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Show House-Hunters Covet LSosasion Built to Ipssease Ghosts SAN JOSE, CALIF. Covetous glances from myriad house-hunters I during the current housing short-I short-I age are being attracted by a mansion man-sion here which originally was built to appease ghosts. Started 37 years before her death by Mrs. Sarah Winchester, wife of the inventor of the Winchester rifle of Civil war fame, the sprawling "crazy quilt" structure soon became be-came an architectural horror. Constant construction and reno vation forced many of the hundreds hun-dreds of windows in the house to open on solid walls. Some of the doors on upper floors open directly direct-ly on the outside with no stairways stair-ways provided, though more than 40 stairways, each with 13 steps, are scatttered through the interior. Many of them, like the windows and doors, have no utility util-ity value except for ghosts lurking in the maze of secret passages, hidden panels and trap doors f ollowing ine aeaui of her husband, hus-band, Mrs. Winchester became conscience-stricken by the lethal role of the rifle in war and peace and built additions to the house to "pacify and entertain the ghosts of gun victims." She continued building additions for many years, each providing a new monstrosity. Every night for 37 years, servants serv-ants prepared and served lavish banquet spreads, as Mrs. Winchester Winches-ter chatted with her "guests." |