The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1905-04-21
A GHOST TRAPPER.


followed for the asJ few years BY O
man in eastern Pennsylvania.
Following is the Interesting story
Of some OF his experiences he told
correspondent of the Chicago tribune
the other day;
Il took up the business quite by ac-
cident The owner Of large. lonely
place In the mountains lew miles
from here, died and there was law
suit about the will which kept 1t IN
occupied 1t stood for two or three
years. stripped of its furniture ana
without care. After the suit was set
tied the nephew who inherited II put
In a caretaker lie only stayed one
night for at . o'clock in the morning
he was terrified to hear heavy chaih
being dragged along the nail ana
stairways Others followed him, and
one even stayed week, but groah'
Ing sound right in his bedroom sent
him flying In only half his clothes
To the nearest cottage he could find,
1t was then the advertisement ap'
pearrd that drew my attention. 1t
read,
The owner of Rutland Grange on
the Ralston road viii give a reward
of $500 to anyone who will reside IN
that house and solve the mystery OF
It's being haunted"
Il went to the house and did not
find much trouble in solving the rid
die. The place had once been well
stocked with game, and now the de-
serted grounds were running over Win
/ game OF all kinds 1t had escaped
| trespassers evidently, until lately, but
| investigation showed that numbers OF
fresh snarcs and traps had been set
/ Puachers' evidently was the meaning
/ of the mystery. | got two men and
| posted them among the bushes.
at II O'Clock at night | went 10 the
room whore was to sleep, kept the
lamp allght for half an hour eXtin-
sulshed It. and rrept out of the house
At half past Il O'Clock heard foot
steps. and u man came along carrying
what looked like long pole.
"He got on wall ho!sted the pole
/ really a long tin tube--so that It's
mouth went into the open window OF
! the room where he thought was
/ asleep. and then began to grOaD
through II. But II was a loud yell ne
gave when | seized him firmly by the
ankles.
/ Well | sat on my man and blew
whistle, when up came my assistants,
with another whom they had taken
while he was in the act Of visiting
The traps, calmly smoking pipe. The
pair mad Just started in to make goou
thing out Of the place and had aid
in perfect store OF chains, white
sheets. phosphorus and other things
at the top OF the house. with which
they had been frightened away the
successive Carotakers.
THAT job brought me not only no
$500, but a fresh commission This
time sumner hotel that was left
with a small force during the winter
months was haunted The servants
were being terribly frightened by mys.
FERROUS knockings that were heard nov
and then at night. Going to the hotel
went to bed on the ground floor but
had to wait two or three nights be.
fore the mysterious sounds were heard
zone night, after we hal been hay-
ing heavy rains all day the knocking
"a ~
Waiting until daybrcak with help
took up the flooring and found that a
small bay, long forgotten, but once
used tor storing boats. ran back under
the house In this was floating an
empty mineral wafer crate. There
was a lock in the river below the no
tel and every night when the lock
gates were shut the river rose The
previous evening there also had been
much wind and rain. 50 that the water
got high enough for the crate to bump
against the floor thus producing the
noises.
This account like the first. got into
the papers. and soon had more work
IL won't take all my cases Of ghost
laying but will pick out one or two
There was country place that for a
long time was avoided because It got
the reputation OF having a spectre
Within n week | saw It twice, gliding
about the grounds, but It was too MIN.
bic for me to catch. Then put on
white cloak myself and tried haunting
the ghost This ruse succeeded In
frightening the apparition, as. when
we met face to face one night. II was
he other ghost that fed Who the
fellow was should have never heard
probably, as he was 80 fleet that !
could not overtake him only that In
his flight somewhere he fell and hurt
mis- leg, and when he consulted the
doctor the whole story came out Ito
was a neighboring farmer who wanted
to get hold Of the adjoining property.
and hoped by giving 1t the reputation
If being haunted to depreciate the
value enough to buy It at low price
"On another occasion In the garden
Of big farmhouse to rent rushed
thlD lHt Buohb "ho hdu DcPn seen
there. and he made OF In the dark
ness | lost sight OF him and he fell
ov,r something and | shouted: Keep
still; you've upset a beehive Keep
your head covered or youll be stung
to death
"He was simply practical Joker,
ami in most of the cases which | have
unearthed where 1t Is not somebody
who had something to gain hy playing
ghost II was usually somebody who
was enjoying himself by playing on
the fears and credulity of others. |
had one tragic case of spectre stalking
which was the result of mans habit