The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-10-28
Ek0sis I'm Indiana.
STRANGE FKrAKs OF A DEAD PEDDLER.


Indiana has long been the home Of sen>
sations in crime and divorce, but The soi
lowing story, published by the New Albany
Standard. surpasses anything yet reported
from there. aud seems like return to the
days os the Rochester knockiDgs
From a letter from friend at the little
town Of Huron on the Ohio and Mississippi
Railroad, We learn the particulars oil some
very singular spiritual manifestations. Our
respondent states that fifteen or twenty
years ago pcdler was in the habit of pass
ing through that country and selling notions
who drove two horse team. That one
night about nine O'Clock he passed the house
of Mr. Rubeck, who lives some miles east
of HarriSonviIle, on the Bryantsviiis road,
going towards the former place This was
the last that as ever seen or heard OF him
The fact of his being missed and faTlIng to
make his regular visits created some talk IN
that ueighborhood at the time, hut soon died
away, and the peddIer was forgotten.
90 this road, about one or two miles
from White River. and some two and ball
miles from Harrisonviile, is very rough
hill up which the road runs, and on the top,
on the southwest side IF the road. is an open
field. long since abandoned. Near this field,
aud right by the side of tho road. stands an
old dead tree. Sume three weeks ago Mr.
Ruoeck was passing along this road, on his
way home from Harrisonville, at about
eleven O'Clock at night. The night was
quite dark, aud it was with considerable
difficulty that he could keep in the road. or
prevent his horse from stumbling over the
stune. that obstructed the highway. de
6ually, however, reached the top OF the hlil,
and when about twenty RODS from the tree he
heard a noise, over in the old waste held
above desc ribed, which he took to be two
dogs engaged in a desperate fight. Thsir
| growing. barking. swapping and scratching
was fearful. 1t apparently the most
sanguinary dog fight he had ever heard.
| At the moment 1t created little or 10 sur
| priee. He only wondered that two dogs
| should be at that time of night so distant
| from any human habitatiou Qor there is no
farmhouse within a mile of this hed), ell
gagged in such desperate encounter. On
second thought, however. he nc'uded that
they had been ont on a sheep-huutInG t1pe-
ditiUn. and having accidentally met there,
! got into the fight.
He had not long to consider upon this,
however, for soon the ciaDkinS OF chains
attracted his attention in another direction,
and looking toward the tree, to his astonish-
ment he beheld large broke en links of what
seemed to be boat chain, red hot, falling
around the tree, sizziug and scorching -
| There seemed to be at least twenty of these
| links falling at the same time, aud continued
| to fall about a minute, when Mr.. Rubeck
was startled almost out of his wits by a
heavy groan, which seemed to come from the
earth beneath him. Strange as it may ap>
pear, up to this time his horse had not man
ifested the least uneasiness. and Mr.. Rubeck
himself had not imagined anything connect
ed with " hat be had seen or heard but what
could be accounted for upon q ration al
| theory. The falling of ret-hot chains, he
| admits, he thought little extraordinary
but had concluded within his OwD mind to
! revisit the spot the next morning and gather
| them up, believing, as he did, that they
| were meteors that had fallen from the SIX y
10 that peculiar shape. At the groan his
horse reared and curvetted, plunged forward
| aud started to run. Now came the most
trying time to Mr.. Rubeck's nerves, for just
in front of him he heard the plunging. rat
| ting noise of a runaway team coming toward
him. and the noise manifesting every inGi-
cation that their course would be directly
over him. He tried to rein his horse out
of the course it was taking, but his efforts
were to no purpose. On. on came the
| frightened team on, on toward it plunged
the uugOvernable horse. Twas a moment
| Of terrible suspense. All the deeds of an
honest life came crowding across his mind.
He offered Que short PRAYER for safety, and
gave himself up for lost, when, more as
tonished than ever, the noises as suddenly
ceased as they had commenced His horse
still fretted and tried TO run, but Mr.. Rubeck k
held him steadily in the road.
AT this moment Mr. Rubeck heard a
voice calling for help, and then the cry of
murder fell upon his ear and az he was
| in tnf of the ha Ia,
ever startled by the exclamation, the voice
apparently coming directly from the old
field For Gods sake Jim, don't murder
| mei'
Having by this time passed the old
field. he made his way home without seeing
or hearing anything further, bat in a state
Of mind better imagined than described
He spent very restless night, and the next
morning roGe over the country. telling bis
| experience Of the night before, and request.
ing the aid of his ueighbors to assist him in
solving the mystery. de gathered some
eight or ten. who attended him the follow
ing night, when the same scenes were re.
peated.
The dogs barked, the red hot chains fell
the unearthly groans rose up from the ground
the frightened team came laundering down
upon them. the voice was again heard in the
waste field calling for help and begging jim
not to murder.
Most OF the witnesses to this second de.
monstration OF the unearthly visitants, i
such they may be called. became pahie.
stricken and precipitatey fed. Those whc
remaiued find no reasonable solution of the
mystery, though one or two who knew in
tinately aud distinctly remem bered thu
missing peddler. are willing to swear that il
was his voice that called for help.
/
The next day more citizens gathered
upon the hill, and dug as close to the spot
where the barking dogs were heard as they
could. aud what was their surprise wher
they unearthed skeleton. Some parts o.
the clothing were still preserved, which cor
responded with that usually worn by the
| pedder. Upon a close examination 9