Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1914 — The Haunted House [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Haunted House

A Story of Mexico.

By F. A. MITCHEL

“Is there a hacienda near by where I can stop for the night?” 1 asked a man 1 met on tfie road. 1 was traveling in the province of San Luis Potosi, in Mexico. “No, senor; there Is nothing within a convenient distancew’here one can find entertainment There is a deserted house about two miles down the road, but I would not advise you to stop there. You had better go back to Venado.” I had come from Venado, a distance of eight miles. To go back and return to where I was would be a round trip of sixteen miles. I was well mounted, but did not care for such an additional Journey in any event. I asked the man to tell me more about the deserted house.

“It w T as formerly the country place of a Spaniard who lived there with his wife—he a crusty old man, she a beautiful young woman. He was jealous of her, and a tragedy occurred in the house. Some say he murdered her lover, and others say he murdered both her and her lover. At any rate, he disappeared, leaving the house with all the furniture in it, and so it has remained to the present day.” “Is it locked?” “Oh, Jes; it is locked, but you will have no difficulty in getting into it.’’ “I have provisions in my haversack. Why should 1 not go in there, roll myself in my blanket and sleep till early morning, then resume my journey?” “Well, senor,” replied the man, “there is nothing to prevent your doing that, but I would not do it for all the gold there is in Mexico.” “What is there to fear?” “Men have slept there who have never been seen or heard of afterward. Men have slept there who have told fearful tales.” This was not encouraging, but I was familiar with the superstition of the lower class of Mexicans and knew

that they were very easily frightened. 1 must either sleep in this deserted house or return to Venado or bivouac. The latter I did not wish to do, for a norther was blowing and a fine rain was falling. So I thanked the man for his information and rode on. I reached the house just before dark, and an attractive place it must have been in its prime.

The house had been handsomely furnished, but that must have been many years before, for, though the frame work of the furniture was solid as ever, the woven fabrics were in tatters. And yet the place looked as if persons had used it since the olden time, when it was occupied regularly. There were bits of food scattered about and other evidences of the sojourn of human beings. Perhaps. I thought, these things were left by those per sons of whom the man 1 met on the road told me. The first thing 1 did was to gather some wood which 1 found scattered about the place and. putting it in the great fireplace, soon had a cheerful blaze, which I needed not only for warmth, but to help ban ish the dreariness about me.

I ate my supper beside the fire. The apartment I occupied had apparently been the principal bedroom- of the house in its better days, and its walls were hung with portraits. One I judged to be the likeness of the former owner, the Spaniard who had murdered his wife and her paramour. He certainly looked capable of murder. One of his eyes seemed t.o differ from the other; but. since 1 had no light except what came from the hearth. 1 could not make out wherein this dis ference lay. Having finished my supper. I went out and gathered what green stuff I could find for my horse to eat—l had watered him shortly before at a runnel beside the road —and. returning, smoked a pipe beside the fire. 1 had no mind to occupy the bed with its enor-

mous rotting canopy and other nttlngs; so, rolling myself in my blanket. I Jay down on the floor. But hard wood is not comfortable for a couch, and after fitful sleeping for a couple of hours 1 arose, mastered my repugnance to the moldering bedclothes and, spreading my blanket on them, tried again to sleep. But. the uncanny place getting the better of my feeling, I arose and | got my 45 caliber revolver. There was nothing alive to shoot at. but somehow there was a sense of protectiondn the weapon. *' How long I slept before waking again I don't know. I was. or thought I was, aw’akened by a sound?- But there was a strong wind, and many parts of the house had rotted loose and rattled. The. fire had gone out, but one of the heavier pieces of wood blazed and cast a lurid light about the apartment Directly opposite was the portrait I have mentioned, and the eye which I had noticed being unlike the other seemed to me to belong to a human being and was looking straight at me.

I rubbed my own eyes to see more clearly, and when I looked again the human expression had gone out of the eye of the portrait Thinking that I must have been mistaken, I composed myself to sleep. Naturally I thought of my money and my weapon. The former was in a belt made for the purpose of carrying funds and strapped around my waist. The revolver was in my hand on the bed. My next awakening came from a heavy weight falling on the floor in the room above. Then came the sound of whistling wind, followed by a cry. Then all was still again. In a few minutes the stillness was broken by frightful shrieks. From the moment of the first, sound. I sat up. clutching my My gaze lighted on the portrait of the old Spaniard, and it had again become human. I cannot say that I was frightened, but I will assert positively that I was mad. Yielding to an impulse which I cannot well describe, I raised my revolver and sent a bullet straight: at the eye that caused the commotion within me. And so sure was my aim that an open space was left where the eye had been.

Something fell on the floor of the adjoining room. The sound seemed to come from behind where the portrait was hanging. Throwing myself from the bed, recocking my revolver with my right thumb and snatching a burning brand from the fireplace. I ran through a doorway and stood on the other side of a partition. There lay the body of a man. 1 had shot him in the eye and pierced his Brain. The stillness was broken by some one running in the patio, but this was all the indication I had of the presence of any one except the dead man. I stood listening for some time, then was seized with a desire to get out of the place as soon as possible. I started for the patio, dropping my torch as I went that it might not make me an illuminated target, and, reaching the door of the house, gained the outside. There I stood trying to pull myself together.

There was a streak of dawn in the east. It tended to quiet the horror there was within me. After all, what was there to flee from’ I could hear no sound from within, and all except the wind was still without I was as well armed and had the same chance as any one else. I had killed a man. and I preferred to learn if possible whether I had been justified in doing so. Summoning my resolution,, 1 reentered the house, peering through the dim light for any one who might be there.

I regained without opposition the room in which I had slept. There were embers on the hearth, and I rekindled the fire. There I stood with my back to it. waiting for the day to break. As soon as I could see without artificial light I went to the room, where the, body lay in the same position I had left it. It was on the floor beside a table, and the table was directly under a hole in the partition, the latter being, about the height of a man. I got up on the table, put my eye to the hole and looked into the bedroom.

Now I could form a theory. There had been two or more men in the house. One of them had looked through the hole, which formed an eye of the picture, and seen me on the bed. If he wished to rob me my revolver was in his way. An attempt had been made to frighten me. but whether to get an advantage over me or to drive me out of the house I could only conjecture. I inclined to the latter opinion.

Having gone thus far in my investigations. I resjplved to go further. I ransacked I looked into closets, up chimneys, under furniture. The last thing I did was to pull the clothing and mattresses off the bed on which I had slept. Out rolled a shower of gold coins. It was now quite light, and I resolved to gather up the coins, hide them and report my experience at the next town at which 1 would stop. I reported my find as I had intended to the police, informing them w«bere I had hidden the gold pieces. They visited the honse in question and recognized the man I had shot as a notorious bandit. They wondered when he had seen me lying on the bed that he had not shot at me through the partition. but I reminded them that this wduld-have been difficult. Besides, it was doubtless to his interest to frighten me away.

I never heard that anything was done to prevent the premises from being used by bandits. The Mexican rural police are not very effective, and soon after my experience Governor Carranza started his rebellion against President Huerta.

THERE LAY THE BODY OF A MAN.