The Bemidji pioneer., 1902-06-26
a GHOST STORY.
nut 1t Was Finally Explained IN 4
Natural Way

IA am nTefnIlQeQsOI8 Ing IDiloWliiS LII LIZ
stance" said 4 we'll known Washing
~ ton correspondent:
The dread of the supernatural In
that people evidence q fear 70 meet,
L as it were, apparitions atclose quar-.
ters, as though 1T were possible for
\ spiritual elements either Of good Or
evil intent render harm toa human
being, accounts largely for the fail
ure to run cleWs Of ghostly nanifes-
tations To the ground, but as this
dread ii an inherent element of the
human makeup il is excusable.
There are many authentic instances
where people have been liter
II ally scared to death, but there IL no
authentic case on record, of course,
of an actual physical encounter be-
tween human being and q supernat-
ural presence, yet there are those
who allow their superstitions 10 CON
& troll rather than theirreason. Never
theless, it must be admitted that APP
parcntly good grounds exist on the the.
part of the neryously inclined, as this
story will show.
& "A friend, the members of whose
family were gil spiritualists except
himself, suffered the loss Of d 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, andfor a long time
1 thereafterthe family were constantly
on the alert To detect the least unto
ward evidence Of her spiritual vista
tion. None came until about six
months after her death.
One night at about midnight my
friend, who was lying awake, heard
gentle tapping similar to that pro-
duced by trance mediums at their
seances. Itcontinued atintervals 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, uponlis-g
tening, joyfully declared that Mary
had fulfilled her promise. AS Spir-
itualists communicate iii 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. Thesisters de-
clared that hesounds cancout of the
air directly above their heads, and
H that they interpreted their meaning
according to the regularity or irreg-
ularity Of the tappings.
For three months the soundsco1l-
tinued, and then they stopped as sud
denly as they had begun. MY friends
sisters stated that Mary had chosen
his room to impress him with hefact
that spirit manifestations were pos
\ sible. He declined To accept their
view. Shortly afterth tappings had
ceased while feeling around his room
in the dark for d bottle ofmedicine
On a high shelf he struck the shelfa
slight blow. 10 his establishment he
heard the tapping renewed, but very
family.
Turning up the gas hc struck the
shelf d hard blow, and IN response
came thesounds with which he Wasso
familiar. His subsequent inTestiga-
tions developed the fact that the
sounds proceeded from d clock on the
shelf, on the top Of which the key re-
posed in a small, thin china saucer,
and produced what may be classed as
'yibratory' sounds Of supernatural
presenees.
"The room above had beensoccu-
pied for about the space Of time that |
the tappings had continued by q
proof render whose labors did notper-
NIT him to reach home earlier than
midnight. The house was ofwooden
frame and Old. Tn walking over the |
floor preparatory to retiring the proof |
reader had stepped upona loose board |
which rested upon q beam supporting
the wall. This beam was also loose,
and to it was connected a scantling,
to which theshelf in my friends room
below was fastened. The communi- /
eating vibrations were sufficient to
jar the clock, so that the key of pc
c,liar round shape rolled slightly
with each jar, and striking the mar
row sides oil the delicate china saucer,
gave forth the spiritual communities
ton from Mary The proof reader