Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-19
GHOST HAUNTED ROOM
MYSTERY EXPLAINED BY NATU-
RAJ CIRCUMSTANCES.

There is always a tinge of romance and
mystery about stories which deal with
ghosts and strange noises" said an Eng
lish tourist to Star reporter in an up
town hotel. but am one of those who
adhere to the belief that apparently I'M
natural happenings may be- traced to
known causes, despite the researches and
the Investigations Of the Society of Pyschi-
cal Research Of Boston, as Interesting and
as mystical as the latter may be.
Il am reminded of an instance which oc-
CURED Inf a large manor house in Surrey.
1t seem. that the lord of the manor had
met his death in a sudden and mysterious
manner In one of the large guest cham
bers of the old house during night fol-
lowing a grand ball in which the gentry
of the county participated. One Of the
guests was known to bear an enmity
against the host. The former was an Of
f1cer attached to one Of the regiments sta
toned at a garrison post in the county,
and had attended the ball in the full uni
form of his rank. The host wore the con-
ntional evening dress, and as the matter
of apparel has to do with the mysterious end
of the story, thus particularize it.
"On the night in question the host had
last been seen in the company OF the OFF,
Ger on the upper corridor of the house, out
of which the guest chamber opened, and
one Of the servants who had seen the two
men in passing afterward stated that they
seemed 10 De Quarrcllng. In any event the
officer descended the staircase alone, and
shortly afterward left the house. The hosts
body was later found stretched out on the
floor of the chamber. and there was a deep
cut in the back of the head as though in
ficted by some sharp instrument, as a
saber. While 1t was believed at the time
that he had been murdered by his guest, 1t
remained only a suspicion. for the officer
was himself killed upon that very night
on his way to the garrison by his horse
falling upon him.
THE title passed to a younger brother
of the deceased who bore striking like
ness to the supposed murdered man. One
night about a year after the tragedy. the
brother had occasion to go into the cham
Der in question. which had remained closed.
as Is often the custom in these large Eng
fish houses, since the night of the ball. He
returned to the drawing room very pale
and much agitated and asserted that
he encountered his brothers ghost, stand
ing upright in the center Of the room,
CARRIED precisely as on the night when Ire
died. Considering the apartment as haunt
ed. it remained closed and unused for some
years. when. upon the occasion of some fes-
tivity, 1t was thrown open for the accom-
mediation of a relative of the hosts, an Of
ficer in the regular army, who had recently
returned from India
after the guests had departed the Of
fcer retired to his ROOM Almost imme-
diately he descended to the lower floor.
where the family were still assembled, and
asked that he be placed in another room
Tor the night. he declared tndt ne was
not afraid of things mortal. but that he
drew the line at occupying an apartment
with the ghost of the man who was sup
posed to be the murderer of his hosts
brother and his own relative. He asserted
that upon his entrance to the room he, too,
had encountered the form of a man stand
ing in the middle of the room. but that this
ghost was clad in the full uniform of a
general the officers own rank, and upon
the officers approach the ghostly form had
seemed to close in upon him. only to fade
away when he attempted to seize 1t.
THE door of the room was thereupon
nailed up, and 1t was not opened until the
property passed into the hands of my fam
lily, the house thereafter along the country
side bearing the reputation of being haunt
ed. Having no faith in such things. we
sought for natural solution to the sup
posed mystery and found it. When stand
ing at a certain spot near the door long
double rejecting mirrors. which happened
to be placed at a peculiar angle of the
room, would make 1t appear as though
there was another person therein. particu-
larry in artificial light. as from candles.
and when walking toward the center Of the
room the illusion was complete of another
person advancing upon YOU AS the muir
dered man and his brother both wore even
ing clothes, and the alleged murderer and
the officer from India each wore the uni
form of a general and as both sets of
men bore striking resemblance to one an
other, the tragedy, the mirror Illusion and
that natural apprehensive fear which seems
always present in these cases did the rest "