Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-08-16
Some
Homemade
By. Spooks.
NJ. QUAD.
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cOrrRIeHr. 1901. ut .. .. txws.

- SSSS ~ - - SS
was putting electric wires into the
house OF gentleman named Endriss.
living In fashionable street i'm Lon
don. when one day he invited me into
his library, poured me out a glass OF
wine and then had a story TO relate.
From his statements II appeared that
his mother. who was an old lady OF 10.
had long been member OF a certain
charitable organization. and certain
members OF IL had secured an undue
influence over her. She was being per
certain house and lot valued at about
$1,000. and the sons arguments and
protestations had brought about strain
ed relations. The long and short OF II
was, 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 II
out. The house stood alone on large
plot of ground and had not been ten
anted for several years. The mother
was n superstitious woman. who was
guided by dreams and omens and had
once seen n ghost, and the son proposed
TO knock her project in the head by
producing n haunted house. He want
ed ghosts and COLLINS made To order.
and he believed l was the man to put
the Job through successfully.
He was willing to pay a good price
for a good thing. and after two or three
meetings we came to a satisfactory I'M
Outstanding. Ii was n two story brick
house. with a cellar and an attic. and
the grounds were surrounded by a
stone wall. There were three or four
old trees. with limbs touching the
walls. and the roof was out OF repair.
and doors and windows were In a dilap-
idated state. found the cellar divided
by four partition walls. and the rooms
were gloomy enough TO look at. 1t was
an ideal place for spooks. Down In one
corner OF the yard was a Toulouse. with
n door in the wall opening upon a com
mon, and after spending a couple OF
hours about the place I reported TO Mr..
Endriss that could give him the
hauntedest haunted house ever known
| in England. That door opening on the
commons and the high wall around the
| grounds gave me an opportunity TO
come and go and do my work without
much risk OF observation.
The Toulouse had a garnet to it,
which was dark and damp. and en-
trance TO II was effected by a trapdoor
and ladder, and took this attic for
my headquarters. Thither ! carried
my electric batteries and other para
phernalia. and for week l was busy
running wires and locating spooks. II
tested my ingenuity 10 run wires along
the walls aud up and down the trunks
OF trees aud into the house in such a
manner that they should he safe from
all other eyes. but ! carried this mat
ter out very successfully. | had TO rip
mp the flooring and get into the parti-
tons here and there. but my tools left
no trace behind.
] do not know how Mr.. Endriss
worked II. but one day IL was whis-
pered about that the old Dun house
was haunted. A tramp told a story OF
being driven out by strange noises. and
I'm "a hours II was all over the neigh
borhood. A newspaper had something
TO say about IL In a day or two, and be-
fore the week was out two grocer's
clerks had decided to pass the night
in the haunted house. was kept
posted and was on hand nj proper
hour. The young fellows took up their
STATEN In the parlor. having candles.
cards, drink and a good deal OF cour-
age, but they didn't remain all night.
Under the floors OF the upper and low
Pr halls bad placed two fat pieces of
wood In such a way that they would
strike together when the electric but
ton was pressed. AS those spook de-
fiers sat smoking and bluffing they
heard the sound OF footsteps in the up
per hall. They had to imagine that
the footsteps descended the stairs. but
they kindly did so. Then they caught
them In the lower hall and imagined
that an Invisible being passed the open
parlor door. and the way those chaps
got out OF that house and over the wal
was a sight to see. Their story created
intense excitement, and, realizing thai
his property was in peril. the owner
: took immediate steps 10 solve the mys
terry.
Three nights after the young mer
> had been driven out the owner and tive
policemen took up their quarters in the
, house. A thorough search was frs
made or the premises. and then th'
trio sat down 10 wait for spooks. Ii
due time the spooks came. There wal
I no wind outside. but shortly before
a midnight there was a gusty wall from