The Republic's Ghosts Haunt the Speaker's Lobby

The most terrifying creatures are those that dwell in our inner selves, according to Edgar Allan Poe.

But what about the souls which lurk in the halls of Congress?

The U.S. Capitol, being over 200 years old, is steeped in legends and ghost stories. This time of year, people flock to haunted houses "on the hill," but in Washington, DC, there is only one haunted house and Senate on "the Hill." So, let me tell you some spooky tales about the Capitol's macabre history as we delve into the Congressional catacombs.

The southwest quadrant of the Capitol's House side contains one of the most grotesque stories in Congress, with four grand staircases occupying each quadrant.

We're not discussing a large, all-encompassing spending bill.

In the late 19th Century, Rep. William Taulbee, D-Ky., faced a problem similar to what many politicians face today: a journalist named Charles Kincaid, who wrote for the Louisville Times, published an article about Taulbee's extramarital affairs. The article was titled "Kentucky's Silver-Tongued Taulbee Caught in Flagrante or Thereabouts."

Taulbee, despite not seeking reelection, remained in Washington and advocated for various causes. Despite their frequent encounters at the Capitol, Taulbee would sometimes physically harass Kincaid, who was significantly shorter.

While a pen may be more effective than a sword, it is not as potent as a pistol.

In February 1890, near the House chamber, Kincaid shot Taulbee in the face with his firearm. Taulbee bled profusely as he descended the marble stairwell.

Taulbee's indelible mark on the U.S. Capitol was left by many lawmakers who came to Washington with the intention of making a lasting impact.

The composition of human blood and the white marble used to construct the stairwells of the building do not match. Blood stains from Taulbee, who died from his wounds, cover the staircase every few feet from the second floor to the first. Some of the markings resemble shapes in a Rorschach test. Despite his death, Taulbee's plasma remains forever a part of the U.S. Capitol, permanently staining the staircase.

Taulbee doesn't value reporters due to his past experiences, and it's rumored that he occasionally trips members of the Congressional press corps.

In the summer of 2019, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the Capitol. During his visit, he met with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. However, on the same day, news broke that the attendance-starved Tampa Bay Rays might try to work out an agreement to play some of their home games in Montreal. The Montreal Expos had left Canada in 2005 to become the Washington Nationals.

A photo of a young Trudeau with his father, late Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, exists in the stands at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, where Trudeau was a fan of the Expos.

If the younger Trudeau commented on the possibility of Major League Baseball returning to Montreal, it would be a significant development.

I fell in front of Trudeau while trying to interview him. Despite my efforts, I couldn't prevent myself from tripping over the step and falling. I managed to keep the microphone from dropping, but I was worried about breaking my arm or hand.

My photographer Robert Fetzer captured on tape how I quickly adjusted my weight and plunged onto my right shoulder, rolling, with my feet flying up in the air. This was all a result of the years I spent studying martial arts.

Fetzer yelled "Oh Chad! Chad! Chad!" as I sat down in front of Trudeau.

Although Trudeau offered to help me, I had already recovered from my injury. Unfortunately, he did not respond to my inquiry about the Rays and Montreal and departed.

I tripped on the stairs without any logical reason, despite having stood by them many times and never falling before.

The ghost of William Taulbee may have caused me to spill tea in front of the Canadian Prime Minister.

The Taulbee tripping tale is not the only haunting story that surpasses the Capitol haunting.

But only by a whisker.

It’s the legend of the demon cat.

The Capitol has been haunted by a ghostly cat before national crises, including war and assassinations, according to both modern-day Capitol Police officers and 19th century watchmen.

Purr-portedly.

No one noticed the demon cat until after 9/11 or the 2021 Capitol riot.

Maybe the demon cat – like all cats – only has nine lives.

I can take you to a location where the legend of the demon cat is believed to have originated.

The "mini" Rotunda on the Senate side of the Capitol near the Old Supreme Court chamber has paw prints permanently etched into the floor. However, the light must catch the prints just right for you to see them. You could stand right on top of the prints and never spy them.

According to legend, the demon cat scrawled its initials "DC" into the concrete of a Senate stairwell in the basement.

The evidence is open to interpretation, as it could refer to the "District of Columbia," "direct current," or "Detective Comics."

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

The Capitol is a place filled with eerie tales, such as ghostly voices, late-night singing workers, and a senator rocking in a chair while reading legislation. The Rotunda and Statuary Hall, the old House chamber, are adorned with lifelike statues of statesmen, inventors, heroes, and scientists. Legend has it that these statues come to life after midnight to engage in debates with one another.

In the House of Representatives, a "Spectral Order" is not a "Special Order" speech.

Sometimes, the most memorable ghosts in the Capitol are the ones you imagine in your mind's eye. Abraham Lincoln sitting at a desk in the old House chamber. Lyndon Johnson pacing the Senate floor. Scenes of past presidential inaugurations at the Capitol.

The ghosts of the republic in fact haunt the halls of Congress.

And in many cases, those phantasms aren’t ghosts.

They’re American history.