The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-29
Frederick Haskin's Letter
tspeaa Correspondents
LiUe Ghosts.

smell smoke, and on running 10
into the bedroom, they would fiud
a bundle of clothes placed in tia
center of the floor blazing. or they
would descend 10 the cellar. AMI
there find a pile of shaTiHgs alight
and blazing merrily. They lived in
constant danger of having the
house burned over their heads II
is interesting to note in this COZ
nection, however. that the ghostly
inceadiaries usually Confded In
Esther as soon IS they had started
a FIRE, although sometimes they
eoyIy withheld its exact location.
Soon after this" we are told.
things got so bad that Esther Cox
had 10 leave home, and went 10
visit a friend For four weeks
there was peace. Then trouble BE-
gan again. This time knocks and
raps were heard all over the house.
and Esther now began TO see the
spooks-" There were two OF them.
it seems-AIaggie whose feminine
persona - was recognized by her
timid a. ingratiating raps, and
Bob. who pounded out his commu-
nications with a huge fist, or pos
sibly. it was thought. with = stone.
Or some Of the additional phe1Om-
ena which occurred about this
time. Mr.. Hubbell, the actor. Who
visited the Teed home for the pur-
pose of investigation, gives the fol-
lowing account:
Il had been seated lin the sitting
roomi about five minutes when TO
NV 1roof azFo0fcbu-eu% r-,,
brella was thrown a distance Of 16
feet, passing over ny head IN its
strange fight, and almost a. the
same instant q large carving knife
came whizzing through the air,
passing over the head q Esther.
who was just then coming out Of
the pantry with large dish in
both hands. and fell Il front OF her,
near me-haTing come from behind
her out of the paEtry- Z naturally
went TO the door and -3ck sl n. but
no person was there
Spirits Depart FGaI Esther.
Things came to E1 lass at
length that the lalC---s -azs and
told the Teed family 1z- either
Esther would have 10 - 1r they
would have to leave -zz house.
Esther was then dispatChs+ 70 visit
ether friends From this second
time she left the iced house, she
was never more troubled With
ghosts. but few weeks after this
date she was arrested for IUCeu-
diarism in a barn and sentenced %
four months Imprisonment FIN
ally. she married. had q family. and
that was the end Of the Amherst
As IN the Antagonist case, It was
Dr. Walter Prince VINO turned the
first brilliant rays OF skepuCism
upon the Amherst spooks- In writ
ing Of their spiteful disturbance
of Esther's bedClothes AID fuTui-
ture. he says:
Mr.. and Mrs. Teed one night
could see from their bed into Is
tEers room by moonlight {how
much moonlight, and how much Of
her room did it light2); they saw
2 chair slide up from the wall 70
her bed would not a string I0oped
around the chair leg have prpduc-
ed the same effect, and does u1s
the direction the chair took suggest
the string?l: 4 pillow went QUE
from under her head into the chair
twould that effect have been be-
yond the power of the human hand
10 produce in the semi-darkness2 p.
a ghost sat down in the chair and
rubbed, pinched and scratched Is
Their under the bedclothes but this
is what Esther said; all the furni-
ture except the bedstead vas
thrown out into the entry while
Esther lay quietly in bed thow
much and how large was the fur
nituTe? How much OF Etler's
form could they see? Is it certain
that it was Esther ar all whom they
saw on the bed. for rolls Of cloth
ing and artfully arranged cush-
ions have been known 70 deceive
in poor Hght?): then another
ghost rocked the bed Us it not
probable that Esther was in bed
now, at any rate?): at length Is
Their was brought to sleep in The
same room with the others, who're
upon the manifestations ceased
because OF the better opportuni-
ties for observation p, except that
once the lid OF a trunk gave one
parting slam twas the trunk con-
veniently near Esther's mattress?
Was the interval before the part
ing slam long enough 10 allow the
leeds TO fall into that state. con-
genial to the night, wherein eyes
watch not?)"
Thus, DR.. Princes critical study
goes on until there is very little
ghostlv substance left IN Maggie
and Bob. In the same Coldly
scientific way, he calls attention 20
the fact that the mysterious fires
caused by the Antagonist ghost
were never more than five feet
from the ground-Ehich IS the
height Of the NcDonaId's adopted
daughter. Clearly, the Englishman
was right 1t has taken a neur0lo-
gist-for DR.. Prince speciaIizss in
nervous disorders. such as dual
etc.-to trail these
ghosts to their secret sources.