The Washington herald., 1907-09-12

Firm in the belief that the house into
which they moved last Thursday is
haunted. Mrs. Clara Dowiing and her
two daughters Mrs. Mamie Anderson and
Miss Clara Dowling. viii move to-day,
after having occupied their new home
but one week. In leaving they will for
felt S65 rent, which they paid for a
months use Of the house, and they also
lose over 800. which they say it cost
them to move to their present location
from their former home in Northeast
Washington.
The alleged haunted house is in Fif-
teenth street northwest. near n street.
and one OF the best neighborhoods in the
city. Within a radius of one block are
the homes Of Secretary Of state Root
Assistant Secretary OF the Navy New
berry, Perry Belmont, Stuyvesant FISH
and others well known in the official and
social circles Of the National Capital
Like Rider Haggard Tale.
The story which members of the family
tell Of their experiences in the short week
during which they have lived in the house
suggests Sherlock Holmes tales. or the
weird fiction OF Rider Haggard.
Miss Clara DOwlng, a fifteen-year-old
high school student. was the first member
CT the family who noticed what she con-
sidered peculiarities about the place II
is structure Of red brick. standing on a
frrh
Anne style Of architecture. Residents Of
the neighborhood say that it had not been
occupied for about year until the DowI-
ings moved in
on last Thursday morning Miss Clara
went 10 the house 10 receive the movers
when they should arrive. She afterward
told her sister. Mrs. Anderson. that she
telt strangely oppressed and Creepy
after she had been in the house a little
while. and that she had heard some
body coughing in a hollow, unearthly
way and apparently walking up and
down the stairs. The child's mother and
sister, however, laughed at this story
and dismissed 1t from their minds
Thursday night all went well, and the
members OF the family, thoroughly tired
cut by the exertions Of moving day"
slept soundly. On Friday night also no
extraordinary incident occurred. satur-
day and Sunday nights. however, Mrs
Dowling and her two daughters were an
noyed by peculiar sounds in the house
and their rest was somewhat broken.
The hollow coughing of which Miss Clara
had complained was heard, and sounds As
OF some one tramping up and down the
stairs. Once or twice. also. a member
OF the household declared. there was a
noise Ike the opening and shutting of
the street door in the front hall As a
result OF the nervousness engendered by
this experience, Mrs. Dowling and her
daughters all slept in the same room on
Monday night. Nothing occurred to re-
vive their fears up to a late hour. and
they all fell into a deep sleep. made
doubly sound by their loss of rest on the
previous night
Summons at Bedroom Door.
Mrs. Anderson, the older daughter. a
pretty young widow, later told a friend
that about midnight or a little later. her
mother and sister and herself were sud
denly awakened by a loud crash. They
all leaped out of bed at once, and Mrs
Anderson says. were terrified to find that
some one or something was hanging on
their bedroom door. near the head of their
bed The blows, which Mrs. Anderson
thought might have been made with a
baseball bat or some other heavy club.
were sufficiently vigorous 10 have crushed
in the panels of the door. and the only
+ way In which the women can account for
the fact that the door was not damaged
is to suppose that the blows were not de-
Evered with material weapon Ten
times they were repeated. while the two
women and the young girl clutched each
other in terror. standing with bIanched
faces in the middle OF the room.
Then, as suddenly as the visitation had
come, 1t ceased. and silence was supreme
in the household. There was no sound Of
retreating footsteps. as might have been
expected had an earthly intruder been the
author Of the nocturnal summons. But
after a moment. while Mrs. Dowling and
her daughters still listened In dread. the
"ghostly'' coughing that had before dis
turbed them was heard, growing fainter
and fainter, as if the sufferer, were he Of
earth or a spirit, had been moving slowly
down the stairs.
Calls in "a Policeman.
Mrs. Dowling and the little girl were
weak frcm fright by this time but young
Mrs. Anderson is made OF sterner stun.
and going 10 a window, she hailed a be-
lated passer-byr after waiting and watch.
ing for some little time and asked him
10 ind a policeman. The stranger
secured the neighborhood until he found
officer c. E. Smith and brought him 70
the house. Then the two men, at Mrs.
Anderson's request, made thorough
search Of the building. going from cellar
to roof and examining every nook and
Granny, but finding no trace of an intru-
der. Not even a mark was found on
the bedroom door. despite Mrs. Ander-
sons statement that the blows which
she and her companions heard were suf
ficient to have shiyered the frau wood
work into fragments
When the policeman and the other man
had gone, after reassuring the fright
ened women. Mrs Bowling and her
daughters locked themselves in their
room again and sat up the remainder of
the night straining every sense in an
ticipation Of some other terrible experi-
ence. They had lighted up the entire
Continued on page ,, column 4.