Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1851-12-11
4 PROFITABLE GMosT.

had been out fishing in old South Bay
said Long Island subscriber, the other
day, with one Of those crafty old fishermen
to whom no days on which the water may 7
be tempted, are considered days for bad
luck dies infantus being term unknown
in his calendar He was one of those long,
necked clam.eaters, whose stomach rose and
fell with the tide which made them plentiful
or scarce As we were coming home in our
boat, after successful foray upon bass and
sheep-head, we fell to mediate upon our
various matters, which we're neither piscatoryI
nor akin to it. As Boswell would say of tho
great Leviathan, we spake OF ghosts oui
say ghosts have been seen on Long Island,
but you have never see 'em, and don't be-
lieYe in EN- q Wal, yes, / don't say that
do believe in EN-, but guess ! should be-
liev6 in 'ern, eff l had such luck in getting .
sight on EN- as a man did down tn Jerusa-
lem-South, good many years ago. The
way of it was this You see itWas dread
full cold winters night, about nine o'clock,
(how the old South Bay roarcd that night
when there was sleigh, with three fellows
in it, drove up under the boss she'd at the
tavern Two on EN- got out, and as they
got out, they said TO 'tother one, Jim, jist
set there anu mind the bosses, while We &c
in and git sumtbih' Well 30 right out
aeih., They went in the TAVERN, but they
didn't come right out agin though whom they
( did come out, they had more'n jug-full
apiece into 'cm-both on 'em had-ha ha
Fore they came out though, Bill the ostler
said to the man sittin,in The sleigh Eff
was you, l wouldn't sit there in the cold As
long as you're sittin'-blamed ef / wonld
Why don't you 60 in and take 5sumthin' &
too 2 The man never said nothin' though,
in apswer, but sot up as straight and stif as
an Injun Bill who vas looking arter some
other bosses Under the same shed, arter 8
while said sumthin'more to him, but he was
still as an oyster. Purity soon, Bill said to-
himself, Goy-blamed eff / don't think he's
friz to death, or he'd say sumthin'{ps Soho
went up to him. and sure enough he found
him fruz as stiff as stake and when ho
come to hold up his lantern to look. be found
him propped up on each side Of the seat
The lines was wound around his hands, be
was mufied up with comforters about his
face, and he was stone dead
Bill wasn't nobody's fool, CT he, did at
tend to bosses lie smelt the whole thing
at once. Two or threetgraves had been rob-
bed about there, only little While before,
and the two chaps in the tavern was two
body Cathercrs, that had been paid by doct
tors to get bodies for 'em to cut, and they'd
been aud robbed new grave that night; and
there was the corpse, wrapped up and prep
ped up in that sleigh, SO that nobody would
suspicion nothin' about it. Now, what dye
suppose Bill does2 He goes, Bill does, and
takes that body out o the sleigh, (for be
wasn't afraid Of the very dcvil,) strips off The
clothes, and puts it into the oatbin outside,
and fasteus the door then he puts on the
dead mans clothes himself, and he goes and
cets into the sleigh with iem on TO him, puts
the lines round his hands, props himself up,
and waits for The body -snatchers to come out
from the bar-room. Purity soon, out they
come. and got in on the wide seat alongside
Of him. aad druy off There Bill set as stiff
,as q rail bit wasn't long afore one Of tbs
chaps say to tother, feelin'>Bill's leg little
WY, the body's gettin' warm Feel 81
that leg 2 Tother one put down his hand
ard felt o Bits leg and then he started
back and said :. Its fact it is warm, and
10 tnistake!' Twas Bins time noW--so be-
turned his head around, stiff like and straight.
without moving his body, and said Warml
wal I guess you'd be warm, too, EFF you; had
D1eniLoOh 0lt " - H9s = .DAaSS1 VII 4Astto
I, while ago. as WASP 80
SBDI sass It wasn't half second 'fore
4 both sstAem chaps had pitched head frst
oatof that sleigh. and n'ither of 'em stop
Ielruauiu' till they was clean out o. sight
Taea lie turned right square round and druv
back to the taYein n. There he told the whole
org aud he made. good speck out O. the
thing too, in tie end for, you see, The
friends Of the man that was dug up guy lin
fty dollars for sayinr the body, and as mo-
body ever came back alter the sleigh and
HOSES, he sold 'em to Captain b, down,
on IL Plain, nigh upon three hundred
| dolarss 'Twasla first rate team--so they
said. That's the most profitable and sbe1h
the only ghost that ever heard tell on -
Good many folks tell about seem lem bat !,
expect they never did-nct r'sily Z