The daily Alaskan., 1905-10-27
THE MAJORS GHOST

| tween the villages of Tunbrldge Wells and Little Manor was the property of Sir Hugh CUllom, deceased. He had been a bachelor, and the property had fallen to a relative whose whereabouts were not known. It was only a small ! landed estate of about fifty acres, and the house had hardly been habItable during the last five years of the own CTS life. Left without a caretaker, another five years made it little better than a ruin.
 When grounds are neglected and overgrown and a house goes to decay 1t does not take long for rustic popu- lauon to give it bad name and con meet a ghost with tt. It was so In this case. Once q couple of boys reported seeing a mans face at one of the lower windows, but the story passed for what 1t was worth. Only a few people would have it that the house was haunted, but all seemed to tacitly agree that it was a good place to keep away from.
 One day Major Killaine came down from London for a weeks fishing and put up at the Sundlal It was not long before the goSSIps posted him re- garding the Cullom house, and what was said seemed to stick in his mind. He said little, but that night after sup per he took q walk over the highway toward the house and was gone for three hours. Next day he went to Tunbridge Wells and bought himself a revolver and a box of cartridges, and he was absent again for the next two nights. Parties who recognized him met him near the house and saluted him. After his third visit he was found In the house a corpse.
 At the inquest later on the landlord of the Sundial had an interesting story to tell. He said that when Ma Jor Killalne returned from his first ex- petition he called him into hIs bed room and told him that he had entered the grounds and even the house, and, though be was not attacked as others had been, he had reasons for believing that men were hanging about. He pro posed to arm himself and solve the mystery and bound the landlord to secrecy. The landlord could not say whether the major visited the place in the daytime or not, but he knew that bis second visit at night confirmed the suspicious born on the first. When he went away on the third night he was somewhat excited, saying that he eI- pected to meet with a lively adventure It was suggested that be take one of the county policemen with him, but this be would not listen to. Whatever 1t was, be wanted to meet it single handed.
 It was a dark and rainy night in September when the major set forth on his trip. and he took with him candle and matches and a flask of wine He had not returned at Il o'clock, when the house was closed and the host went to bed. Some uneasiness was felt next day when he did not appear, and after another twelve hours the landlord went to the legal authorities. For a day they refused to interfere but when officers finally went to inspect the house they found the major lying sti1t and dead in the lower hall. It was at first believed that murder had been done, but when the doctors came to examine the dead man not a mark of violence could be found on him. A post mortem revealed the fact that he had died of heart failure. The house was searched from top to bottom, and, though there were traces of human be- ings having been around of late, there were no other discoveries.
 Here was a mystery within a mys- tery. It was the opinion of the country doctors and the officers of the law that the major had overeXerted himself in walking the two miles after a hearty supper, and but for his brother In Lon don that would have been the verdict of the coroner's jury and the end of the case. As soon as the brother came down, however, he sent for detectives and insisted on a thorough probing.
 The sleuths were at work for three months, and It was while they were still at work on the case that they made the arrest Of a noted burglar. The man was picked up almost by ac- cldent, and 1t turned out that he held the key to the mystery.
 Some weeks previous to the majors coming a country bank had been rob- bed of a large sum In gold by two men. They stole a horse and buggy to carry their plunder away, and the police were baffied for 6 Clew. It seems that they drove to the house and secreted their plunder in the cellar and hid themselves in an upper room. They were aware of the majors first and second visits and were prepared for his third. With phosphorus they drew a skeleton on the unpapered wall of the hall and covered 1t over with a blanket.
 When the major entered the house