St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 104

to shield the house from curious aishtseera. Ti i f.i a wub uoibisuib; rajnaityr planted 30 Tears aeo now form a hides the "spirit house" from the world's aos WhS Mrs, "Winchester began her yq. i asainst the spirits her fortune was "stiiaate (00.00. She left an estate of about dlin? of her wealth was due to two draia mense sums she spent on the "spirit bouse" 4" larre charities she maintained. While abe millions cn the strange whim which im build and rebuild and keep on building tnili TmMi without ceasing ber heart was with the Ttrrrti wl Tinmately her entire estate win go to stitntioas.

chief of which is the New Haves Tabercalosis Hospital, which site founded. Mrs. Winchester was the widow of WLn ciester. whose father founded the Warhf peaiing Arms Co. It was from this bmiai Sfej-huge income came.

The source of her to have been an added burden which this close carried, for stie was known to have tolia repeatedly: "Pecasse my income comes fretn riQescad tion that take life, I must be earef and in The bouse which Mrs. Winchester was alw( ing consisted originally of IS rooms, it 1 lawnrfa Villa. Uier -the hands of East era si and Eastern workmen it grew ta 192 the strangest patch worU eer thrown fate ing. There is no apparent adherence ta mm i structure. There are large windows and rwrnl xi dews, round winOows, square windows, laasd dows and windows of art glaas.

Doors open ia gl of the hofse witbout apparent purpose, xaa the upper floor eren pea into space. There EC of corridors in the house, and porches, pergolas galore. Before the earthquake Mt.lti millionaire woman is saidto have received a supernatural mes-t sage in 1SS2 that she was about to begin buildirg a dwelling and would die "when hammers ceased to ring" She kept the workmen constantly on the task, adding room after room, until at her death, after three decades of construction, she left an amazing structure of 102 chambers with others started at each end eat San Francisco in ruins there was a tower CITE solidly miifnil, yet a thiiis of mys tery, is the "spirit house" left by Mrs. Sarah. Winchester, who died recently in the ghe sever completed, notwith standing the fart that as it steads it con-tains bo less thaa 102 room.

Although 5 ca the globe has beem in proress of construction for 39 years and millns of dollars hae been expended in the work, the bans Ecrs of the builders continued to ring spoa it until death stepped the taste. At each, end of the rambling mansion ear San Jose. Cai aa-eompieted rooms are left. la IS?" Mrs. Winchester said to hie had a mes- sage rrom the spirit world which, put briefly into words.

sa-jbsMstiaHy was to effect: "Sana Winchester, you are aboat to undertake tie biii'tiinsr of a house. ai when the hammers cease to ring upon it you will The spirit oesse was interpreted literally br the wealthy widow. She was so deeply impressed with Hs ominous import that she hastened to the injunctive She most begin to build a house. She mast continue building it without ceasing cessation meaning her So Ions as she fcept the hammers ringing her lease of life was secure. Thus dM she Ye and aadlb'e expression to her implicit belief in the -reliability of the warning cie-sage which she belieei to hare come from the rerhn of the disembodied-Mrs.

Winchester immediaiely purchased a tract of 5 acres southwest of San Jose. She emoliiyed architects and had the groendwora of a dwelling laitl out. She aired workmen and set them at the task. Year after year rang the ha Timers. When tie house be-ame habitable.

Mrs. Wlnrhester moed into it-Year after year, beyond the rooms she occupied, rxnsr the hamaiersof The workmen building additional rooms. The struct are otgrew the original grotnd plan. More ara was added. Years and years ago the house grew to mansion dimensions, yet still the hammers rang.

"When the hammers cense to ring yon wjH die!" Mrs. Winchester, an aging recluse, contmiied to believe that so ions asshe could bear the sound of the hammers she would live. The music was sweet to her ears, sweeter een than the compositkms of the masters of melody and harmony in which she delighted. Addition after addition was built, to be torn down and rebuilt, or to be alter in plan anything to keep the hammers rfnging- Mrs. WLncbesier remained to svr death as little ksou to her neighbors as on the day she began build-in? her house.

All straiisers were excluded from the grounds. There was a special inhibition of persons with cameras. The executors of the estate respect the woman's wishes in this respect, mamtaininz a enard asainst those who desire to take photographs of the premises. When the worx of construction besu Mrs Winchester planted trees in a close-set line PAGE IGHT. SUNDAY MAGAZINE ST.

LOUIS POST-DISPATCH NOVEMBER 19, 1QZ2..