The Chicago Ghost.
The Chicago Republican, of November 23rd, contains the following particulars concerning the alleged ghost in that city: –
The report published in yesterday morning’s Republican, relative to certain alleged spiritual manifestations which have occurred in a building in West Randolph-street, awakened, as might have been anticipated, the most intense interest among our citizens. The immediate neighbourhood in which these strange phenomena are occurring was thrown into a state of the greatest excitement, and the entire West side experienced in a modified degree the exhilaration naturally produced by a ghost story.
The building is quite pleasantly located fronting on Randolph-street, and is a large red brick structure, of a smoky appearance, and apparently was erected many years ago. The lower story is occupied as a wholesale liquor store, and the second by a dressmaker; the third floor is a private residence; and the fourth, where the demonstrations have occurred, is occupied as we have before stated, except that the lessee is Mr Skeels, who is out of town, and whose wife is half sister of Mr . Bushnell. A Mrs Finlay, who is acting as nurse, is also an inmate of these rooms.
Upon making inquiry as to the previous character of the house, it was discovered that some two years ago it had the reputation of being haunted. Previous to that, those rooms, it is reported, had been occupied by an old woman who was ostensibly a fortune-teller. While she plied her calling in this respect, making, for a consideration, “astounding revelations of the past, present, and future” it was vaguely hinted that she laboured in another vocation, darker and more abominable than anything connected with the black art. Suspicion becoming aroused, the sorceress left the premises, and of her career from that time little is known.
For a time the rooms remained unoccupied and it was said that strange sounds were frequently heard proceeding from them. Eventually the matter was forgotten, and for over a year the rooms were tenanted, their occupants remaining undisturbed. On the 1st instant, Mr Skeeles and family moved into the tenement, and as we have before stated, saw or heard nothing unusual up to Tuesday evening last. Of what transpired up to 12 o’clock on Wednesday night the public are already aware. The subsequent incidents are as follows: –
Within a few moments after our reporters left the house, officer Rust, who was left there in company with Mr Bushnell, saw a coffee-pot leave the cupboard and roll across the floor. At a quarter before 1 o’clock a saucepan sprang from the nail on which it was hanging and fell in the middle of the floor. In a few moments a preserve-can mysteriously rolled out into the middle of the floor. These articles were picked up, replaced, and remained quiet the rest of the night.
At 1 o’clock, officer Rust was relieved by officer Slaven, who is a firm disbeliever in all things supernatural. It may be well to state here, too, that the family occupying the rooms are far from being spiritualists. On taking his post, officer Slaven firmly resolved to let nothing escape his notice. Accordingly he took a minute observation of the premises, and seated himself, prepared to explore, and if possible discover, the cause of any strange occurrence. Nothing unusual occurred until 3 o’clock, at which hour he heard three distinct raps on the partition between the main room and the bedroom. Springing to his feet, he threw open the doors, and saw several chairs, on which were a pile of bed-clothing, and which were standing near the head of the bed, dancing in a very unaccountable manner. He approached them and their motion ceased.
Turning back and walking again into the front room, he heard a noise as if some heavy object was sliding upon the floor. In an instant he turned, and saw the bed, on which were lying the two women, slide away from the wall, and then moved back, striking the wall. Then one of the women called out that there was some one under the bed, trying to raise it up. Taking the lantern, the officer looked under it, but no one was there. Completely puzzled, he went back into the main room and sat down. In less than fifteen minutes he heard something rattle on the bedroom floor. One of the women exclaimed, “There it is again.” Going into the bedroom again he picked from the floor an iron spider, which Mrs Skeels positively stated had not been outside the closet for two days. To have reached the position in which he found it, according to her statement, it must have passed through two walls. It was removed, and nothing further attracted his attention until he was relieved.
At 6 o’clock officer Cuby arrived, and Slaven went to the West-side police station. During the forenoon Cuby remained in the house, which was visited by a number of persons, among whom was a “medium,” named E.H. Iddy, who came to investigate the matter. While the latter was standing in the centre of the front room, he was suddenly seized, it is said, by unseen hands, whirled violently round, thrown into the closet, and locked in! He was released from his involuntary confinement, and the party waited for further developments. Soon a towel, which was lying near the wall, rolled across the floor, and gently folded itself up over the rocker of a chair. A portfolio, which, it is stated, was locked up in a trunk in the bedroom, was thrown out, and fell on the floor in the front room. Afterwards, the lock of a satchel hanging on the wall was heard to “click,” and on being opened a bright silver half-dollar was found in it, though the spectators were assured that such a coin was not owned and had not been seen by any of the family for months. With these freaks accomplished, the “spirits” became quiet, and nothing more was seen or heard for a considerable space of time.
In the afternoon the falling of a salt-cellar from a table, and also a pair of scissors which were hanging on a nail near a front window, were witnessed. A noise was heard in the closet, very similar to that of the falling of a bunch of keys. Upon investigation it was found that the keys to the bureau and trunk were, in some mysterious manner, taken from the lock of the trunk and thrown upon the floor of the closet.
In the evening a large crowd of persons assembled around the house, all of them expressing a desire to see “the ghost.” But admission was denied to all except the friends of the family, members of the Press, and the police force. Up to 12 o’clock no further developments were made, except the falling of a wine-glass, and the somewhat singular conduct of a couple of chairs. These were an ordinary chair and a rocking-chair. They were standing near the stove, when both were raised up and thrown over upon their backs. A spectator was about to pick them up, but one of the women forbade him. The request was complied with, and in a few moments they resumed their upright position. Afterwards, as Mrs Ritz, a lady who occupies a room on the same floor, was sitting in the rocking-chair, it commenced rocking so violently that she was obliged to get up and find another seat.
‘Another circumstance occurred which is worthy of mention, at about 9 o’clock. The room was at this time crowded with people, when a noise was heard in the hall. The door was opened, and a cat – not a spiritual, but a genuine feline – with an inflated bladder tied to her tail, rushed into the room. A portion of the spectators drew black in affright from this strange apparition, and one gentleman jumped up into a chaiar. Tabby was secured, her incumbrance removed, and quiet once more restored.
The above incidents, as well as those mentioned yesterday, undoubtedly occurred as we have related them. That there is anything supernatural connected with them, however, is quite another matter. The fact that none but the most trifling and easily explained occurrences were seen by any but the occupants of the rooms would lead to a suspicion that some human agency was at the bottom of the affair. The women who witnessed the most horrible of these manifestations have at no time displayed any genuine emotion of fear, and by examination of the premises and investigation of all circumstances, it is clear that all the manifestations which are authenticated might readily have been produced through their agency. And the most natural supposition on the part of any one disposed to take a reasonable view of the matter is that it actually was so. The perilous position of the children, and the uncomfortable one of the dog, were seen by them alone. The mere fact of a chair tipping over, a door flying open, or a piece of furniture or cooking utensil travelling across the floor, is something that could readily be accomplished by anyone of common ingenuity, and in a manner to baffle the detection of a credulous observer.
Jugglery of this kind is not of unfrequent occurrence. It is, however, always the result of some definite object, though what that may be in this case has not yet transpired. The affair then, if it has not already, must eventually come to be regarded as the work of designing persons, who thus attempt to play upon the superstition and credulity of the public for some object best known to themselves. That the two women who occupy these rooms were the perpetrators of these pleasant little tricks is getting to be quite generally believed, though as yet there is no positive affirmative evidence.
The Republican of Saturday devotes over a column of its space to a description of the manifestations in another haunted (?) house in that city.
Colonist (NZ), 26th March 1867.