inmates was seen at the window the
crowd set up a yell. Occasionally one of
the balder of the boys or young men
climbed upon the picket fence which sur
rounds the house and craned his neck 60
get better view Of what was passing in
side Seeing some member of the family
pass the window he turned with Shrek
and jumped back among his fellows with
new story Of the wonders he had seen.
When any one summoned courage
enough to climb the stairs and knock up
on the door he was Immediately met by
the startled face of Stahl.
No one can come in," was the sharp
greeting of the visitor. Before he had
time to announce his errand the door was
slammed in his face.
A Journal reporter, Accompanied by an
artist who had delved deep in the lore of
the occult, called at the Stahl house late
yesterday afternoon. Stahl met them
with the usual refusal to reveal any
thing The Journal man introduced the
artist as a studend of spirit manifesto
tons, who wished to relieve the house of
the spirit. Stahl was at once interested.
IF you can help us, I am glad you have
come he said. 1--WE are at our wits end
and do not know what is coming next
A group of silent figures was gathered
about the dining room stove when the
Journal man and the artist entered the
room. Mrs. Stahl sat in the center. with
her head bowed down in her hands. At
her right sat a young man in clerical
garb. He was introduced as the Rev.
Carl Bast, pastor of the Christ Evangeli-
cal Church of Paterson. Mr. Bast Is a
young man, perhaps thirty years old. and
during their residence in Paterson Stahl
and his wife have been members of his
church. The clergyman was speaking in
a subdued tone to Mrs. Stahl. who ap-
peared to be overcome with grief. The
effect of the group was funeral.
Stahl plunged into his story at once:
For more than a year" he said, my
wife and the children have told me of
mysterious rappings and noises about
the house. I paid no attention to them
for long time, thinking that they were
the results of imagination So long as It
was. confined to occasional knocks I
thought it best to pay no attention.
about last Christmas heard the
noises for the first time myself On the
night Of December Is I remember ! was
awakened by a series of sharp raps on
the door OF the bedroom where my wife
and I slept. I got up quickly, seized a.
match and ran out into the hall. There
was no one there. I went back to bed
and found my wife shivering with fright
1 told her that We had both been de-
ceived by rat scampering through the
| hall. and after time she went TO sleep.
Just as 1 was doing of 1 felt the bed
| raised under me. 1t tilted up from the
foot, and was let down with q sharp Jolt
Again 1 jumped up, but could find moth
! ing
'An that night sleep was impossible.
/ Every half hour something new would
/ happen. Although there was no wind out
| side. the window shook, the blinds
slammed and sounds ike the branches Of
! trees brushing against the roof disturbed
| our rest time and again.
In the morning my wife was almost
/ hysterical. 1 made up my mind that
! something must be done. for I now real
/ lied that the stories OF my wife and
/ children had some other foundation than
! their imaginations I thought first Of our
/ pastor. Mr., Bast. went 10 him and told
him Just what had occurred. I thoue ht
that he would laugh at me and tell me
that I was as big fool as the rest. Bur
he did not He listened closely until I
had flushed and came back home with
me az once He told us that he did not
believe in spirits and wished TO see and
hear the things himself That same az
teTnoon, while he wss sitting with rs
here by the stove. the rapping began
again lasted only a moment. but he
heard il distinctly and went away pJz-
zled. He advised me to say nothing to
/ anyone about Il.
From that time NJ TO now things have
been going from bad 10 worse Every day
! snnnstl,fnr has harnanea - ais.,,-h ..,,-