The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-16
THE HAUNTED HOUSE.
1T Is IN BERkLEY SQUARE, LON
DON.


Occupy During the Cornation-The
NobIeman's Long Vigil That End
ed In BIood-CurdIinE Tragedy.
Mystery Unexplained to This Day.
New York. Feb. 14-The news that
Lady Grey Egerton, nee Miss Cuyler
of New York, whose husband is to be
one of the new coronation peers, is
about to occupy the famous haunted
house in Berkeley Square, Will interest
many to whom the blood-curdling
tales attaching to that residence are
familiar. Indeed such an evil reputa-
ton has this same mansion possessed
that for many years Londoners shud-
dered as they passed by its boarded
up windows and gloomy exterior. 1t
was said that even if a tenant could
have been found at the low rental at
which it was long offered no wages
would have tempted servants to in
habit the place. and there was not
caretaker in all London who would
risk his reason, if not his life, alone
in it at night. OF the numerous un-
canny stories which have found their
inception in the ghostly atmosphere
enshrouding this old dwelling, perhaps
not the least gruesome is the one
which caused it's final abandonment
to the rats and mice.
At the period in question the house
had been leased by a nobleman for a
term of years. With his wife and fam
lily he had been permitted to reside in
the place undisturbed by spiritual In
fluences, provided a certain room on
the third floor, facing the rear. was left
unoccupied. 1t had taken the family
some time to arrive at this conclusion,
but certain unfortunate occurrences
which invariably followed upon any one
tenanting the room seemed to make
this state of affairs plain. These cul
minated in the case of a servant TO
whom the room was assigned, and who
suddenly became aTaving maniac. AS
the nobleman was aware of the un-
pleasant reputation borne by the
house. he thereupon decided to close the
room up; and unoccupied it remained
until the final horror which drove him
in all haste from Berkeley Square.
Briefly told, the circumstances which
brought it about were these. The no
bleman happened to be entertaining a
large party of guests, when there un-
expectedly appeared from foreign SER
vice an officer who was a very old
friend of the family. When in Eng
land on previous occasions it was his
custom to pay a first visit to the
nobleman in question, either at the
latter's country place or at the haunt
ed house in Berkeley Square, In the
vernacular of English hospitality a
knife and fork was always laid for
him at the nobleman's table, and it
was expected that whenever he landed
on English soil he would travel
straight from the gangway to this
friends door.
Much disappointed, then, was the
nobleman, when on welcoming his
friend, he was obliged to explain that
there was not a room vacant in the
house. But as the next best thing to
be done he suggested that one could
be engaged at a hotel nearby for
sleeping purposes, and that otherwise
the friend must make his home with
the family.
But the officer seemed to have a de-
cided aversion to this plan. He de-
clared that he was willing to camp in
any cupboard or corner to be found in
the house rather than put up at a
hotel. Then he remembered the haunt
ed room. Was there any one in the
haunted room? he asked.
The nobloman was obliged to say
that it was still kept unoccupied, and
by his manner plainly showed that he
much preferred it to remain in that
condition.
At this, so the story goes the officer
laughed heartily, declaring that in the
haunted room he intended to sleep, and
woe betide any ghost that presumed to
interfere with his repose. He had a
pistol with him, he explained. He
would quickly put a bullet into any
evil disposed spirit
For some time the nobleman tried to
argue his friend out of the purpose,
but as the old soldier announced The
alternative of either sleeping in that
room or never again accepting the
nobleman's hospitality, the latter at
last yielded So the room was made
ready for the officers use, and late at
night, after many jests had been ex-
changed among the men of the party
anent ghosts in general and the one
of the haunted house in particular. he
retired with the boast that he would
like nothing better than an interview
with the troublesome spirit.
The Nobleman's Vigil.
But however lightly the guests were
disposed to treat the matter, it seems
tnelr most was FAR from being at
ease. AS it happened, his dressing
room was next to the one in which
the officer had taken up his quarters.
and he decided to watch for a time
in case anything might happen. AS
he subsequently related, wrapped in
his dressing gown, he read, smoked
and listened for several hours with
out hearing any disturbing sound. un-
til, in fact, the gray lighnof early dawn
was beginning to steal In through the
shutters. Then, as he felt too sleepy
to keep the vigil any longer, he was
about to retire to his room when he
thought he heard a low groan. He
listened Intently, when he distinctly
heard another groan, which undoubt-
edly came from the haunted room; and
then suddenly there rose a single, wild.
unearthly cry that penetrated to every
corner of the silent house. This was
quickly followed by the report of a
pistol, another groan as of a person
in extreme agony, and all was still
as before.
Long before the report of the pistol
had died away the host was battering
at the door of the haunted room. which
was subsequently found to have been
bolted as well as locked. Quickly he
was joined by the aroused guests and
terrified servants, and by their united
efforts the door was finally burst open.
There a gruesome scene was disclosed
The officer was found lying half out of
bed, as IL he had been furiously at
tackled i'm the act of rising. On the bed
n.4I.