The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-10-21
His IlRY'S
MYS ERIE'''i
THE SECRET OF CLAIMS CASTLE


THE grim walls Of CLAIMS castle, in
= Scotland, have concealed mystery
for number of centuries-conceale
II so well that no hint OF what ii Is
or whence Its origin, has ever been
definitely brought to light. But that
the existence Of the secret Is well
known throughout the kingdom is ap-
parent from Sir Walter SCOTS refer
ence to a secret chamber In the castle
which by the law or custom of the
family, must be known only to three
persons-the earl, the heir and the
third in the line OF succession ~ "'rhe
popular version" adds the famous
novelist, rs that there Is some horrible
remembrance connected with the Sc
cret which has existed for the past
two or three hundred years.
One writer claims that the mystery
concealed in the secret chamber vas
u human belng-half frog and half
man-and recounts the story of the
Countess Of Glenshire, who finally sue
ceeded In penetrating to the hidden
room, only to die of horror at what
she found there. This story, while
apparently well authenticated by writ
ers of the period, has little foundation
In fact-apart from the detail Of the
sudden and unexplained death of the
countess. who may have come to her
end in any one Of number Of ways.
and, In order to cover up the manner
Of her assassination or accidental
death, 1t Is more than possible that the
story of the chamber of horrors" was
spread broadcast through tile sur
rounding country.
Another version Of the secret OF the
castle appears In an old history Of
Scotland, where II Is stated that
there Is one chamber In the castle in
which, some centuries ago, two gam
blers were walled In and condemned to
continue their ghostly play, and where
/ the rafting of the dice Is still to he
heard The earl of Strathmore and his
eldest son, Lord CLAIMS, must each
hear this once. and IT Is related that
the present lord has not forgotten the
effect II had upon him. But. unless
stage-managed in manner worthy Of
Belasco-with blush lights, skeleton
hands, and dice box suspended in
mid-air-it Is hard TO see how the mere
sight OF room where not unusual
torture was practiced centuries ago.
could have such a profound effect upon
those who visited 1t, nor how 1t would
lead to such extreme measures for the
preservation Of secrecy.
Still another story, and one which
| appears to possess elements of horror
and at least an approach OF plausible
lty not TO be found In the other
legends, Is that which appeared in
print in England only a few years ago !:
In the Castle Of CLAIMS" stated
the writer, an eminent authority on
such subjects, SIS secret chamber
which holds Tor is reputed to hold a
monster who Is heir TO the title and
property, but who Is so hldeous that
| II Is necessary to keep him out Of sight
and possession. The secret Is known
| TO only three persons, because, as the
deformed man Is the rIghtfnl earl OF
Strathmore, he must be concealed In
order to safeguard the title Of the
present earl, but the same misshapen
aspect which renders his Imprisonment
essential has also prolonged his life
far beyond the appointed span.
"That there Is secret room in the
castle Is fact well known, not only In
the neighborhood, but TO all who have
made an examination of the structure.
Placed below the level OF the ground,
II is apparently reached through a
staircase, concealed behind the paneled
walls Of one of the many large rooms
on the first floor. Those who retail
the story of the monster supposed still
| to inhabt this chamber declare that
1t is half reptile and half human. thus
accounting for the fact that II has sur.
vived far more than the usual span Of
a mans llfe-whle others declare that
the creature died years ago, but that
It's mummifed body remains as u warn.
ing to the new heirs that their tenancy
Of office Is founded on deception, for
the tales about the chamber agree in
only one particular, that its occupant
Is the true earl of Strathmore."
The truth or falsity of these suppo-
sltlons has never been settled but the
fact remains that CLAIMS castle hides
a secret of some kind, which will never
be disclosed until the old pile is torn
stone from stone.