A Haunted House.
The Roman correspondent of Saunders writes:-
There is, it is said, a haunted house at Cuneo, at least so says the Gazette of Turin. Like in most Italian houses, there are many inhabitants in this house, and among them a professor of literature and a grocer, who has a deposit of oil and petroleum in the cellars. It is a square building, with a little square yard in the interior and a balcony running all round the first floor of the house, looking on the yard. At the end of one of the arms of the balcony lives the professor, and an iron railing shuts that part of the balcony, so that anyone going to see him must ring a bell attached to the railings and leading to the professor’s room. There is nothing above the balcony.
Three months ago the professor was being continually annoyed by an incessant ringing of the bell. But, though he watched incessantly he could not discover anyone touching it. He then put the pull on his door instead of the iron gate. But the bell still continued ringing; and one night as he was on the watch to discover the cause of the annoyance, a letter fell at his feet. But there was nothing written either on or within the letter which thus came to him so mysteriously. When he threw this letter into the fire, however, the writing appeared. It said, “Dear Sir, I give you three months to remove from this house; if not, beware!”
And all the time he was reading that the bell continued ringing, and he presently found another letter on the balcony, and others on his table, chair, and even in his pockets. Mr S. does not believe in spirits. So he took his letters to the police. The police then searched the house from top to bottom, and the walls, and th floors, and the chimneys – everything in fact; but found nothing.
Guards were placed in and around the house, but all to no effect; nothing could be discovered, though the bell continued to ring, and letters continued to rain upon the poor man and his household furniture. The superintendent of the police at last went himself to visit the premises. He took with him several guards, and asked half of the Carabiniers to keep back the crowd assembled round the haunted house.
The first thing he did was to cut off the bell, and to put two guards on watch; two others were on the roof above the balcony, and two others were placed in every room in the house and by the side of every chimney on the roof of the house. The bell itself was in the inspector’s hands, when at the usual hour he felt it turn in his hands, and a letter fall on the balcony in front of the guards who were stationed there, armed, for the purpose of discovering its authorship. This letter said: – “Dear Sir, – It is useless to trouble so many persons. You will not be able to discover us. But take yourselves away, or evil will befall you. We will discontinue our annoyance for a short time, but shall recommence at an early date!”
The professor found out also that all the wine in his cellar was upset, though he alone had the key of the cellar. The affair rests there, but all Turin is talking of it. We have yet to see how it will finish.
Belfast Morning News, 9th April 1879.