Year: 1868

For week past, the neighborhood of De


Soto street, between Vance and Elliott, has


been terribly excited over the occurrence of a


series OF circumstances so mysterious in their
nature as to amaze and mystify the whole


neighborhood. The particular locality af.
| fected is the tenement No. 269 De Soto
street, at present occupied by Mr.. Thompson,


who owns and runs several furniture cars
Somewhere about week ago, the people
occupying the house were startled by sue.
cession of loud knocks on the outside Of the
front door. The family were aroused, but as
lar as we could learn, no inquiries were made
that night, save the opening of the door, to
see what had caused the knocking. No per.
son being visible, it was supposed to have


been caused by some mischievous boys, and
so the family went to sleep again and were
not disturbed until morning.


On the second night, about eleven o'clock.
the same knockings were heard, only now
more emphatic and noisy than before the
knocklngs this time, too, were apparently
from the outside, and the family were afraid
to go to the door. The noise was SO loud that
the whole neighborhood was aroused and
alarmed. Some persons connected with the
family went up stairs, where full view of
the door could be obtained, but although the
peal of knocks still continued, no visible
cause for it could be seen. After while
things quieted down and the family went to
sleep, but about two hours after the first
alarm was heard, again the knocks peaed
forth, nearer, clearer, and more alarming
than before. A gentleman went to the door,
but not vestige of living creature could
be seen, and no reasonable hypothesis could
be given to account for this unusual proceed.
ing. A man was stationed at second story
window, who, from his position, could see
the door, and no one could approach it unob-
served. He had not been at his post more
than half an hour when the knocks were again
repeated, and crash, crash, went pane after
pane of glass until seventeen were broken,
and nothing to show how it was done-not
even pebble as large as pea could be found
among the splintered glass.


The family were now seriously ala rmed,
and began to consult with each other and
with their friends. to arrive, if possible, at
any elucidation of this annoying mystery.-
Without arriving at any definite conclusion, |
they retired, and were not disturbed again
that night. On the third night the same |
scenes were repeated, three panes OF glass
being broken, ard all the earthen jars con
tanning milk overturned, and their contents |
spilled. The spirit or whatever else it |
was, did not content itself with overturning
the jars, but it broke them into pieces, not |
one being left whole. Satisfied with the mis-
chief it had done, on this, the third night, it
retired, and allowed the prosecuted family to |
enjoy sleep for the rest of the night, if they
could On the fourth night a young man |
was employed to watch the door. He placed |
his bed close to large safe used for holding
the tableware and china belonging to the |
family. In about an hour he aroused the |
family, and told them that he had fallen
asleep, and that he had had dream He |
stated that be had dreamt that the safe near
which he had been sleeping had been over
turned on him by three men, and that he had |
been covered by the debris which fell from |
it, and that it had awakened him, and he con-
cluded by asking some of the family to sit up |
and watch with him. The young man then |
moved his bed ten feet from the safe, all the |
doors the connecting chambers being open,
and the lights having been extinguish9d. In
about twenty minutes after be had again laid |
down, the safe was lifted up and violently
hurled toward him, and its contents almost |
entirely broken.


The family, now nearly paralyzed with
fear, moved about in momentary dread of
something still more terrible to come, and,
pale with terror and anxiety, it was concluded
to summon in the neighbors, among whom
was DR.. Wasson, one Of our well known den
fists. He was asked to stay in the house all
night and keep the family company. lie
consented to do SO, and sent for his revolver
and he also laid down. At this time there
were two or three young men in the room,
who had come in when the alarm was given |
They remained about an hour, and as no
further disturbance had occurred, they con-
cluded to go home. They had not left the |
rootz aiore than five minutes, the lights hav- |
ing been extnguished after their departure |
when pair of vases-one on either end of |
the mantlepiece-were hurled to the floor and |
broken into a thousand pieces. At the same
time, all the parties in the room being wide |
awake, but before lamp could be lighted, |
the top of a brush box was taken from the |
washstand and thrown with fearful force into |
the opposite corner of the room, striking a |
large globe lamp and entirely demolishing il. |
This occurred about IL clock The people |
in the house, and many of the neighbors. had |
by this time become impressed with the idea
that they were being treated to an unasked
display of spiritual rappings, and they ac-
cordingly determined to investigate the mat
ter on that line. They accordingly sent post.
haste for Mr.. Peplow, gentleman of much
repute among the believers of spiritualism in
this city, who sent for celebrated medium
of the female sex. Like Caesar, she came,
she saw, she conquered and the unruly Wis.
itant from the other world was 50 modified
that he al last consented to hold CONVERGE
with her and alr. Peplow. a great deal Of