The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-18
UNCLE SAM OWNS A GHOST.
HOUSE WHERE A TIA AGEDY OCCUR
RED - GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.

liant social Cattle rtnEs-Eptsode
That Led to wIfc's suicide Mt
Husbands DemRnd-DueI Closes
the Career of Man Formerly
Prominent In Politics.
From the Washington Post.
A government Waterman vouches for
'his story. lie Is employed 40 one Of tho
department buildings. aud declares thot
| the structure contains ghost: that the
I place Is haunted and he dcacs scientists
[ or sco0crs 20 give tho Die 20 DTS state
ment The building IN question was pur-
chased by tho government a number o.
years ago Il lies west OF the once "a
nous Tragic Park. now called Lafayette
Park and was the residence az a prom.-
nens statesman long since dead. The
statesman built the house when he was IN
the zenith o. his fame and used IL as a
place 80 dispense lavish hospitality There
he arranged OH his political lutrigues.
when the wealth and wits OF the nations
capital lived IN chat section % the city.
The house to-day bears no interior re-
semblancc 20 what q was in tho ola days.
There has been no change OF the exterior.
save that The old garden which in the
early days was fun OF mystic beauty. SUI
rounded hy great MASSES OF flowers and
sweet smelling shrubs has been swept
away to make room for sidewalks and for
adjoining buildings. Thousands 81 clerks
have fled iu and out Of tho building since
Uncle sam became the tenant. thousands
| Of people have thronged past the doors
which once swung hack 90 allow the
smart set o. carly Washington 10 pass
wthin iis portals bnt not many have
heard ~ the terrible tragedy which was
enacted behi7d those walls and which the
watchmnu declares Is responsible for tho
nightly sounds ~ rcvelry. terminating
suddenly In q Shrek so low that IL cannot
he heard outside 81 the structure vet 50
piercing and so hcartrcnding that nothing
| short Of pantc's description OF the lost
souls last cry can Gttingly describe the
sound
story OF Jealousy.
Tho story o. the tragedy Is no longer
frosh. even IN the minds ~ old ASKING
tonians. II came as n climax 90 a long
series % political infrirues and eliminated
IN one % the greatest political scandals
~ that period The curtain was rung
down only after murder had been com
miuod The statesman who enjoyed this
social prestige came out % the South. He
| brought wtfh him wife. beautiful. refn-
| ed tactful ard with 2 manner so capt.
waiting that she was quickly drawn into
the social maelstrom. ard had a court or
male admirers which soon set the tongues
of the Nine Grundys waggingi The hns-
| band seemed to enjoy his wJfe's social
| success. and INDUCED her en- her slightest
| within. But the whirl ~ tragic events
was cFowding IN upon the pair First
| biz Of political trsachery was discovered
md traced to the doing OF the statesman.
| IL resulted In the downfall Of a prom
/ ineut member Of Congress hut the clam
Or which &, raised was TOO loud to he
/ lasting and Ia n comparatively short
/ time the matter was seemingly forgotten
/ forgotten by all but one man. and this
man has sworn 10 wreak vengeance upon
/ the man who had brought ruin and dis
aster upon his uncle.
There IS no record ohtniuabie IN the
/ city that murder was committed within
/ those walls. The crime was hlutcd a. In
| some quarters as suicide but the doctors
| certificate read heart disease" The
beautiful wife Of the statesman wac found
| IN bath tuh dead. Just Two years later
| 20 day the cougressman-h husband
was ruined The social world was shocked
| az the sudden death. There was no sus-
/ plcion nor any evidence OF foul play. vet
one OF the most cruel and cold-hlooded
murders conceivable had brought death 10
/ NAAN RfHAAfiANA NffiNdfHs ~ ~ true NUAA
| che administered the deadly potion with
| her own hands but IL was in the pres
ence of tho husband she had loved and
whom she had been foully accused Of be-
trnying that she swallowed the poison
A Fatal Kiss.
The avenger had plotted Well That
night the doors OF the stotesman's house
had teen thrown open 10 one OF the gayest
social functions Of the season. Many Of
the celebrities Of that time spent the
early evening over a rare dinner and
| wine and later the younger guests IN
dancing. This part was the gayest Of
/ the gay, and men flushed with wine car
| rled on desperate firtations with every
/ pretty woman present when the climax
was reached the hour had grown late. Al
ready a number of the jewellers had gone.
/ and the hostess. more beautiful than ever.
was bidding adieu 20 the departing guests.
In the crowd that night there was tall
southeruer OF soldierly appearance
Throughout the entire evening he had
lowered near the hostess. and just as
he was about 10 depart paused on tbs
threshold spoke something in an under
tone and lightly kissed the hostess on the
forehead. The statesman was led 60 the
spot by the avsnger just as the kiss was
imprinted In an instant a terrible mad
ness invaded his being lie gave the aven-
ger curt good night and sought his
library. lie rad forgotten that a few
hours ago the southerner had been intro
duced as his wlfe's cousin.
The interview between husband and
wife was told by n family slave. II was
brief. aud The verdict was that the wife
must die This she did. shortly after her
death the husband met with both finan-
cisi ard political reverses. In a compare
tiveIy SNORT lime ;As -hlrlwind Of disas-
ter swept him of his feet. He left wash
inrton and returned 20 his home in the
South. where a few years later he was
| killed in a duel by the man whom he
had been searching for since that fatal
/ night.
The House IL Haunted.
Since chat tragic event hundreds OF fam
HES have tried 10 live In this house. other
/ statesmen have rented u. but failure and
defeate lasted while they lived IN the doom
cd mansion IL was years before the
building gained the name OF being hoo
dooed." but once "a got the name people
IN an walks OF life Stunned the place.
I and for a long time before the structure
was finally bought by the United States
/ government II was tenaniless.
/ There is no longer a bath room IN the
| ~. '-@A-- xzsx8l