Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-16
The Story of Mr.. j. r.
WhartOn'S Haunted House

thief To our utter amazement no one
was visible We infinitely examined
every nook and corner. Then we just
as carefully looked at the fastenings of
| every window and door. Not one had
be en- disturbed. Considerably puzzled
we went back up stairs, deciding the
would-be thief had been frightened
away by our inOpportune return and
had managed to elude us in the mys-
FERROUS way criminals have.
I'VE discussed the affair next day but
as we had lost nothing retired next !
night earlier, so that we We're asleep |
when the clock struck midnight. TIL. |
next night after that | believe. we had |
callers. and remained up. the guests |
leaving a few moments before the witch
lES hour. Imagine our surprise when the |
same performance was repeated. AS be-
| fore we went down and examined every
| thing and with little satisfaction.
Finally we decided it must be rats,
! pretty big ones too. That theory was
| exploded when no trace of rats could
| be found, and not a rat hole in the house,
| or neighborhood This same inexplan-
able thing happened several times again.
| Then | decided to act. Was I afraid
! Put yourself in my place and guess. It
| is certain l was puzzled. One night
| after we had listened to the Presence
| walk across the floor, I heard it go to-
| wards the kitchen door. from the dining
room. l seized stick of wood and |
| got to the upper window over the kitchen
oCor in time to have caught the intruder
| on the top of the head with it. But to
my utter amazement the stick of wood
crashed down on the steps. encounter
| ing no obstacle. This time | was angry.
Round and round went again. Same
| barren results Then we went up stairs
and sat down to Wrestle with the first
| problem which had Obtruded into our
! married life. Suddenly my wife spoke:
! DO YOU remember, that it is just
exactly as the clock strikes twelve that
we hear the mysterious noises every
time" Imagine my surprise when !
found by looking back to previous even
ings that it was true. We debated what
to do. Why not have left the house?
Not much, We decided that we would
fathom the mystery if it laid within hu-
4 man power
THE next night we went down stairs
! or rather remained there all the even
iEg. Sure enough, | shall never forget
my feelings at that particular moment.
Just at midnight that unseen horrible
Thing walked across the floor, but 20
our surprise. we heard it move from
room to room upstairs, not whore we
were. This put still more perplexn,
aspect to the affair. Whatever it was
it evidently did not pine for the society
OF those still in the flesh. Then we de-
i termined to try another plan. | was
to sit down stairs the next night and
my Wife upstairs. Brave of her? Well
yes i think it was. We carried out
our programme. At midnight l heard
III il walking across from one rom n tha
!, other up stairs and l called to my Wife.
! hear ii distinctly up there- Can you
~ see anything? Imagine my astonsh-
| nent when she called down to me:
No! 1t is down there. l heard it
| walking from room to ROOM" Then We
tried once more to figure out the puzzle
p 1t seemed so strange that it worried me-
Il did not believe in spirtualism or any
thing which would account for the mani
frstation. Yet there it was--a something
to be solved. And yet no way to solve
it, | determined finally to let thing :
drift along for a while and see what
happened. We retired earlier so as /
let the visitor have good time without
disturbing us. Like Banquo's ghost it
would not down however for we both
thought of it a great deal more than
| was good for us. Every once in While
! we would try again to unravel the mys-
terry but every time it Obstinately refused
to unravel even one thread by means of
| which we could have satisfied ourselves
SO as the novels say time rolled on.
"One night / sat down to read but q :
usual found my thoughts straying from
the printed page to the mystery of our
| lives. Tragic. eh- Suddenly bright
idea struck me and I told my wife that
just before midnight I would go out
t. the front of the house and sit down
on the steps of the entrance and see if
could hear it from the outside as well
as in the interior. she to remain inside
and see the Mystery did not shirk its
nightly programme.
SO out | went and sitting on the steps
ltaned my fevered brow against one OF
the pillars. Sure enough. prompt to the
minute came the manifestation. And
the ghosts which had haunted Wharton
mansion were exercised once and for
ever.
Il What was it? The midnight blasts
III the GagnOn. going off promptly as
they should have done. One after
another made it sound as If going from
one room to another. Best imitation OF
the real article l ever saw, or rather
heard. You're disappointed. Why? ]
call it pretty good ghost story my
. l self"