Haunted Mansion Stories- The Fat Ghost on the Chandelier

Tale of the Fat Ghost on the Chandelier[1]

Name: Rolly Crump[2]

Born:

Died: July 4, 1858

            Scandal can ruin a man’s prospects quicker than storm, fire or war. It was therefore a terrible blow when the young heiress to one of Atlanta’s most prominent families followed a ne’r-do-well into a traveling circus.

Seamus O’Malley bitterly resented his daughter Lilian’s frivolity and sought for years to reclaim her. But he was frustrated at every turn by the circus owner and “human fly” Rolly Crump. Lilian had asked the acrobat to hide her from the abusive Seamus and he took to the charge with enthusiasm.

Three times O’Malley caught up with the pair. The first was during Boston’s 75^th Independence Day celebration. Huge crowds thrilled at the sight of beautiful Lilian walking the rigging of tall ships. She was balancing a set of fine china filled with boiling tea and tossing them, one piece at a time, to Rolly who leapt like a monkey from one rope to another. Eventually he, the tea set and Lilian made it to the deck unbroken where they enjoyed a well brewed cup. Just before the afternoon performance, Seamus spotted his 16-year-old girl and tried to carry her off. She screamed bloody murder and appealed to a passing student for help. He wrenched the two apart only to be pummeled by the large and powerful O’Malley. Lilian fled in search of help even as Rolly Crump happened upon the scene. He taunted the big man until Seamus could bear it no more. Once the boy was forgotten it was time for Crump to take his foot in his hand and make for the safety of the nearest ship. O’Malley tried to follow up the wet hawsers but slipped and broke his arm allowing them a quick escape.

It was two years later, on a sultry night outside Orlando, Florida, and Seamus was waiting until after the last show. He confronted Lilian who at 19 was still a minor. She refused to go with him and he was no man to take no for an answer. They scuffled when the ever watchful Rolly appeared. He was armed with a gooseberry pie which soon found a home in O’Malley’s face. Lilian was whisked off to the tent of the tattooed lady. The father’s irish was up and he began searching the camp forcefully. It wasn’t by chance that he soon caught a glimpse of Rolly heading for town. The chase was on! Crump flew up the face of buildings in an amazing fashion. He glided from house to house and rained missiles of every sort down on the furious and closely pursuing Seamus. Finally the hunter saw his chance when Rolly appeared to hide on the balcony of a fine 2-story home. Up the trellis he climbed, puffing and trumpeting like an enraged elephant. Reaching the top he found nothing but an open window. Sure that his prey had escaped past the curtain, he boldly climbed into the bedroom and waiting arms of the county sheriff. It took three days and a large donation to sort the problem out and by then the Crump Circus and Cavalcade had pitched tents in East Texas.

Rolly feared what the obsessed man would do next so he and the troupe headed off to Europe where they spent the next four years entertaining Kings and potentates. By 1857 Lilian had come of age and was no longer governed by her parents. Crump thought it might now be safe to return to the Union. This was fortuitous as he desperately needed a new fortune teller. His previous one had failed to foresee her own unwilling enrollment in a Turkish harem while they visited Istanbul. Lilian asked if they could go to Boston. “After all”, she reasoned, “the Boston Spiritualist Society is one of the strongest in the world. We should be able to find a new medium there.” But Lilian secretly hoped to find and reward the young hero who had taken a beating for her six years before. The very first night in Beantown saw Miss O’Malley preparing a new act for the show. Several clowns would stand beneath the rope and shake it as she tried to pass over. This was a feat she had yet to accomplish and she was nervous beyond words. Ascending her ladder, who should she espy in the crowd but that self-same man, now grown and handsome as Adonis. Her gaze never left his face and she crossed the line gracefully no matter how the minions tried to upset her. George Gracey and Lilian O’Malley met after the show to profess their instant and undying love.

Their whirlwind romance led quickly to a proposal of marriage. A slight delay occurred owing to the unfortunate end of George’s parent’s marriage. But the blessed day was finally set for July 4, 1858, a lucky seven years after they first met. The wedding could not have been more perfect. All of New Orleans society turned-out and the well wishers were a multitude. Crump’s circus had disbanded the previous spring and only the faithful Rolly attended the nuptials (much to George’s relief).

The last guests had left and Master Gracey was enjoying a moment of quiet when he became aware of a disturbance above. Rolly and Lilian were in the upper hallway which overlooked the ballroom. An argument had broken out with a large and vaguely familiar man. Before George could take a step the stranger lunged at Crump. The 56-year-old was not as agile anymore but in a move which rivaled his greatest; Rolly vaulted the parapet and flew 15 feet to the chandelier.  His attacker flipped over the rail and crashed heavily at George’s feet.[i]

“Is he dead?” called Rolly weakly. “Is Mr. O’Malley dead?”

“Yes Rolly. His neck’s broke.”

“Good. He never deserved her.” With that Rolly Crump succumbed to a heart attack, having saved Lilian one last time and ending on his best performance.

From that day on, keen-sighted party goers could usually see a fat and jolly ghost swinging from the chandelier and keeping a close eye on Lilian Gracey.

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[1] Fat Ghost on Chandelier Image by Robert Miller. Found on FLickr.com

[2] WED Enterprises Imagineer

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