A HAUNTED ROOM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2106, 15 April 1889, Page 3

A HAUNTED ROOM

The following extraordinary story m oooceotlon with the MazweU-Preller ntufder was recently telegraphed to New Tork from St Louis, where the murder took plaoe : — The terrlblt tragedy enacted on April sth, 1885, m room 144 of the Southern Hotel, is again revived by the •trange experiences of the guests who have raoently occupied the apartment. It was m room 144 that Maxwell ohloro* formed Preiler to death, and then ptoked tb« body m a trnnk. The room was not occupied for many months, and the hotel people found it neoeisary to obange the number to 133. The experience of a gueit one night recently was told on the following d«y. The gentleman is a prominent bnslnesß man of well-balanced mmdi " I knew nothing at all about the room when I took it," he said. "In hot, the Maxweli-Preller tragedy had wholly •soaped me. I went to bed at my usual boar, and was awakened with a start by bearing a strange tapping against the head of the bed. There wss one tap and then two others fn quick succession. I was jffonsed m an Instant; bnt heard nothing more. The same tapping ooonrrad several other times daring the night, but I thought little of it. The next evening I ootloed that the drawers of the bureau would always open, however often I closed them. I poshed them In whenever I passed near the bureau, but they would Invariably open again, as though forced by some unieen agency. Still I was not j alarmed. The most startling occurrence, snd that which decided me to quit the room, came on the third night. I ordered the fire to be dlioontlnued, beoause it was warm enough without one, and retired for the night. 1 had noticed that the chambermaid had entirely oleared the hearth of debris, and so much as a sorap of paper was not left m it. About one o'olock I was awakened by an explosion on the hearth that sounded like a big firetracker. I waa soared, yon can bet A second explosion, a little louder followed, and then came a third, whloh capped the ollmax. It was terribly violent} and the detonation was fearful. I arose, lighted the gas, dressed, and lcoked at the hearth, It was completely filled with si slate lubitanoe that looked like ore of some kind, and one of the Urge cubes that made up the hearth was torn from the brickwork or tiling. Pieces of slate were thrown aorois the room. I wrat downstairs and asked the night olerk to come right to the room and see what bad happened. He refused with a slokly ■mite. I returned to the room, passed a altepleis night, and ohanged my room next day. J then learned from a f fiend the history of the room.