The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-23
THE HAUNTED HOUSE

and favorahly known in the vicinity.
One morning a neighbor noticed that
lights We're burning in the Leslies' house.
He went up the steps and rang the bell.
There was no response, and after a few
hours the neighbors decided that some
thing was wrong inside and that an en-
trance must be made at once. The front
door was accordingly forced open, and as
the men went in they could see into the
room beyond the hall, the sitting room.
Mr.. Leslie was sitting with paper
across his knee. apparently asleep, and on
a couch near by lay his wife.
1t took but a few moments to ascertain
that both had been dead for some hours.
Their faces were peaceful and composed.
There We're no signs of disturbance in the
house.
Every possible inquiry was made. No
trace of poison or of foul play could be
found. Numberless theories We're adj
vanced, and the wonder and excitement
over the tragic death of the younE couple
grew daily.
After some months their relatives re-
moved the furniture, and 'To Let APP
peared in the cottage windows. The house
was Immediately taken by gentleman
from Leeds, whose family consisted. be-
sides himself. of his wife and two little
girls. None of this family had heard the
story of the Leslies, nor did they hear it
until they had been in the cottage for
some days.
One night, after they had occupied the
dwelling for over Il week, the head of the
family was awakened by u sudden
scream. His wife awoke at the same mo-
ment and eXclaimed:
One of the children must have the
niohtmaren'
But just then the two little girls rush
ed into the room eNclaiming:
whats the matter. mother? What
are you screaming about?
Almost before they had finished speak
ing two more screams in quick success
sion rang through the house. The place
was carefully searched. but no cause
for the disturbance could be found.
4 week passed without any recurrence
of the midnight sounds, when one night
Mrs. Weston awoke from il most terrible
dream. She dreamed that she was lying
upon the couch in the sitting room. In
front of her stood young man who held
a pillow in his hands.
II shall stitic YOU he said clearly;
lit 5 no use to struggle
Mrs. Weston dreamed that she tried to
scream: that once, twice, three times
she endeavored to rise from the couch TO
push away the pillow, but could not.
From this dream she awoke suddenly.
and as she lay cndeavoring to overcome
its impression gasping shrek, quickly
followed liz tv.o moro awakened her
husband and again brought the little
girls Hying in terror ia their mothers
room
The family we're Inv this time thor
onghly terrified They had heard the
story of the Leslies, and without waiting
for fuythc, eyperience in the house fhev
moved at once
Their story rot about. with the result
that the house was vacant fer n year
Then a family. consisting Of IN elderly
couple. Mr.. and Mrs. Walters. and their
son, n velfnss man ohout ~. moved i'm
The remainder of the story was told me-
by this son. and | will Give it in his own
words as nearly as possible:
Il wasn't afraid of any haunted house
NV father was deaf. so ii woul6 take Il
reasonably loud scream to awaken him.
and my mother was n sensible woman
The house lust suited us. We cor nice
ly settled in a few weeks, and my elder
brother and his wife came TO nay us Il
visit The first night they were there
staid in town for the theater. The Train
! came home by left n few minutes after
II, and | reached the hous, at about a
quarter TO -. was nearly ready for
bed when a Shrek like that of n prrsou
struggling for his life sounded through
the house. hurried into the hall. and as
| did 50 my brother opened his door Be-
fore either of H.. could speak a second
and Il third scream followed. Rv this
time even fathers deaf ears had been
penetrated. and we all sat up talking
the matter over far into the night before
we felt like steep.
''In the end we decided not to mention
the occurrence. We thought of several
possible explanations of the noise. The
next morning we made careful exam-
nation of the house and surroundings.
We made inquiries as to late trains.
thinking we might have mistaken the
Shrek of an engine for human voice:
but all our conjectures led to nothing.
We could find no satisfactory reason for
the disturbance.
Il made inquiries about the Leslies and
found that many people believed that
Leslie had stitlcd his wife and then talk
en- some subtle poison which left no trace,
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