Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1908-03-28
Believed to Have
Been Cause By
Children.
BOARD SPLIT
Timber In the Attic Wedged
Against the Chimney Also
Caused Some Of the Com.
motion Party Heard NJ
Noise Last Night.


1t is likely that no more ghosts
will appear to make noises in the
residence of John N. Peterson, of
Woodruff place, for, according to
statements made by two neighbo
the rappings have been the work of
the two children of Mrs. Peterson.
According to the neighbors the Pc
terson children have confessed to
making the noises to scare their
mother, as they thought 1t great
Joke while Mr.. Peterson was away.
In conversation with the reporter,
this morning, Ferd. Garretson, who
is the owner of the property, said:
II called at Mrs. Peterson's home
last evening and remained there un-
til after 10 o'clock and no knocking
was heard during my stay. There
were several persons present and all
agreed on this, information having
been received that one of the chill
dren had made confession to neigh
bors that the knocking was being
done by the little ones and they were
having lots of fun watching the po-
uceman and others trying to locate
the cause. One child admitted to
ne. this morning that some of the
trouble had been caused by her
brother and sister and told in detail
of their part in the affair, but this
did not account for all of the strange
sounds.
1T is now believed that the mys-
terry has been entirely cleared. by the
discovery this morning that twelve
Inch board in the attic floor, the end
of which was tightly wedged against
the chimney, had started to split and
the sound of the splitting, directly
over the center partition of the
house, accounted for the louder and
sharper reports. The trouble there
having been located and overcome, 1t
is believed the incident is closed"
Among the people who visited the
house last night was NEWS re-
porter. He spent nearly three hours
there, but no rappings occurred. 1t
was suspected by some yesterday that
the children were the ones causing
the disturbance and last night a
strict watch was kept on them. They
were looked after for a time by Ferd.
Garretson, the owner Of the house,
and his son, and the NEWS man.
According to the alleged confession
given by the Peterson children to
two of the neighbors, they thought 1t
amusing to scare their mother and
even the policeman, whom they made
run up and downstairs. Some of
those present last night, who were
at the house Tuesday and Wednesday
nights, are of the opinion that 1t
could not possibly be the children,
as the raps were too loud to come
from the hands of children eight
years old. These visitors claim that
on nights previous to last night, the
house was watched both from the
out and inside and the rappings that
came in threes, continued.
According to other statements by
two of the neighbors to whom the
children are said to have confessed,
they had planned to play the same
trick on the Wright residence at 4
Woodruff place to scare the Wright
family last night, but, 1t Is declared,
they were too closely watched.
Thursday night, when the house was
filled with curious visitors. some of
the neighbors claim having seen the
children knock on the walls. In one
instance they hid behind a portiere
and later they knocked on the wall
and floor while in bed.
The Peterson children are neither
over eight years of age. They will
not admit to their mother that they
did the knocking and Mrs. Peterson
refuses to believe that they are
guilty.