The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-02-05
A HAUNTED HOUSE.
H. 0' 'N-'f 'o-'r -1IJr-lt-I[
TTruo Story Told by Ono Who Liyod
l,There-Lock of Woman's Hair When :!
Found Gave Substance to Strange |
GTale-Oays OF Slavery Recalled and
"a Dreadful Crime UnfoIded !
\ y an ordinary street cnr ono day sat
1lrpn N,,., .rnuci,,.. ..,.i.i,ni

-Jr7I-rTl-
~ y an ordinary street car ono day ~:
three womcn-twO goaSipS. cvidcn
: ~ cronles. and Il lady. The latte
Il lookcd hstleasly out Of the win
e doWS, absorbed i'll thought, until Sh
, heard her own name mentioned. will
, many "NcInlnhtionS OF Obs. abs an,
"who would have thought IT," So0i
she discovered that ii was not rralI,
personal. but q rrhash of foolish Stu
rirs, in which shr and her family
. ruined fortunes ana former s0rl;
, prominence were the topics. but whcl
she heard wonLrrncnt expressed that
the old haunted house vas now hcl
abode. she sat. listened and wus allX
} iouS one said: IF she knew the house
has the wickrdrSt history i'm town, and
no one ever St'!S there beyond Il
month or two An apparition always
appears with mute. but piteouS ap-
pcnls. as though asking for rclenSc."
Thr lady. We VIII call her Mrs. Ken
dall. felt the grave insult that WAS east
upon her when she heard them quote:
"Dh. yes. it is II big house. bul Mrs.
Kendall griS it cheap. because dis
reputable wcm:n had positively got To-
Gated there. remaining with thrir iui-
uuitirS long fortnight, until thc%
| We're Cvictri''
An avalanche Of trouble haL swept
| over Mrs. k"nlnl. Money had melted
! aV nv. Ru it was necessary To keep
| IA Il %"Ihh!anrr OF Il home. Nm invalt
! iH h"r family had tu hc cared for. kri,
in retirement and protected. II, re-
uuirch Il whole iloor OF the house to in
sure ihis. She had, already. spout y
good portion nf th" money that had
| been >crapch iorr,hcr by the sale of
brir': :-hr;ic and cherished objects. she
| could not move again. She must stay
| in lhNr odious old place. An agent
| had rented il Ia hc?. and when she
hurried to hia office he laughed Il, ,hr
rehearsal OF the go$Sip'S chatter. spoke
Of the wonderful history Of the house
and offered to make any repairs. but
the lease must stand. Too poo" &C.
move. the place became ln her like Tho
OWL presence OF an outlaw. How sh,
hated it.
There were many rooms. large ant
comiorinhlr. plenty OF ligh,--nnt /;
place for Il ghost TO walk in: yr
strange noises and low moanS wrr,
heard. 1t might have been the wine
whiStling down some half runccnlrt
= speaking tuhcS. The house was III
F.. lonely deserted part of Washington
very near Georgetown.
no negro servants would ever >lrr
l there nights. for II tradition was riI
that slave robbcr had once owned tn
place. and that there was u %rrrc
: walled passage that led to the river
. For, ~ Mrs. Kendall remembered. II
and down the Potomac negroes wcr
stolen, druggcd. heavily manarlrd an
= on dark nights brought in boats /
Z the water gate. and hurried ND tn
Il Shiny secret passage, 10 lie in the hi,
l.. den room Of this big house un!il the
could with safety be started in We
u covered wagons on their long journc
Il to the cotton fields ct the South. thrr
il to DC sold. at large profits. 1t WAS cas-
II TO label them runaway slaves and cn$
:, to take an mfrrUl,rntrd route: thcr
were neither telegraph lines nor tel,
u phones. In the few newspapers thn
Il circulated there were quaint advert is,
s. mcnts from their angry masters offer
Ing larg" rewards for poor slave:
IT found either dead or alive. 1t was Il
i. laid to the door Of those "curScd abe
lishl0niStH. Mrs. Nrndull did not ht
" lievc all these tales. nor did she who'll
IL dlscrrtfit them. She vputured dow
rs into the many-vnultcd old cellar Hu,
- no uncnnny door. though she did hc,,
=, those strange mOnnS and SiEhS. IN
= entire subject WAX forbidden. and
" the family there was never amy iisc,l
OF sion about il.
nj The old house had assumed n clrC
:. ful look: there were no dnrkcnrd vii
dOws. anil on every broad window 81
beautiful flowers nodded and bloom,
'e- all day. The mystery wnS over. NOR
10 health had returned and n Speruluti,
~ builder WAS negotiating for the holls
with al It's outlying land. thinking |
would build an apartment t"nrmrn
, with Il park OF It's own. Mrs. kcn,l;i
was we'll pleased. feeling hcr dclirr
u" anrs from that uuMcc0untable horr,
x had come. Strange things came abo,
ly instead. You will say so. too. if yc
u. will hut finish this true story.
. II was in APRIL the weather as hra
tiful as dream Of paradise. Mr.
Oh Kendall walked slowly home To Il
IL OLD house. not rrcliug altogether we
So Looking mp nj the back wall she 81
-, how much the crack had widrncd. an
thought frequent rains had wrought i
~ jury.
~. All around some faithful gnarlrtl o
al apple trees were filled with DluShil
rr pink flowers. and tho air rrholrnt wi
J., their Perfume Entering the house 81
' mounted the stairs. only pausing
h' look up at the low ceiling. over II
ne landing. as SHE had often wondort
kc how til" space waS occupied and WI
H. there was no opening. no door. 10 Il
space that must hr there She enter,
her own room and closed the door, 81
- J ling ut the writing desk WAS Il dar
'' thin young woman. with great mrla
lnl choly eyes. who rose and silent
or pointed TO the ceiling. and then h"
ry out her CmacAtrl hands as if in 81,
~, plication. Mrs. Kendall stepped &c
, ware, moi IN The least frighrncd-ncv
nSSoriatin" ihr incident with nnythii