The Haunted Chamber.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 310, 24 October 1888, Page 5

The Haunted Chamber.

I met a friend of Mary Andersons at a little luncheon in New York a short time ago (says the correspondent of a New York contemporary), and he related a curious story told him lately by the fair actress. The man said that Miss Anderson told him the story when she was last here, and assured him of its absolute truth with utmost earnestness. It is a regular old-fashioned and honajide ghost story, and has the interest of having occurred at a famous house in England, Knebworth Castle, the home of Bulwer Lytton and his son, the Earl of Knebworth — Owen Meredith. The Countess of Knebworth took a great fancy to the beautiful and entirely proper young Kentuckian, and had her down to visit her in the country at her grand and historic residence. The night before the visit came to a conclusion there was some talk in the countess's boudoir, over five o'clock tea, of the ghostly legends connected with the historic houses of England.- The Earl of Knebworth inherits a good deal of his father's taste for the supernatural, and is very learned in spookolpgy. After i elating thrilling and hair-lifting tales of many of the old places he had visited, he confessed to Miss Anderson that in Knebworth also there was a haunted chamber that had never been occupied at night for half a hundred years. Mxss Anderson was too wise to let her one and only chance for meeting a real and aristocratic family 'harnt' escape her, and begged to be allowed to sleep for her last night in that long-unused room. The earl and countess tried to persuade her out of it, but she persisted, and finally, on the condition that her maid should sleep upon a

lounge in the room, they yieldedlf^TH^ serving woman was not told the rea~Bon^ox| the change of apartments other than-tlm]bj Miss Anderson had taken a fancy to/sl^epl there. Very late in the night, but at wJbJatp hour she could not definitely say, 1 , Missj| Anderson was awakened suddenly ' b'yf'a^ feeling of oppression, and, struggling to' Bis* up, felt upon her chest what seemed to/jpe^ the weight of a thousand pounds, . sofhelp-d less was she to move' or cry out. Finally"! she managed to gasp out the name of .herl,; maid, and from the lounge where she slept)';; heard a smothered and gurgling- cry. \A^ few moments later the maid rushed ' , to ,he"r|fbedside in a panic of fear, explaining bhatJ?^ Miss Andersons cry had awakened her/but^ when she endeavoured to answer, a, huga|« weight was laid upon her that made it im-j^ possible to articulate or move. The two£ women sab up in their dressing -gowns U shivering with fear until daylight arousedf? the household, and then no trace of any dis-^< turbance could be found in the room. Her -,) hosts confessed that the tradition of the i ex- r perience of those who had slept in' the room y had been exactly similar, and Miss Ander; ' '- son, despite their hospitality and kindness^- •* was glad to eet away from a place where she had suffered such a nervous shock. - s