The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-02-16
New Jersey Committee Goes Out
to Investigate.
Rappings Continue While They
Are on the Hunt.
ALL ARE MYSTIFIED.
People Stand Around House to
Hear the Noises.
SuperstitiOus Regard the Occur
rences With Awe.

of seven responsible citizens appointed
by Mr.. George Reardon TO examine his
house and ''lay" the ''spook'' alleged to
have made rappings for the last three
weeks has reported. The house is situa-
ted close to the village cemetery Tue
family Of eleven has lived in terror since
the first rappings. and the dogs bristle
and show every symptom Of fear just
before the noises begin
When the head Of the family was dri-
ven to make public the peculiar affair It
spread throughout the countryside, and
people have been f1ocking here in car
riages from BlOoningdale, PoInptoa
Junction. Oakland and Crystal Lakes
Hundreds have stood about the house
in the cold to hear the weird noises IT
night. Mr. Reardon was driven nearly
frantic by the mystery OF 1t, and <p-
pealed to the public to save him from
the persecution of the spirit or what
ever it was. He appointed Joseph Nc
Lean, Isaac Grenier. George IrumDo1rs
Robert Getty, Robert HaycOck, Word
F'resland and Albert Miller, all intelli-
gent citizens, to investigate These had
all been in the crowd that stood in ana
about the house at different times, but
visited the place alone several times, am
last on Wednesday night Of this week
They heard the noises. hunted the house.
over from top TO bottom. and had 20 re
port yesterday that they could not tell
the origin of the sounds. The chairman
LIKE A HEAVY BLOW.
I'VE found several peculiar things
about IT. The noise was like a tremend
Gus thump on the underpinning and
would run up between the walls 1t was
not a sharp blow with a hammer on the
beams, but more like shake OF tht
whole structure It only sounded when
we were in a certain room upstairs, ana
when the whole family was up there
with US. We know that there was no
one around the house. for we stationed
guard outside. 1 know there was no one
downstairs Many times the noise WOulu
come, three times-three dull thuds that
shook the whole inside Of the house. We
searched for some secret trap OF pas
sage. but found none. think that the
noises are caused by some living person
but how / cannot tell am sure that
Mr. ReardOn is sincere, and does not
know himself what they are
The house is apart from any other.The
family living there profess not to believe
in ghosts Among its eleven members
are several stout young men, When thu
noises first sounded they got guns and
revOlvers and. statiOning themselves
around the outside. shot at every moving
thing And as soon as the rest Of the
family had gone upstairs the noises be-
gan. Persons were stationed in the cell
lar and under the piazza, but could not
catch the spOOl. As long as any one re-
NAMED on the first floor the noises were
not heard. But the front hall door could
be left open and persons could stand at
the head OF the stairs and the noises
shook the house
II did not believe in ghosts when it
began" said Mrs Martha Reardon.
but now 1 am free to confess that /
we shot silver coins from the guns, and
did all those Witch-killing tricks to
to drive the thing away As many as
forty people were in the house at once
while the noises were going on The
yard was black with them Some of the
folks pretended they heard accompany
ing noises from the cemetery I have
hunted for some tragedy to explain 1t.
but can not find that any one was muir
dered here. on in this vicinity. Since
no one has been hurt il does not terrify
US any more. The crowds got to be
such a nuisance that we finally found
the spOok was preferable alone and had
to drive them away The people crowd
ed into the house and spoiled my car
pets spat upon the floors and nearly
ruined everything. Last Friday some
one tired asking questions of the ghost
It proved to be communicative It was
asked to give three raps II Il would go
away and lWO If it would not. 1t gave
two. In that way it finally told us
that 1T would go away and return again.
It was not heard again till last night,
when at 1880 it only gave three raps
aid then was silent know it is no
member of the family, for all have been
here in the room when it has sounded
has been in New York during the whole
affair and came back Friday night,
when the noises stopped I think her
return has something to do with it. I
cannot say what"
GHOST THEORY NOT POPULAR.
The people Of the village are thor
0ughiy worked up over il. The ghost
theory Is accepted only by a few credu-
1ous ones But the mystery is how the
person who manipulates the affair
makes the conclusions without being
discovered. The reporter searched the
house from top to bottom in broad day
light and could find no clue, except
that the attic of the house, the un-
finished part in the roof, has no window
and no entrance
When the house was finished 1t was
closed entirely. Yet there is a large
room there. And there is a dry cistern
seven feet away from the house. the
top of which T. frozen down TO the sod.
The noises came from the region OF the
front hall near this well They come
from between the walls. It would be
impossible for any one to make the
sounds from the cellar without being
discovered by the guard there.
III man was I'm the closed attic and
tween the walls Of the front hall he
could make Just The noise heard by
raising it and letting II fall on the
underpiuufng. but the reporter satisfied
himself there was no way to get into
the attic.
The house is owned by the Knowlton
heirs who believe that some enemy IS
trying to drive George Reardon's fam
ily out Of town The ground has been
sounded for subterranean passages
leading 11p to the front hall underpin-
ming. but none has been found.
MnTAGCEC HAXVNG