The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-04-15
NATIONAL PHANTOMS
GHOSTS THAT HAUNT THE UNITED
STATES CAPITOL.

tion Are G1ooEy and Deserted, as
Told by One OF the Old Guards.
Like most repositories Of good stories.
the ancient man who has spent dec
ades as a guard in the capitol in Wash.
ington did not yield up the fu!lness OF
his narratory riches without struggle.
Its unpleasant to be made Il mock
Of by the skeptical.' he protested. DO
you believe III ghosts young MANI"
If answering in the affirmative be-
gets an interesting tale, do returned
the writer.
We'll, starting Oh the premise that
you do believe to some extent in the
supernatural. 1 will admit you to my
confidence" resumed the Old guard,
and here goes for the authentic yarn
of the spooks that haunt the nations
capitol: !
In the long. monotorous watches Of
the night innumerable are the spooks,
hobgoblins and the eerie. vapory
things which glide from the shadowy
hooks and crannies of the Intangible
nowhere to people the capitol's vast
stretches Of darkness. Of course you
know Of the extraordinary acoustic
freaks which obtain in many parts Of
the great building-how whisper,
breathed word at one particular point
is audible at another scores Of feet dis
tant? Yes Now, at night these acous-
tic spirits simply go mad. Where they
by day were pygmies they expand into
giants, and whistle. q sudden sound,
football. resolves itself into a pan
demonium.
Weird. terrifying noises beat upon
the eardrums of the watchmen as they
pursue their lonely patrols through the
seeming miles Of corridors, and then
the spooks. the shades Of the nations
great. the astral bodies Of those that
toiled in obscurity for the nations good,
dodge the watchmen's step, some
grand and awful in their speechless
dignity. some creeping humbly about
in Apologize silence. some laughing.
some sobbing. but all Of them horrible
horrible
The old man paused to muse.
"Do you know" be said, breaking
into bis own reverie explosively, FEB.
% is a date dreaded by many Of the
capitol night guards? 1t was on this
day. in 1s+S. that John Quincy Adams
died in the chamber Of the house Of
representatives Iow S;..Cary hall,
where :he exact S:'ot is marked by
brass Tibet Promptly ii midnight
c.. every ;:nEivc-S;::: OF !::S death the
shade c! John Quincy Adams appears
in Il sort Of phosphorescent glow over
t!;:s l"ass tablet. Oh. dozens Of guards
have Scc.i it fraEi tire 20 .ii:e is we'll
as |. and / can refer you TO many Of
them for affirmation Of my assertions.
"Once over the spot the shade begins
to gesticulate. after the manner Of q
member addressing the house. Then.
all Of sudden. the fine face becomes
distorted and agoniZed. the gracefully
waving arms fall convulsively, and
down sinks the shade with all the
movements Of an expiring man. Then
tie phosphorescent glow fades away.
and the ethereal efgy dissolyes.=
But. although lost sight of, its pres
ence is still made known by the 'clump.
flop. clump. top Of invisible foot
falls departing down one Of the long
vacant corridors.
Stranger than this is the g6ost Of
the entire congress Of 1S4S, which ap-
pears in vigorous if spooky session ev-
cry once in awhile in Statuary hall, the
old hall of representatives. IS ! have
previously remarked. Inaudible. but
spirited. are the debates; energetic to
the bursting point Of veheMence are
the silent political dissensions. Pro-
voked by q doubling Thomas, mem
Der Of the capitol night watch several
years ago made affidavit that he had
seen this Shostly congress in session.
Yes, be was a sober man and true.
1.-The shade Of General John a Lo-
gan is frequent visitor at the capitol.
Almost every alternate night at half
past IL o'clock this ghost materializes
at the door Of the room occupied by
the senate committee on military and
militia. Silently the door swings open,
and out steps the looming and lumi-
nous presence. to stalk in stately dig
nifty away into the swallowing gloom
This is favorite phantom with the
guards. Its conduct is exemplary.
Then there is the shade Of Vice
President Wilson, who died in his room
in the senate end Of the capitol. yo3
will recall. Its peregrinations are few
and desultory. When it does come,
there is always an expression Of con-
Germ and self absorption il the ghostly
face. The movements Of the vapory
body are restless and hurried.
..Al! Of the older members Of the
night watch are well acquainted with
Vice President Wilson's apparition and
never fail to salute it, although, truth
to tell, the shade remains haughtly fn-I
different to their Difference. This spook
rarely fails to put in an appearancef
when the body Of q dead legislator or
SIalCSmIu u udCOudi lSIo"d 10 ay0AS
in state in the capitol.
Deep in the subcellar vaults spooks
of lesser magnitude revel in hordes.
Immediately beneath the hall Of rep
resentatiyes every night is to be found!
a tall, erect. gaunt specter, whose iden-
tity has remained a mystery for years
in spite Of unceasing efforts On the
part Of the night watch to uncover
the secret Of its origin and anteceo-
ents. Its hands are clasped behind
its transparent back in convulsive
clutch. and the face evinces a condi-
ton Of emotions prodigiously wrought
upon. Many attempts have been made
by guards with rubber soles on their
shoes to catch this wrath unawares,
but failure is the invariable result
Presto! 1t mas blown into thin air be-
fore the sleurhing watchman is within
forty feet Of it'-New York Herald