Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-01-31
FIRsT.CLAss GHOST STORY,
The Buehanan sGhOst''- Rev. Mr..
Thrasher's Account of his Mystic
rIOus Vfsitanf-FuII Details of the
seven Weeks Disturbance The
Mystery Unexplained. .lf

"
respondent interviewed" him concern
/. ing the mysterious manifestations repor
ted TO have occurred at his house. He
gave us detailed account of the whole
affair, and from full notes taken at the
q time we present your readers with the
I following first-class ghost story:
: About seven weeks ago, during Mr.
Thrashers absence from home, his wife
and children heard, about o'clock in
the evening, loud talking at the corn
house. Upon going out they saw two
persons run off, and found that about a
peck of corn had been distracted from
the crib and poured in pile on the
ground near by. The next evening
about the same hour they heard noise
in the rear of the kitchen, and upon
going out found that the window had
been carefully removed and put inside
of the kitchen, and that the cooking
utensils and kitchen furniture were
scattered all over the yard. Mrs
Thrasher distinctly saw two men run off,
4 and two young men who came up at the
time also saw them lodging about in
the field above. The next evening Mr.
Thrasher returned home about dusk, and,
while his little boy was telling him of
these strange occurrences, the window
of the kitchen was seen to be open, and
on examining, the utensils and furniture
there were found to be again scattered
about the yard
The next evening, while Mr.. Thrasher
was in the courthouse watching, he saw
a form pass rapidly around the kitchen,
but taking it for servant woman did
not pursue, Not long after, he went
into the house, and upon sending his
little boys out they reported that the
window of a lock-room adjoining the
house had been opened (althsugh Sc
curely bolted inside) and bag taken
out and thrown on the ground. Soon
after this, Mr.. Thrasher and his wife
went over to call on neighbor leaving
at home their children 1.-TWO boys of seven
and fourteen) and little white girl of
thirteen, who lives with them. In about
ten minutes the children reported that
the kitchen had again been turned out
of doors, and that they had seen two
men run Off
The next evening dozen young men
from the village guarded the house
They saw nothing while on post, but
when they went into the house to warm,
the little girl who was watching at the
window, reported that two men had
jumped over the fence Instant pur-
suit was made, and they saw one of the
men sitting down in vacant lot. Fail
ing in an attempt to surround him, they
| fired five shots at him as he ran of,
The next evening and the next the
kitchen was served as usual, but no one
was SEEN The next evening the visit
was made before o'clock and the kitch-
en- window broken; but Notwithstanding
there was snow on the ground, no tracks
or traces of the mysterious visitors were
to be found; indeed, no tracks have
ever been seen.
The next day Mr.. Thrasher moved
everything out of the kitchen into the
lock-room, and since that time nothing
about the premises has been moved out
Of its place, save on one occasion-the
tactics of the visitor (for since then only
one has been seem being entirely
changed.
1t, she or he (which pronoun shall we
use2) now began to knock violently at
the front or back door. The noise was
generally heard from three clock in the
afternoon till eight clock in the even
ing, and would consist of very loud and !
rapid knocks Mr.. Thrasher would sit in
his chamber with the door opening into |
the passage, and on the first knock would |
rush out The knocking would continue
until he reached the outer door, but on
throwing it open he could see no one,
although there was no place for some
distance in which man could hide. |
Every strategem was resorted to-such |
as sending persons on each side of the
house-but all in vain.
At clock in the afternoon, the FRI
day before Christmas, the knocking was
especially violent and (Mr. Thrasher
being absent) Mrs. Thrasher rang bell,
and DR.. Wood promptly came over, but
could see no one. The knocking was
continued as before after the doctor
went into the house, and presently
violent noise, sounding like a man
Jumping up and down on heavy boot
heels, was distinctly heard in the pas
sage. They would rush out to find
nothing. These knockings have been
heard every day, except that several
times there has been an interval of two
or three days, during which there has
been no disturbance heard The mys-
terry is, that Mr.. Thrasher's house is
Situated on a hill, in full view of the
whole town that a man at his front
door in broad daytime would almost
certainly be seen, even if no one was
specially on the watch and that there
have been numbers Of the citizens at
different points keenly looking out for
the mysterious Yisitant. One evening
about I o clock, with the moon brightly
shining, the knocking at the front door
was distinctly heard by two respectable
colored men, who were passing imme-
diately in front of the house, and by two
young men at the Presbyterian church,
a short distance of, and yet neither of
them could see anything.
One evening at dusk violent stamp
ing was heard on the stone pavement
leading to the house, which continued to
come nearer, until it was very violent on
the porch, even while Mr.. Thrasher was
opening the door; but it suddenly ceased
as he stepped out, and nothing could be
seen.
For two or three weeks past it has
been talkatire spirit ?)-even disposed
to be loquacious. One evening, during (
a violent knocking at the door, the little ;
girl who lives in the house, and who had
been suspected by some of the citizens of
having some agency in the disturbances,
asked, in the presence Of the children,
" What have you against Mr.. Thrasher
and his wife2
Nothing" was the prompt reply;
" they are very good people, but are no /
account
"Do you not know that am charged !
with doing this9'