The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-06

son, who, as will be remembered, died in his room at the Senate end of the building, and also with respect to John Quincy Adams, whose nocturnal peram- bulations are so annoying to the watch men. MT. Wilson Is only an occasional visitor on the premises, it is understood. finding his way thither probably when nothing else of importance Is "up," so to speak, in the spiritual realm which now claims him for It's own. It is related that on one occasion he nearly frightened to death the watchman who was guard ing the coffin of a Tennessee senator who was lying In state in the Senate chamber. The startle was doubtless un- contemplated, inasmuch as the senator was too we'll bred a man to take any body unpleasantly by surprise.
 Watchman Discharged.
 A watchman employed quite awhile ago as a member of the capitol police. was discharged finally for drunkenness. No faith, therefore is to be placed in his sworn statement which was actually made to the effect that on certain oc- casion he passed through the old Hall of epresentatives-now Statuary Hall and saw in session the Congress of 1S4S, with John Quincy Adams and many other men whose names have long ago passed into history. It was. if the word of this witness is to be believed phan- tom legislative crew, resembling in Kind, if not in character, the goblins which Rip Van Wrinkle encountered on his trip to the summit of the storied Catskills.
 But, to come down to things that are well authenticated and sure, compara- lively speaking, the basement of the cap itol is the part of the building chiefly haunted. Beneath the hall of the House of Representatives strolls by night a mel ancholy specter with erect figure, a great mustache, and his hands clasped behind him. Who he is nobody has ever surmised He might be, judging from his aspect, foreigner in the diplomatic service, but that is merely guess. Watch men at night have approached him in the belief that he was an intruder, but he has faded from sight instantly, like pie ture on a magic lantern slide.
 At precisely 12:3O of the clock every night so it is said, the door of the room occupied by the committee on military and militia of the Senate opens silently and there steps forth the figure of Gen eral Logan, recognizable by his long black hair military carriage, and the hat he was accustomed to wear in life. Logan was the chairman of the commit tee, and, if report be credited, he Is still supervising its duties.
 Every morning several darkies come to scrub the corridors beneath the Senate wing when that body is in session, and if it is in winter and the early hours are dark-the first thing they do is to turn on the electric lights. The darkies are awfully afraid of the ghosts, and particularly of the specter of a dead ne- gro who was formerly one of their own number He took part in the matutinal scrubbing, and since his demise he has kept on at it in phantasmal way that is calculated to be extremely disagree able to real live colored persons. The swash of specteral water, distributed from phantasmal pail by viewless brush, is unpleasantly audible on occa- sionS.
 But there are all kinds of ghosts around and in the big marble building, and they are seen by prohibs and antis alike.