The Speaker’s Lobby: Ghosts of the Republic

Edgar Allan Poe wrote that nan scariest monsters are nan ones which lurk wrong our souls.

But what astir nan souls which lurk in nan halls of Congress?

The U.S. Capitol is much than 200 years old. And immoderate building which has been astir for 2 centuries, is stocked pinch legends and ghosts. This clip of year, group flock to pop-up haunted houses "on nan hill." But erstwhile it comes to Washington, DC, location is only 1 haunted House (and Senate) connected "the Hill." So let maine to spook you pinch tales of nan Capitol macabre arsenic we descend into nan Congressional catacombs.

Four expansive staircases inhabit each quadrant of nan Capitol. But nan steps successful nan southwest information of nan building connected nan House broadside show possibly 1 of nan astir grotesque stories successful Congress.

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Capitol Hill, for illustration immoderate different staple of modern Americana, has a rich | history of folklore bordering connected nan macabre. (Getty Images)

And we’re not talking astir 1 of nan large omnibus spending bills.

Rep. William Taulbee, D-Ky., served successful Congress successful nan precocious 19th Century. And conscionable for illustration today, nan Capitol teams pinch journalists, chasing lawmakers for a quotation aliases accusation astir legislation. But Taulbee had a problem. Reporter Charles Kincaid wrote for nan Louisville Times. Kincaid penned an article astir Taulbee’s dalliances titled "Kentucky’s Silver-Tongued Taulbee Caught successful Flagrante aliases Thereabouts."

After nan article, Taulbee didn’t activity reelection but stuck astir successful Washington, pushing various causes – agelong earlier "K Street" became a thing. But Taulbee and Kincaid would often tally into 1 different astatine nan Capitol. Taulbee was a batch taller than nan diminutive Kincaid and would sometimes physically harass nan scribe.

The pen whitethorn beryllium mightier than nan sword. But it’s surely not arsenic powerful arsenic a pistol.

In February, 1890, nan 2 men encountered 1 different adjacent nan House chamber. Kincaid produced his firearm and changeable nan erstwhile Congressman successful nan face. Taulbee bled profusely arsenic he headed down nan marble stairwell.

Many lawmakers travel to Washington, intent connected leaving a people connected nan assemblage politic. But arsenic it turns out, it was Taulbee’s body which near an indelible people connected nan U.S. Capitol.

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You see, nan creation of quality humor and nan Georgian, achromatic marble utilized to make nan stairwells of nan building don’t precisely mix. Splotches of Taulbee’s humor covered nan staircase each fewer feet from nan 2nd level to nan first. Some markings look for illustration shapes successful a Rorschach test. Taulbee died nan adjacent time from his wounds. But his plasma is everlastingly a portion of nan U.S. Capitol, permanently staining nan staircase.

As a consequence of his fate, Taulbee doesn’t deliberation overmuch of reporters. Even to this day. And it’s believed that Taulbee sometimes makes himself known by tripping members of nan Congressional property corps.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited nan Capitol successful nan summertime of 2019. He had conscionable met pinch then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. However, connection collapsed that time that nan attendance-starved Tampa Bay Rays mightiness effort to activity retired an statement to play immoderate of their location games successful Montreal. The Montreal Expos abandoned Canada successful 2005 to go nan Washington Nationals.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is simply a known Expos instrumentality – there's moreover a image of him and his precocious father, Pierre, watching them play astatine Montreal's Olympic Stadium successful his youth. (Bettmann / Contributor)

Trudeau was a instrumentality of nan Expos. There’s moreover a image of a boyish Trudeau successful nan stands astatine Olympic Stadium in Montreal pinch his father, precocious Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

It would beryllium a scoop if nan younger Trudeau weighed-in connected nan prospects of Major League Baseball returning to Montreal.

Trudeau walked down a spiral staircase not acold from wherever Kincaid killed Taulbee. I tried to get a remark from Trudeau. But for nary evident reason, I tripped complete nan articulator of a measurement and cascaded successful beforehand of nan Canadian leader. I didn’t driblet nan microphone. I besides knew that I could break my limb aliases manus if I tried to drawback myself.

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Fortunately, I studied martial arts for years. One of nan things they thatch you is really to fall. I quickly adjusted my weight truthful I plunged onto my correct enarthrosis and rolled. My feet flew up successful nan air. This was each caught connected portion by my photographer Robert Fetzer.

"Oh Chad! Chad! Chad! Chad," yelled Fetzer, arsenic I plopped straight successful beforehand of Trudeau.

I was uninjured and Trudeau extended an limb to assistance me. But I had already sprang backmost to my feet. Alas, Trudeau didn’t reply my mobility astir nan Rays and Montreal and went connected his way.

I whitethorn person had my ain run-in pinch nan shade of William Taulbee during an effort to question and reply nan younger Trudeau. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

But location was nary logical logic why I tripped there. I’ve stood by those stairs hundreds of times. I’ve ne'er been caught by nan articulator of nan little stairs.

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However, location is only 1 Capitol haunting which surpasses nan Taulbee tripping tale.

But only by a whisker.

It’s nan fable of nan demon cat.

Cat pawprints immortalized successful nan Capitol's level are rumored to beryllium those of nan alleged "demon cat," whose sporadic appearances astir Washington person coincided pinch wars and assassinations. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Capitol Police officers and moreover 19th period watchmen declare they’ve seen a phantasmic feline prowl nan hallways of nan Capitol earlier nationalist emergencies. Especially warfare and assassinations.

Purr-portedly.

That said, nary 1 spotted nan demon feline earlier 9/11 aliases nan 2021 Capitol riot.

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Maybe nan demon feline – for illustration each cats – only has 9 lives.

But I tin return you to a spot wherever nan demon feline is said to person walked.

Go to nan first level of nan "mini" Rotunda connected nan Senate broadside of nan Capitol adjacent nan Old Supreme Court chamber. If you study against 1 of nan columns adjacent that room and look down, you mightiness conscionable spot respective paw prints permanently etched into nan floor. However, nan ray must drawback nan prints conscionable right. You could guidelines correct connected apical of nan prints and ne'er spy them.

Sometimes, nan champion phantasms 1 tin conceive of successful our nation's superior beryllium successful nan mind's oculus – nan specters of awesome men who person agelong since passed, leaving naught but their indelible marks connected American history. (Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images)

Supposedly nan demon feline signed its initials successful an obscure Senate stairwell successful nan basement. Scrawled into nan actual are nan initials "DC."

However, this grounds is up to interpretation. Could nan DC guidelines for "District of Columbia?" How astir "direct current?" Maybe even, "Detective Comics."

I warned you we would descend into nan Congressional cat-acombs.

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The Capitol features a cornucopia of stories astir spooky voices, departed workers singing precocious astatine nighttime and moreover 1 communicative of a legislator rocking successful a chair, reference legislation. The Capitol Rotunda and Statuary Hall (the aged House chamber) are dotted pinch life-life renderings of statesmen, inventors, heroes and scientists. It is said that aft midnight nan statues sometimes travel live to statement 1 another.

In nan House of Representatives, that’s not a "Special Order" reside but a "Spectral Order."

But sometimes nan champion ghosts successful nan Capitol are nan ones you conjure successful your mind’s eye. Abraham Lincoln sitting astatine a table toward nan backmost of nan aged House chamber. Lyndon Johnson roaming nan Senate floor. Scenes of statesmanlike inaugurations from years gone by astatine nan Capitol.

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The ghosts of nan republic successful truth haunt nan halls of Congress.

And successful galore cases, those phantasms aren’t ghosts.

They’re American history.