The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-06-14
A GHOST STORY.
But 1t Was Finally Explained in a
Natural Way.


''The dread Of the supernatural in
that people evidence a fear to meet,
as it were, apparitions at close quar-
tiers, as though it were possible for
spiritual elements either Of good or
evil intent to render harm to a human
being, accounts largely for the fail
ure to run clews of ghostly manifes-
tations to the ground, but as this
dread is an inherent element Of the
human makeup it is excusable.
There are many authentic instances
where people have been liter
ally scared to death, but there is 10
authentic case on record, of course,
of an actual physical encounter be-
tween a human beingand a supernat-
ural presence, yet there are those
who allow their superstitions to con
troll rather than their reason. Never
theless, it must be admitted that ap-
parently good grounds exist on the
part Of the neryously inclined, as this
story will show.
ga friend, the members Of whose
family were all Spiritualists except
himself, suffered the loss Of a beloved
sister. On her death bed she prom
ised that she would, after she had
passed beyond, return to her family
in spirit and in some manner mani
fest her presence to them. This dec
%laration all save my friend believed
would be realized, and for a long time
thereafter the family were constantly
on the alert to detect the least unto
ward evidence of her spiritual vista
ton, None came until about six
months after her death.
"0ne night at about midnight my
friend, who was lying awake, heard
a gentle tapping similar to that pro-
duced by trance mediums at their
seances. 1t continued at intervals for
some time, and then suddenly ceased.
After several occurrences Of the tap
pings he informed his sisters of the
noises in his room, and who, upon lis
tening, joyfully declared that Mary
had fulfilled her promise AS Spir-
itualists communicate in the dark
with those who have passed beyond
the lights were not turned up, and.
such being the case, sound cannot
be located and might come from any
quarter Of the room, The sisters de.
clared that the sounds came out of the
air directly above their heads, and
that they interpreted their meaning
according to the regularity or irreg.
ularity Of the t%appings.
"For three months the sounds con.
tinued, and then they stoppeda as sud
denly as they had begun. Myfriend'l
sisters stated that Mary had chosen
his room to impress him with the fact
hal spirit manifestations were pos
sible. He declined to accept theil
view. Shortly after the tappings had
ceased while feeling around his room
in the dark for a bottle Of medicine
on a high shelf he struck the shelf &
slight blow. To his establishment he
heard the tappings renewed, but very
family.
Turning up the gas he struck the
shelf a hard blow, and in response
came the sounds with which he was sc
familiar. His subsequent inyestiga
lions developed the fact that The
sounds proceeded from a clock on thC
shelf, on the top Of which the key re,
posed in a small, thin china saucer
and produced what may be classed a
Migratory sounds Of supernatural
presences.
''The room above had been occu
pied for about the space Of time tina.
the tappings had continued by
proof reader whose labors didnot per
nit him to reach home earlier thai
midnight. The house was of woodel
frame and old. In walking over tb,
floor preparatory to retiringt the proc
reader had stepped uponaloose boar(
which rested upona beam supporting
the wall. This beam was also loose
and to it was connected a scantling
to whicht the shelf in m friends room
below was fastened. The communi
eating vibrations were sufficient Il
jar the clock, so that the key Of pc
culiar round shape rolled slight,
with each jar, and striking the mar
row sides Of the delicate china saucer
gave forth the spiritual communica
ton from Mary The proof reade
had changed his lodgings on the da,