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| Via Newspapers.com |
This cautionary tale about the hazards of not showing proper filial piety comes from the “Chicago Tribune,” January 27, 1906:
Because he cursed his mother for her supposed injustice to him previous to her death a year ago, Frank Swulius, 1596 West Thirty-ninth street. believes he and his family are haunted by her spirit.Always say nice things to your mother, kids. Even when she’s dead.
When the mother of Swulius died last February she left most of her property to her daughter. The son thought he had been treated unjustly, and his anger over the matter caused him to utter violent execrations against the dead woman. Shortly afterward the strange apparitions, accompanied by uncommon noises, took possession of the Swulius residence.
At first the son and his wife treated the visitations as imaginary and tried to forget the "spirit " because they do not believe in what are termed "ghosts," but as the apparitions increased the number of their visits, Swulius’s conscience smote him and he became convinced that he was haunted because of the unkind words he had spoken against his mother.
One night recently a shadow passed between Swulius and the lamp in his room. He looked up and saw what he declares was the form of his mother. Mrs. Swulius also saw the apparition. Since then tables and chairs have been moved to and fro and the water was turned on and off at the sink when nobody was near.
Until two weeks ago Swulius was night watchman in one of the warehouses of Swift & Co. at the stockyards. But the avenging spirit haunted him there, too, so he sought a day position on the killing floor of the Swift plant.
"I am convinced that there is more to these apparitions than I first thought." Swulius said last evening. "I know I haven't imagined the things that have happened recently." Mrs. Swulius corroborated her husband's story.
The mother of the haunted man was Mrs. F. Kujaweki. She lived with her daughter. Dr. F. Reenstrom, at 1003 West Thirty-first place.
"My mother was always kind to all of us," said Dr. Reenstrom, "and if Frank is followed by a specter it is because his conscience troubles him. He sees her in his own conscience and then he believes that he is being pursued."
Especially when she’s dead.
You can't libel the dead, they say. They don't say anything about the dead getting you for it, or for bad-mouthing them in general.
ReplyDelete(I always like the incidental things I learn from these stories: running water in the Swulius house, and the sister was a doctor; that must have been uncommon at the time, even in Chicago - or perhaps not, since the newspaper doesn't remark upon it.)