The Gonzales inquirer. [volume] (Gonzales, Tex.) 1853-current, 1854-03-25
A Real Ghost Story.
"r tell tho tale as 'twa. told to me.r-A

We have heard ghost stories from our youth
up to the present time; We have read them in
books; we have almost fancied that VIC could
see some Of the devils that are said to infcst
tho Hartz mountains; have perused the story
OF the Phantom Ship" have seen the ghost of
Hamlet more than orcc, but, ns we knew II to
be innocent Of bad intentions, were not much
frightened at It's appearance. In fact VIC have
dealt no little In the maryelous-in the way
Of reading, nor of writing, courteous reader.
Nevertheless we never expected TO have a
ghost for ncighbor. We always calculated
on hearing Of them from afar. But VIC were
short sighted. A "talc of horror is current
| in our neighboring county of Wctzel, and
| supported by what is said to be indubitabe
| evidence, which is an exact counterpart Of
Shnkspcare's story, and exccls that only be-
cause this one is known to be true by SO many
persons, aud that has been generally consider.
| cd the creation Of an imaginative gcntlemau's
brain. That ghost revisited the earth at the
| g;imPses of the moon," so did this. That one
| was "clad in complete armor," rs in life, and
not in those snow.white garments which the
vulgar deem inseparable from spiritual visi.
| tors: this one was habited as the diseased was
then last seen. And here, let us remark in
passing, as another proof what has been so
| often stated in regard to Shakspeare--that he
| wrote, "not for nh ngc, but for all time"
We hope that the reader will not think we
| arc joking. We assure him that we are in
earnest; but ghost has been seen in Wetzel
county, according to the testimony or oath of
q most respectable gentleman; and that the
revelations which tho "perturbed spirit" made,
have led 10 the arrest of man on charge OF
murder. The facts of the case, as related to
us again and again, and by gentleman Of
tho highest standing in that county, are as
| follows:
First the prciminarics. In the fall Of 1850,
q man named John Gamble disappeared from
near New Martinsyille very mysteriously, and
has never since been heard Of 1t is true that
several months afterwards a body supposed to
be his, was found in the Ohio river, about
twenty miles below where he was last seen.
There wax, however, we learn, nothing by
| which the corpse could be identified as Gam
ble's, except n slit down the front of the boot
| legs, such as was known 10 have been made
! In CANDLES boots. The deceased had with
him at New Martinsville, on the evening of
| his disappearance, a skill, in which he left the
| mouth Of Fishing Creek IIc went out of
town, down to the mouth Of the creek, in com
! pany with I.cben Mercer, and there the one
took the skif and the other mounted his
| horse. The same evening they were seen to.
gether at the house of Mr.. Whiteman, a few
miles below town. They left there, and were
| subsequently seen In company on the bank Of
| the river but wero again seen to part Gam
| BILE disappeared after that time His skiff was
| found drifting down the river q short time af.
terward. Either justly or unjustly, the cir.
cnmstances here related led many persons to
suspect Mercer of having had some hand in
| the disappearance Of Gamble, although the
two men had been seen to part.
| Thus matters stood until a few weeks since,
Mercer never having been arrested, we believe,
and the community having ceased to think
much about the affair, when the people Of that
county were thrown into fever of excitement,
which has not yet subsidized, by the declaration
| Of Mr.. John III. IIindman, q truthful and en-
tirely reliable mar in tho opinion Of all his
noighbors, that he had seen and convcrscd
with the ghost of the murdered man. True
to say, we haze rarely witnessed more un-
natural state of the public pulse than was
cvinced there last week. Everywhore on
Fishing Creek, beginning at the river and end
ing a. the county line, the subject of Gam.
ble's re.appcarance was in vcrybody's mouth
True, many would not acknowledge their be.
lief in ghosts, yet they took great pains to in
form the inquirer how reliable and worthy n
man Mr.. Hindman was known to be, and how
difficult II was TO explain certain things which
| he had brought TO light Some had no hes
1 tation ir expressing their firm belief that
ghost had appeared TO Hindman; and ono I'm.
suspocting youth whom we met, looked
upon wv as tho embodiment Of nil incredulity
because We limited doubt on the subject. -
AH whom we saw who knew Hindn,an, dc.
cared that they believe him TO bc eonscien.
tiousy OF tho opinion that what he states Is
true. His statement We shall here give.
! In company with few friends, he was 70.
turning 10 the night from "corn h,lsking''
that had taken place from New Martinsyillc.
Arriving at tho top Of a hill, his friends agree.
ed to nm down the declvi,y. He concluded
TO walA, and was consequently lcft behind
As he was moving along at moderate pace,
wha, he took to bc man appeared at his side,
and remarkcd to him "a tho two uicn run along
together, believe you do rot know ne, sir y
perfectly cool and suppcaiug Il 30 be gentle.
man, replied that he did not know his eo,n.
panien The stranger then Said, II ana the
man Vat Lebcn Mercer murdered. wan.
You 4 have hin, arrested, and the court win
! do Ene Jusslce;" er wer.ls 30 that effect The
1 ghost also made either revelations, some al
! which hinslnan hnaselg informed us he had
taads kaewa go no one bu, s.esecr. Asess
telling his story the stranger ysnishsd and,
although was aseanlighs nigh, ard Hlsd.
sssa wss in an open fisld that contained 10
sfsee o. stuinps. he coaA slnd noe sssa = trace
Of HE mysterious sisiscr,
/ Mr. hiasiusse who asSgfsd us that 80 bad
prsssossly beSa the sne4s sksptseal 81 saen ia
regard 20 glsoess and " lss sheslEht u the tigas
thai he was talking 10 tsBAhls hisassll. sha
had reautnxi hesae. and was thus iosaisssy sl.
I lvHiinG 70 his ssn rsvcFted sasFsles, becsFss
sctueshat dIseoacessea when hia cssaPzngen
+ vsnsshea inss shsH slF, lle reflected usoa tbs
/ sae3es-s and a. he. Ike All ether laisasxSas
Ensr, hsd Ne fslsh la CHESTS, he ,sesssnlasA -
I eAy uesl''nk aec1s hls strange ssiseetasN. he
I vsN however, 40 fail - g. 10 asa rs exe