The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-05-06
NATIONAL PHANT0Ms
GHOSTS THAT HAUNT The UNITED
STATES CAPITOL

tioa Are Gloomy and Deserted, -
(: 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 fullness OF
his narratory riches without struggle.
"It's unpleasant to be made mock
Of BY the skeptcal," be protested DO
you believe in ghosts, young man"
IF answering in the affirmative be-
gets an interesting tale, do" returned
the writer.
We'll. starting on the premise that
you DO believe to some extent Id the
supernatural, I 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, monotonous watches OF
the night innumerable are the spooks,
hobgobllns and the eerie, vapory
things which glide from the shadoWy
nooks and crannies Of the Intangible
nowhere to people the capitops vast
stretches Of darkness. OF course you
know Of the extraordinary acousnc
freaks which obtain in many parts OF
the great building-how whisper, a
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. a sudden SOUND,
q football. resolves itself into a pam
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 apologetic silence, some laughing,
some sobbing, but all Of them horrible
| horrible"
The old man paused to muse.
"Do you know" be said, breaking
into his own re7erie explosiyely. FEB.
% is a date dreaded by many Of the
capitol night guards? 1t was on this
day, in 1s48. that John Quincy Adams
died in the chamber Of the house Of
Representatives. now Statuary ball,
where the exact spot IS marked by a
brass tablet. Promptly at midnight
on every anniversary Of his death the
shade Of John Quincy Adams appears
in sort Of phosphorescent glow over
this brass tablet Oh. dozens Of guards
have seen it from time to time as well
as /. and can refer you to many OF
them for affirmation Of my assertions.
"Once over the spot the shade begins
to sesticulate. after the manner Of a
member addressing the house. Then.
all Of a 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
the phosphorescent glow fades away,
and the ethereal efHgy dissolves.
But. although lost sight Of, its pres
ence is still made known by the 'clump
flop. clump. hop.' Of invisible foot
falls departing down one Of the long
vacant corridors.
Stranger than this is the ghost OF
the entire congress Of 1S4S. which p
pears in vigorous If spooky sessio- ev'
cry once in awhile in Statuary hal the
old ball Of representatives, as ] lave
previously remarked. lnaudible, but
spirited. are the debates; energetic tc
the bursting point Of vehenence are
the silent political dissensions. Pro
voked By q doubling Thomas. mem
ber Of the capitol night watch several
years ago made affidavit that be had
seen this ghostly congress in session
Yes. be was a sober man and true.
The shade Of General John a. Lo.
gan is frequent visitor at the capitol
Almost every alternate night at half
past y o'clock this ghost matarializes
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 a favorite phantom with the
guards. It's conduct is exemplary.
"Then there is the shade Of Vice
President Wilson, who died In his room
in the senate end Of the capitol. you
will recall. Its peregrinations are re"
and desultory. When 1t does come
there is always an expression Of con
cern and self absorption in the ghostly
face. The movements Of the vaporv
body are restless and hurried.
"All Of the older members Of the
night watch are we'll acquainted with
Vice President Wilson's apparition and
never fail to salute 1t, although, truth
to tell, the shade remains haughtlly In
different to their Difference. This spoos
rarely fails to put in an appearance
when the body Of dead legislator OF
statesman Of national renown is lying
in state in the capitol.
Deep in the subcellar vaults spooks
OF lesser magnitude reTel in hordes
Immediately beneath the hall OF rep
resentatives every night is to be found
tall, erect. gaunt specter, whose iden
tity has remained mystery for yearE
in spite Of unceasing efforts on the
part Of the night watch to uncover
the secret Of its origin and anteced
ents. It's hands are clasped behint
its transparent back in a con7ulsiVt
clutch. and the face evinces a condt
ton Of emotions prodigiously wrough
upon. Many attempts have been made
by guards with rubber soles on theil
shoes to catch this wrath unawares
but failure is the inyariable result
Prestol It mas blown into thin air be
fore the sleuthing watchman is Wlthd
forty feet Of it."-New York Herald