 The White House at night is a dark and spooky place, haunted, according to legend, by ghosts of dead presidents and a former British soldier.
"It is a big old house, and when the lights are out it is dark and quiet and any movement at all catches your attention," longtime White House chief usher Gary Walters said during a Halloween chat session. President George W. Bush, who was spending Halloween at his Texas ranch, has never reported seeing a ghost, Walters said. But recent presidents have felt the presence of their predecessors, he said. "The presidents that I have worked for have all indicated a feeling of the previous occupants of the White House and have all talked about drawing strength from the fact that the previous presidents have lived here," he said. The spookiest area of the White House is probably the president's living area, Walters said. "Every sound resounds through the halls." He declined to discuss any measures to protect the president from a malevolent ghost. The White House has long had a reputation for being haunted -- most famously by the ghost of former President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's wife, Mary, reportedly heard the ghost of Andrew Jackson, Walters said. Other stories of the supernatural related by Walters included a seance by Mary Lincoln to recall the spirit of their dead son. When the wife of President Woodrow Wilson wanted to dig up the rose garden, legend has it that the spirit of former first lady Dolley Madison appeared and warned them not to disturb her garden, Walters said. "There is a story of a British soldier who died on the White House grounds ... in 1814 when the White House was burnt by the British," Walters said. "It is said that some people have seen a British soldier with a torch in his hand, although I have no personal knowledge of this story." Walters said several staff members have had eerie experiences and he described one he shared with three police officers. "I was standing at the state floor of the White House. ... The police officers and I felt a cool rush of air pass between us and then two doors that stand open closed by themselves. I have never seen these doors move before without somebody specifically closing them by hand. It was quite remarkable." (Agencies)
| 每當夜幕降臨的時候，白宮就變成了一個昏暗的，陰森恐怖的地方。據說，已故美國前總統和一名前英國士兵的鬼魂經常在白宮出沒。 “那是一幢寬敞的老房子，當所有的燈都熄滅后，整個建筑就一片漆黑了，一點聲音都沒有。任何動靜都會吸引人們的注意。”長期擔任白宮總引導員的加里·沃爾特在萬圣節的一次聊天聯線中透露。 沃爾特說，布什總統的萬圣節是在德克薩斯的農場度過的，他從未聽布什總統說起過撞到鬼，但前幾任總統都曾經感覺到已故總統的存在。 “我曾經服務過的總統都曾說過，他們能感覺到那些白宮前任主人們的存在，而且他們都談到可以感受到前任總統們曾在這里住過所產生的那股牽引的力量。”他說。 白宮中最詭異的地方可能要算總統的起居室了，沃爾特說：“每一個聲響都會在大廳中回蕩。” 他拒絕透露任何保護總統免受惡鬼襲擊的措施。 白宮鬧鬼的傳說多年來名聲在外，其中，前總統亞伯拉罕·林肯最為有名。 沃爾特說，林肯的妻子瑪麗曾經說過她聽到過安德魯·杰克遜的鬼發出來的聲音。 沃爾特還講述了許多不可意思的故事包括瑪麗·林肯召開降靈會招回他死去兒子的靈魂。 當伍德羅·威爾遜總統的妻子打算打理一下玫瑰園的時候，傳說前第一夫人多莉·麥迪遜的靈魂出現，并警告他們不可以弄亂她的花園，沃爾特說。 沃爾特說：“還有一個關于一個死在白宮的英國士兵的故事，那時是1814年，英軍正焚毀白宮的時候。據說有人看到一個英國士兵手里拿著一個火把，盡管我沒有親眼所見。” 沃爾特說，有幾個工作人員也有過怪異的經歷，他描述了他和其他三個警察一起經歷的一件事。 “我站在白宮的地板上，我和幾名警察只覺得一股陰風從我們中間吹過，然后看到兩扇原本開著的門自動關了起來。我從來沒有見過這兩扇門在沒有任何人特意用手把它們關起來的情況下自己移動。這真是太不尋常了。” （中國日報網站譯）
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Updated: 2003-11-05 01:00
