Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-08-14
A GHOSTLY,
VISITOR.
He Pointed Out His
Murderer.


Harkl There It is! The ghost is taking
his midnight walk. There can be no mis-
taking that light step echoing through
the wide and silent hallway. 1t is the
ghost!
Springing up, grasp Dalrymple by
che arm and give him raising shake.
He starts up with a sleepy, half fright
ened look.
"Jack.' said in an awed whisper.
siisten! There Is the ghosts step! This
house Is haunted sure! He's coming
down stairs"
Dalrymple rubbed his eyes and sprang
to his feet. Ghosts nor men had ter
rors for him, and it was for this reason
that / had asked him to spend night
with me in this house, about which were
20 many stories of ghosts walking at
night and which was SO much avoided
by the villagers.
And in truth the houses uncanny repu-
nation was not without foundation. 1t
had not been occupied for 10 years and
was now inhabited by rats and cock
reaches. Its roof was all moss grown,
and all approaches to 1t were grown up
In weeds and briers. No one had cared to
go near it in IS years. Its last occu-
pant was rich old man who lived In
II only during the summer and was nil
alone. For Is summers he lived there.
The people knew but little of him save
that his name was Caspar Troup and
that he was very wealthy.
The last seen of him about the village
was one day in August just ID years be-
fore the occurrence of the incident mar
rated at the beginning of this story. He
was observed walking about the place
experimenting some work that he was
having done. The next day the house
was shut up. and he was seen no more.
1t was thought that he had returned to
the city and would turn up the next
summer. A few months later younger
brother of his came down and removed
the furniture and closed up the house.
That was the last ever seen of Caspar
TYoup, and the next summer the house
was not opened.
The big. roomy house remained all
through the year following closed up, de-
serted and alone. The villagers who pass
ed by it at night began to tell strange
stories of the sounds that they heard in-
side and declared that they had often
seen light shining through the blinds
and had heard voices moaning as if in
pain These stories gave the house a rep
"a ptllS uhu II was CIV
en- wide berth by all at night. just as
many other houses are in nearly every
village For IS years the house sustained
the reputation well and even increased it.
1t became the talk of the town. and any
number of intrepid youths spoke of
spending a night in the house and solv-
ing the mystery. But none ever did so.
l determined to see il there was anything
in the many stories that had been told
and proposed to Jack Dalrymple that
we spepd a night In the house and meet
the ghost face to face.
And so 1t came to pass that we repair
ed TO the silent house one night Just after
dusk and. opening the creaking door. en-
tered the wide hallway. All was dark.
We lighted wax taper and set il down
in the hallway to give us light. We spent
the first few hours of the night speculat-
ing about the appearance of his ghost
ship and finally. becoming wearied. we
had fallen asleep. l had scarcely got
asleep when heard the footsteps as de-
scribed above.
After rousing Dalrymple we walked
into the hallway.
We could hear the footsteps sounding
In the hallway just over our heads 1t
was the ghost, and it was coming toward
the stairway. Nearer and nearer the
footsteps came. and faster and faster my
heart beat Another stop
Great God! There it was! Hideous!
Horrible!
AT last | had seen ghost! In all my
most horrible freaks of imagination |
had never conjured up anything half so
fripbtful or hideous as this 1t was the
figure of an old man, who might have
been a thousand years old, so bent, so
feeble and decrepit he seemed. de was
leaning with one hand on a cane. while
with the other he steadied himself on the
railing of the stairway. But more nor
rible than all was the awful. gaping cut
which extended from one of his ears to
the other and which was dripping with
blood His white beard was clothed with
blood. and the long white hair which fell
In folds over his shoulders was soaked
with gore.
This horrible, unearthly figure came
down the stairway and stood before US,
staring at us with his wild, maniacal,
protruding, bloodshot eyes. while his thin
Inns were twitching nervously and the
ghastly wound was gaping open, showing
the severed windpipe.
"Who-who are your asked Dairym-
pie in q husky voice.
The creature replied IN squeahihs
voice without moving his lips. the voice
coming out of the gaping wound.
al" he said-''I am Caspar Troup, ana
was murdered here in this house 10
years ago" ,,
..Troup! Murdered! was all ! could
calculate.
And this was ghost!
ayes. / AMI am a ghost" he contin-
ned in the same way as before, "put l
have no time to spare with you. am
gong to call on my murderer
.Ca,l on vour murderer? What do
von mean? Explain yourself" asked
balrymple excitedly. ;, a.,
II mean what l say" continued the
ghost. II was murdered in here. ! am
ghost, and l am now going to !, haunt the
wretch who gave me that" And ne
nointed to the gaping, CHASTITY wound
across his throat. a., -. n.L