The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-27
CLEW GIVEN BY GHOST
Hidden Document Revealed
by Spectral Hand.
SOLVES OLD TIME MYSTERY
Discovery OF NuSty Parchment Re-
hates 40 Disposal of English Estate
Valued ut Ten Thousand Pounds.
ThOrnes Fen Farm House Believed
for Generations TO BE Haunted.

London. Jan. 26.-An ancient farmhouse
In Golden drove. standing alone on the
levels Of Thorney Fen, ten miles outside
Peterborough. has been believed for gen
erations by the superstitiOus fen folk TO
be haunted.
The memories Of the ghost have been
revived by the discovery by Mr.. Bettin-
son. the present tenant. Of a parchment
relating 70 the disposal of the estate.
valued at ten thousands Of pounds Of
one John Cave. who died therc. over a
century ago.
The story runs that a spectral woman,
appear punctudly at midnight in the
ghost chamber" Of the farm house, and
then TO point TO the ceiling, above which
the document was found.
Mr. and Mrs. Bettinson have only lived
in the house three years. but before that
it was occupied by a family named Full
lard who were related by marriage to
the Caves.
Mr. Bettnson heard strange noises.
and. anxious to ascertain their cause,
climbed up through a trap door under
the slanting roof. and. while rummaging
about among the beams found the parch-
ment under a piece Of loose wood.
At first Mr.. Bettinson thought it was a
viii, owing to its phraseology and the
reference 20 last viii and testament"
with the mention Of valuable goods and
chattels." But experts who have seen
it declare it to be the ancient grant of
probate by the Archbishop Of Cauter-
bury, once attached to the will Of John
Cave.
In the Ghost Chamber.
When the udings Of this discovery
spread. two women-Miss Morris and
Mrs. Russell-living in the village of
Thorney were much interested. for they
had often told of their supernatural ex-
periencos in the very house.
I know I could not be mistaken" Miss
Morris said yesterday. "and now that /
have heard Of the discovery Of this docu-
ment am sure what 1 saw was really a
ghost
When the Fullards-AIrs. Fullard was
a granddaughter of John Cave-were
living I often stayed at the house, but
I went 10 bed early. but I could not
90 TO sleep. and I remember well it was
a moonlight night. with everything as
clear as day.
Then. as midnight chimed. l turned in
the great bed in fear. for 1 felt there
was some terrible thing in the room.
Il had locked the bedroom door, and
I told myself nobody could possibly be
there, and then I boldly turned to look
Tt is a wonder I did not die of fright.
for there. by my bedside. stood the form
OF an old woman. nearly eighty. very thin
and gray. And, what seemed to me most
terrible, she had only one tooth, which
projected.
she had on her head a lace-fTflled cap.
such as old women wear. and she wore
garment of red chintz-old-fashio
laTge-patteTned cretOnne.
when I first saw her she held her
thin hands clasped low down, as though
in grief, but as I watched she raised her
right hand and pointed at the ceiling.
Then I put my head under the clothes
and when l dared TO look again she was
gone
Jncanny Noises.
4 could not sleep, and next morning
I told my hostess I was I'll, and could not