Perth Amboy evening news., 1908-03-27
Residents In Southern Section
Of the City Greatly Interested
In What Seems Like Mystery
HEARD BY A LARGE PARTY
Policeman In Searching the House
Had the Rapping Under His Feet
on the Stairs-Could See Nothing
Water Shut OF, Thinking 1t Was
the Water Pipes-Noise Continued
May Be Exposed Tonight.

Residents in the southern section
OF the city are all talking about the
strange noise which has been heard
nearly every night for the past week
at the residence of John N. Peterson.
at o woodruff place. Last night over
score of people. among whom were
DR.. G. w. Tyrrell, S. G. Garretson,
and Patrolman Whitworth, went to
the house. Several ladies were in the
party. 1t was not long before the
noise like someone rapping on the
building was heard. A thorough
search was started at once. The en-
tire house was gone over and an in
vest1gat1On was made outside, but
the rapping continued and no one
could explain it.
Z In conversation with a NEWS re-
porter this morning, Mrs. Peterson
said that the rapping was first heard
Sunday night about 7:45 O'Clock,
She was in the dining room when
she heard what seemed to her two
quick knocks on the kitchen door.
She opened the door but could see
no one. Later on the rapping was
heard again. Then 1t stopped and
was practically forgotten until sud
denly, Tuesday night, about the same
hour. there was more knocking. Re-
membering the former noise, Mrs.
peterson telephoned to police head
quarters and asked for an officer.
Patrolman Andrew Jensen was de-
tailed. to investigate the matter. He
heard the knocking very distinctly.
At first 1t seemed to be in one room,
then in another. Again 1t was in the
cellar and then upstairs. The po-
liceman searched the house from top
to bottom. He finally figured out
that the heating apparatus was out
of order, but this Mrs. Peterson de-
nies. 1t was IL o'clock that night
before the rapping stopped.
Mr.. Peterson is in Bermuda on
business trip for two weeks. When
the mystery was not solved. Mrs. Pc
terson began to fear that it was
message which told of some coming
disaster to member Of the family.
Last night she decided to have some
friends stay with her.
The knocking last night started
again at 7:45 o'clock, but did not
continue so late. Patrolman Whit
worth was trying to locate the dis
turbance and was standing on the
stairs when right below him he heard
the rappinf. He looked but could
see nothing. Once, twice, three
times he heard the raps, but al
though he searched high and low he
could not solve the puzzle.
8. G. Garretson who was among
those present last night, admitted
this morning that he heard the noise.
He thought 1t might be caused by
the water pipes, SO he shut the water
OF, but the rapping continued Just
the same.
People declare that they have been
outside the house, in an open lot
nearby and that they could hear the
knocking on the outside as well as
on the inside, but could see no one.
Tonight another crowd OF people
expect to visit the place. Ferd Gar
retson is the owner of the property.
He ridicules the idea of anything
wrong. When a NEWS reporter
called at his home this morning 1t
was intimated that they had a good
Idea who was causing the mischief
and that they would probably be able
to expose 1t all tonight.