Detroit evening times., 1943-09-05
Bv CHARLES W. GODDARD


BY CHARLES W. GODDARD
T7Is, by wcck5 Inc Great Ruwn Rights Reserved
~H, OH This is "A sadly rrclcrcut age Even the
pocrgcist the only ghost which science has
~ tended 10 take seriously, is under suspicion of not
When Farmer + a Hardin whose stone house is on
between the city limits of Dallas Texas and
the countryside found that also on the borderine
between this world and the next he called upon the law
rid him Of spirit teSPasser who was sabotaeing his
home and farm
There is nothing in the statutes Of the Lone Star
against blessed ghost doing it peases but two
deputy with hard heads under their soft hats
fixed this one, assist from plumber whose
mind seems TO have also the material plane"
The trouble began some ago, with uncanny
rLmblngs under the foundations of the house MI
Hardin always said he didn't believe in spooks and
that ghost stories on the radio which attempted no
explanation childish His thrtcen-ycarold son,
Jimmie who liked nothing better than to enjoy such
yarns especially Just before going 10 bed invited his
father explain the ghosty noises.
WHAT with shortage of farm help machinery and
w fertilizer together with abundance of insects,
Government tape and other Affections he had no
time to waste Investigating ghosts particularly when
there such things, anyhow.
Forget his order but easier said than done,
mysterious rumbngs kept and soon were
incrspered with tapping sounds coming from the solid
walls
How do you account that Dad?" Jimmie asked.
Perfectly simple" answer. The house is only
old and probably sl settling You didn't notice
taps before but ghost-minded Pretty
you will be seeing things
And pretty soon they were The night there
an unusually rumpus and the following
morning they the dining table upside down. its
legs stretched heplessy toward the abode of the spirits
Since nothing else in the had been disturbed 1t
could be explained by earth tremors.
During the following days various and sundry articles
furniture found, unaccountably overturned or
otherwise displaced.
Mrs Hardin preserved her serenity, joining in
dsapproval of their statement that in
the middle Of the night his bed had risen into the air
and rocked until it woke him up.
She took the shock finding her washing machine
lying side and water tub upsde-down calmly but
gas the bathroom rocked and iggered
before her very eyes that was too much she ana uer
children went visit to her father
absence the kids tangible loss the farm
but being farmers wife is key industry Worse
the story of the ghosy vatons got into the
local papers bringing down Mrs Hardin hundreds of
amateur psychic investigators.
II don't believe spooks the exasperated farmer told
his unwelcome callers.
That is the wrong approach the problem" they
piled tones Of rcbuke you should always have open
mind 10 the supernatural -
But he kept it closed and he padlockcd gates
and called up the Dallas County Shorid's office.
mail letters explanation from persons who
had the Hardin homestead. one assured him
that there must be the body OF suicide in his well,
another that there stolen treasure buried on the place
TT was suggested that the phenomena caused by
pocket of natural gas under the house or that
tnuous stratum OF rock carrying vibrations from
blasting that going miles away. These might
produce the noises but would hardly overtun furniture
without shaking the house notceably.
When the deputies arrived. Mr. Hardin asked somewhat
uubiousy If they approaching with open minds
According TO the movies, sheriffs amt supposed to
have any minds" said Deputy A. {. Becker but
always ask questions"
After he had done quite thoroughly, Deputy Becker
remarked that the seemed to have all the eanarks of
those potcrecsts he had read about He explained
that poergeist is sort of playful practical Joking
ghost that throws things around and plays all sorts of
tricks but careful not TO do any serious damage
Shortly after dark Mr. Hardin went up 20 bed having
nothing until at dawn, and left the two
deputies sitting the dark opposite side Of the dining
table.
They that way until 11;10 p. when couple Of
taps sounded from the ceiling
Come on Mr. Potergeist, put your act suggested
Becker respectful tones but nothing happened
until 1882 Standard Time though perhaps the witch
hour Of Iaidnig gAt,-Cihest Time Then came from
beneath their sepuchral rumble that would have
graced the entrance Of that ghost Hamlet
The deputies jumped up and investigated satisfying
Themselves that the sounds from under the earth
below the house
they had renewed their vigil the other deputy
asked.
well Sherlock what do you deducc from that under
ground rlmpuse' 's.
only this. You flushed the toilet about Zen minutes
before we heard it, Becker answered,
september ,. 1913