The Lambertville record., 1903-02-11
NATIONAL PHANTOMS
GHOSTS THAT HAUNT THE UNITED
STATES CAPITOL.

tion Are Gloomy 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 fullness of
his narratory riches without struggle.
Its unpleasant to be made mock
of by the skeptical,' he protested. DO
you believe in ghosts, young MANI"
IF answering In the affirmative be-
gets an interesting tale. | do" returned
the writer.
"Well, starting ON the premise that
you do believe to some extent i'll the
supernatural, l 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 or
the night innumerable are the spooks,
hobgoblins and the eerie, yapory
things which glide from the shadowy
hooks and crannies of the intangible
nowhere to people the capitors vast
stretches of darkness. OF course you
know of the extraordinary acoustic
freaks which obtain in many parts of
the great buildiDg-how whisper
breathed word ut one particular point
is audible at another scores of feet dis
tant? Yes. Now, at night these acous-
tie spirits simply 20 mad. Where they
by day were pygmies they expand into
giants, and whistle sudden sound,
n 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
tolled In obscurity for the nations good,
dodge the watchmens 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" he said. breaking
into his own reyerie e1plosiTely, FEB.
% i a date dreaded by many Of the
capitol night guards: 1t was on this
day. IN lSss. that John Quincy Adams
died in the chamber Of the house OF
representatives nov staiuary 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 n sort OF phosphorescent glow over
this brass tablet Oh. dozens of guards
have seen il from time 10 time as we'll
as |. and can refer you to many OF
them for affirmation of my assertions.
"Oncc over the spot the shade begins
TO gcsticulate. after the manner of n
member addressing the house. Then.
all of sudden. the fine face becomes
distorted and agonZcd. the gracefully
waving arms fall conyulsiyely, and
down sinks the shade with all the
movements OF an expiring man. Then
the phosphorcscent glow fades away,
and the ethereal eilgy dissolves.
But, although lost sight of, It's pres
ence Is still made known by the 'clump
flop, clump. iop. of invisible foot
falls departing down one of the long
vacant corridors.
stranger THAI this Is the ghost Of
the entire congress OF 1913, which ap.
pears in vigorous If spooky session ev
cry once in awhile in Statuary hall, the
old hall of representatives. as | have
previously remarked. Inaudlblc, but
t.,gs.
the BURSTING point of vehemence are
the silent political diSsensions. Pro
voked by a doubling Thomas, n mem
Der of the capitol night watch several
years ago made affidavit that he had
seen this ghostly congress in session.
Yes, he was Il sober man and true
"fhe shade of General John a. Lo-
gan Is frequent visitor mt the capitol.
Almost every alternate night at half
past II O'Clock this ghost materializes
ut the door of the room occupied by
the senate committee on military and
militia. Silently the door swings open,
and ont steps the looming and lumi-
nous presence, TO stalk in stately dig
nifty away into the swallowing gloom.
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. you
will recall. Its peregrinations are few
and desultory When 1t does come,
there Is always an expression of con
Germ and self absorption In the ghostly
h.A faf
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 It, although, truth
10 tell. the shade remains haughtily in.
different to their Difference. This spool
rarely fails 10 put in an appearance
when the body of dead legislator or
statesman of national rcnown is lying
in state in the capitol.
Deep In the subcellar vaults spooks
of lesser magnitude revel In hordcs,
Immediately beneath the hall of rep.
resentatives every night is to be found
tall. erect, gnunt specter whose iden-
tity has remained mystery for years
III spite OF unceasing efforts On the
part of the night watch to uncover
the secret of its origin and lnteced-
ents. Its hands are clasped behind
Its transparent back in n convulsive
clutch, ard the face evinccs condi-
tlon OF emotions prodigiously wrought
upon. Many attempts have been made
by guards with rubber soles on their
shoes to catch this wrath unawares,
bHt failure Is the invarlable result.
Presto. II has blown into thin air be.
fore the sleuthng watehman Is within
forty feet of it"-New York Herald.
SHORT SERMONS.