St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-08-07
SOME HOMEMADE SPOOKS.


his library, poured me out a glass OF |
wine and then had a story to relate.
From his statements it appeared that
his mother. who was an old lady of 70,
had long been member of certain
charitable organization, and certain |
members of it had secured an undue
Influence over her. She was being per-
shaded to buy and deed the society
cortain house and lot valued at about
e. Oo0 and the sons arguments and
protestations had brought about strain
cd relations. The long and short of 1t
was, I think, that the son did not want
the money to go out Of the family, and
he had set his wits to work to invent
some scheme to defeat the old ladys
Intentions. He had got the scheme and
now desired my assistance to carry It
ont. The house stood alone on a large
plot of ground and had not been ten
anted for several years. Inc mother
was a superstitious woman VINO was
o,,idad nv dreams and omens and had
once seen a ghost, and the son proposed
IN knock her project in the head by
producing a haunted house He want
ed ghosts and COLLINS made to order,
and he believed was the man TO put
the lob through successfully
He was willing to pay GOOD price
for a. good thing, and after TWO or three
meetings we came to a satisfactory I'M
Outstanding. 1t was a twos story orlck
house. with cellar and al attic, ana
the grounds were surrounded by a
stone wall. There were three or four
old trees. with limbs tnching the
walls. and the roof was OFT OF repair
and doors and windows wee in a dllap-
;dated state, l found the cllar divided
by four partition walls, AMI the rooms
we're gloomy enough to lool at IL was
an ideal place for spooks. Down IN one
corner of the yard was toulouse, with
n door in the wall opening upon a COM
mon, and after spending couple OF
hours about the place reprted to MI
Endriss that I could gre him the
hauntedest haunted houseever known
IN England. That door opning on the
commons and the high wal around the
grounds gave me an opportunity to
come and 90 and do my york without
much risk of observation.
The Toulouse had a arret to II,
which was dark and damp, and en-
trance to it was effected y trapdoor
end a ladder, and l took his attic for
nv headquarters. Thiter l carried
{ nv electric batteries an other para
nhernalia, and for wee l was busy
/ running wires and locatig spooks. II
r tested my ingenuity to I'm wires along
the walls and up and down the trunks
: of trees and into the huse In such a
! manner that they shoul be safe from
all other eyes, but I carried this mat
r ter out very successful. l had to rip
I'D the flooring and getinto the partl-
: tons here and there, BIT my tools left
no trace behind.
worked it, but one lay it was whis-
! pered about that th old Duff house
2 was haunted. A trap told story of
d being driven out by grange noises, and
e in "a hours it was over the neigh
borhood. A newspaper had something
n to say about it in a dy or two, and be-
fore the week was out two grocer's
t. clerks had decided 0 pass the night
n In the haunted hose. was KEEP
It posted and was on land at proper
hour. The young felows took up theil
" station in the parlol having candles
cards, drink and a pod deal Of cour
E. age, but they ddn'tremain all night
Under the floors Of tie upper and low
e, err halls l had placedtwo fat pieces O
wood in such waythat they woul(
a strike together when the electric but
ton was pressed. A those spook de
fiers sat smoking md bluffing the,
heard the sound Of footsteps in the up
rs per hall. They ha6 to imagine tina
$. the footsteps descened the stairs, Blu
~ they kindly did so. Then they caugh
a them In the lower lall and imagine
that an invisible beilg passed the ope
G parlor door, and the way those chap
b. got out Of that houseand over the wa
was a sight to see. Their story create
ne intense excitement, md, realizing tht
his property was il peril, the ownt
took immediate steps to solve the my
terry.
H. Three nights after the young me
al had been driven out the owner and tv
H. policemen took up heir quarters in Il
y house. A Thorough search was fir
- made Of the premises, and then Il
~ trio sat down to Wait for spooks.
y due time the spools came. There w
he no wind outside, but shortly befo
III midnight there WIS gusty wall fro
n the floor above, bng drawn wall tn
q seemed to have originated in gray
yard. 1t was only whistle Of my
vention, worked by a valve and
spring, but up went the hair Of t
A. three doubling Tlomases. The W
d. was followed by spirit rappings
81 the wall, and as inisher there was
ct soft, sad music from ghostly lips. I
er police only waited long enough for
owner to suggest that he was slice
and wanted to go home and go to b
~ and then the trio made bolt for
- street. The next day all London v
~ talking about the Duff house, and p
'Ae pie came in such crowds and ste
around so obstinately that it took tV