Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-07
AN INDIAN SPOOK
THAT SHOOTS HIMSELF
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
BOMBAY. October Il. 1907

BOMBAY. October Il. 1907.
A n amazing spook story told by
~ contributor to the Indian Daily
Telegraph has aroused much in
terest here. 1t is the tale Of, q ghost who
shot himself The woman who relates it
had accompanied. her husband to Tirzapur.
He had been sent there to undertake the
duties of an agent who had been sent
home on sicl; leave The only accommoda-
ton they could find when they arrived
July % was an inspection bungalow.
They retired about 10 o'clock, but Mrs.
s. remained awake for some time read
ing novel by the light of lamp She
was just thinking of turning it out when
suddenly a man holding a revolver ap-
peared in the room. She continues:
Before l could move or speak, he said
Don't stop me, l am going to shoot my
self AS he put the revolver to his head
shut my eyes and was nearly deafened
by the report that followed. My husband
jumped 40, wide awake at once, with a
cry of VINO fired? and l opened my eyes
expecting to see ghast!J heap on the
floor.
! ITO my amazement the room was
empty-there was no stain on the mat
tfng-and no sign of the tragedy that had
just taken place in front of me. My hus-
band said that he had been Weakened out
of sound sleep by the noise of the shot.
and when told him what | had seen We
searched the house together. Neither the
punkah coolie, who was sleeping on the
veranda. nor the servants. whose houses
were close by in the compound, had
heard anything. Even the dogs
chained in the Veranda had not been
disturbed. 1t all happened SO suddenly
that had no feeling of fright or terror.
The man seemed TO come from the direc-
ton of my husbands office, where there
a door npf Will ha he'd
in front of which we had placed a heavy
wardrobe. He was shortsh unpleasant
looking man, a--d he held the revolver in
his left hand Neither my husband nor |
were at all nervous PEOPLE. and when we
could find nothing to explain what had
occurred we decided that it must have
Deen imagination, and that our being in
strong sympathy with each other had
caused us to share the same hallucina-
ton. We refreshed ourselves with iced
drinks and biscuits and then went to bed
and slept soundly after having decided to
keep our own counsel about the affair"
Now for the sequel to it. Shortly after
ward the writer accompanied her hus-
band on tour of the district. Among the
nils they met a Madame de Bevery who
had been a widow for several years. In
tne course Of Il conversation with her
MRS :" discovered that at one time she
mad Hved In the bungalow at Tirzapur
where the spectra, suicide had manifested
himself.
DlnRA-
low. and had actually lived in. it" the
writer adds, Il was impelled to relate orr
strange experience there, which hitherto
my husband and had kept to ourselves.
She listened without comment. but when
l ended my narrative by saying that we
mad come to the conclusion it must have
peen either Indigestion or Imagination,
she turned very pale and said. You have
related something that really happened;
my must band shot himself there before my
eyes exactly as you have described
Il was terribly distressed at having all
unwittingiy. reminded Ter of such a pain
ful episode, but she treasured me by
saying, 1t Is many years ago and can
| talk about ii now. though | was i'll fer
| months afterwIrd from the shock
she then told me that her husband
| had gone into the bedroom, through the
door which we Kept closed, ana had used
the very words Il. quoted. and the whole
| affair 'coinc,ded exactly with what I
| had seen down TO the smallest detail
| The bungalow. il seems. had stood
empty for some years after the tragedy
| and chad then been occupied only at odd
intervals during the cold weather Mr.
| and Mrs: s were the first people who
had been In it on July 20. the anniver-
sary Of the fatal event.