The Washington herald., 1908-01-19

number Of articles or accounts in regard
20 an alleged ghost which took delight
in speeding up one Of the principal streets
of the northwest part Of the city in a big
red-devil automobile, and deriving a lot
OF pleasure In soaring a good many peo-
pie who were in the habit of going home
late O. nights.
As have reasons to know a good deal
o more than ever appeared in the news
papers about this case. viii endeavOr
TO give a true and complete version of
this somewhat battling affair. which. as
far as the police are concerned, was never
ferreted out.
To begin at the beginning, II seems that
several persons had seen on different Oc-
casions. In the dead of night, a real. live
ghost riding up a certain street in large
TeG-devil automobile, az a very fast rate
OF speed. Tne occupant OF this machine
was always dressed in a long. flowing
robe white. Of course and on these night
" trips it looked neither TO the right nor
20 the left. These excursions took place
about midnight or a little later, and, as
was 10 be expected, only those whose
duties or engagements kept them out to
that hour ever saw il. The ghost" gen.
orally followed the same course which
was from somewhere near Seventh street
up - street 10 North Capitol street.
and then back The apparitiOn had indeed
created such a scare along this particular
street that the matter had been reported
10 the police department. and a squad of
police were detailed 10 keep watch along
the supposed route Of the ghost" for
three consecutive nights, not with any
hopes Of capturing the ghost the papers
stated, but more with the idea of quiet
ing the people whose nerves had been up
set
Now, as I lived on the very street that
this apparition had adopted as its route
for its midnight travels, I was, 20 d
great degree of course. much interested.
So 1 invited my friend and law partner.
as he was bringing me home in his auto
mobile the evening the papers said the
watch would be Instituted. 10 join me
on that night and the following two
nights In the watch I explained to him
that We could be sitting in our cozy room
and see just as much as those on the out
side, and be much more comfortable. My
friend. having quite as much curiosity as
myself accepted the invitation with
pleasure
1t was perhaps u.30 o'clock WHEN he
reached my home. The rest of the folks
were all out OF town for a few days. and
We had the house TO ourselves The night
was clear and fair, and the moon was
SIN high. From our places In the win
dow We could see the crowd outside along
the street, who We're drawn by curiosity.
and some with sincere belief that the
ghost" would really appear. The police
re on hand, too, with orders 10 arrest
the ghost on sight and escort him 10 the
lookup until morning, when it would be
given a preliminary hearing. Think of
arresting and trying a ghost.
Well IS we watched. time wore on
Midnight came and went, but no ghost
put in appearance. The crowd began 10
grow smaller. At ! o'clock nothing had
occurred, except the fast disappearing Of
the crowd outside. Two O'Clock came;
go passed, but our watch was useless,
we thought, and at we retired 10 get
what little sleep we could before the
arose, we resolved 70 watch the following
two nights, anyway as the police would
be there that long at least.
The following two nights were simply a
repetition of the first. except on the third
night no one but the detailed police were
on hand. the crowd evidently concluding
that the whole story was q fake. and
that some one with brainstorm had de
cided TO have a little amusement by start
ing such report The third morning my
partner said he had had enough and If
I didn't mind he wouldn't show up that
night, to which I replied that had come
10 the conclusion that We had been badly
fooled by some newspaper reporter who
wanted 20 ill up space and that I was
going to bed that night and get a good,
sound sleep. So my friend and / each
agreed to stay at home.
When I reached home that night I had
a piercing headache. 1t was then about
II o'clock, and / disrobed and tried TO
sleep. but I couldn't So I put on my
trousers and smoking jacket and, getting
a book sat down by the window and
commenced 10 read. / got along fairly
well, and, with the aid Of my pipe and
book, succeeded in passing away two
hours time l was just about TO lie
down again. when in the distance I heard
the approach of an automobile. II SEEM
ed 10 be coming at a great rate Of speed.
The street was empty, the police, as
stated before. having been ordered to dis
continue their vigil
I realized that something must be done
81 the mystery were to be solved Grab
bing my revolver from my bureau drawer
lit was empty, as I afteTwaTd learned-I
rushed out into the hall. down the stairs,
and as I got to the door the machine.
with the speed OF eighty miles an hour.
rushed by. and IN it was the ghost"
with a long, white robe. and it looked
neither 10 the right nor 20 the left
went out into the street and watched u.
AS il reached the corner 1t slackened up
and began TO turn around 10 make the
trip hack. I was conscious that ] must
act and act quickly. Rushing down TO
the corner. for my house was but a few
doors away, l came to the grocery store
there and, seeing several of those large
bread boxes which may always be seen in
front OF a fiTst-class store I picked I'D
one. with superhuman strength II must
have been. for 1t was very heavy,
and threw il across the street in the
path Of the fast-approaching automobile.
To make the obstruction complete threw
another and another until the street was
literally blocked
As the Oncoming machine came nearer
SIS speed did not slacken. and the driver
seemed to be unaware of the boxes in
his path, or perhaps the ghost, I thought.
cared not for such a thing as a bread
box. The automobile struck the obstruo-
ton with terrific force; such force IN
fact that II threw the ghost from IFS
seat onto the dashboard. The occupant
still clutched in his hand the lever which
manipulated the machine, and as he was
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