The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-29
This Ghost Watched Ouer
 Desti1ies Of Its Children
Flammarion Claims Sceintific Inquiry Proves
 That Haunted Houses Exist

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 a height upon some furniture. After eight or ten blows like that, there was CTS and then a pause. Then it seemed as if strong hands were dragging an iron bar over the courtyard pavement. Several neighbors were awakened by the noise. They came to the house to find out what was happening and join ed with my father in further re- searches. They were in vain. Toward 5 o'clock in the morning my father bade goodbye to his neighbors and or dered the servants back to bed. He was sure that the noise had not been made by thieves. The noise had lasted for about four hours and had been heard by seven or eight persons. It stopped about o'clock in the morning. Letter Tells Of Death
 At o'clock a registered letter ar rived announcing to my father that one of his relatives had died during the night, between 10 and II o'clock, and that before he died, he had once again expressed the hope that my father would take over the guardianship and education of the children he was leav. ing behind.
 He had often expressed that desire before. But my father had always been unwilling and had said 50. In vain had my father argued with him, cit ing the multiplicity of his affairs. In vain had he shown that there were other relatives better able to be guar dians of the dying mans children. He had not been able to turn the man from the idea which he carried with him into the life to come.
 '"The coincidence of this death with the noises which had been heard dur. ing the night made a great impress sion upon my mother. She was con- vYnced that there was something of connection between the two events. She insisted that my father carry out the dead mans wishes, and take over the guardianship of his children.
 My father, not sharing her fears, argued with her. At last, in order to calm her, he promised that if the noise was heard again the following night he would accept the guardian ship of the children. Then, convinced that the noises were caused by some plot against him of persons wishing to make sport of him or to get some thing from him, he laid his plans to catch them at their tricks, if tricks there were.
 He had two men whom he knew to be strong and courageous sleep in his room. Then he waited calmly awake in his bed. At midnight the noise began again, louder and more terrible than the night before.
 Two Watches Overcome My father arose and told the two men to follow him to search every cranny of the house. But they were seized with such fright that no words he could utter could persuade them to leave their beds. A cold perspira- tion bathed them both. My father then reused his servants, and with them he secured the entire house, without discovering anyone. The noise lasted only a little while, but it was far more voilent than during the eve ming before.
 Upon his return to the chamber of my mother, my father yielded to her entreaties, more, he said, to make her happy than on account of any conviction that the noises were due to supernatural causes. He adopted the children of the dead man and the noises were never heard again in the house.
 Three or four witnesses of those strange events still live, who can at- test to the truth of my narrative. I have often heard my father tell 1t, and he always professed to believe that there was some other cause to the affair than a supernatural one, but he could not say what it was. Sometimes he was almost convinced that 1t was supernatural manifestation.
 "One thing in particular made him night, when the noise was at ita height, my father called his dog. The dog was enormous, very strong, very brave. My fathers call sufficed ordi- narily to bring him on the bound. But this time, 1t took long urging on the part of my father to bring the dog at all, and when he came, 1t was crawling on his belly, and shivering with fear.
 '"This made a great impression on my father, but he would never admit that his dead relative had been the cause of those unearthly noises. Nev- ertheless, he carried out the dead mans wishes"
 Could Cite Hundred Cases
 I have given the reader three wide ly varying instances of haunted houses. could just as easily cite 10, 20 or 100, for they are very numerous, and ac- counts of this nature, subjected to close study today, can only be taken for authentic.
 What is their explanation?
 A certain number of them are con- nected with the souls of the departed. Others do not appear to have any con- nection with the survival of human beings. Such are those which in Germany go under the name of "pol- make a noise," and "geist," or spirit" thence, noisy spirit"
 Noises, tappings, uproars, all sorts of sounds, blows struck, steps heard,