The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-01-27
rspecial Correspondence Richmond Dispatch
LETTER FROM LEXINGTON.
The buchanan "Ghost'- Rev. MIR. Thrash-
rr.s Account OF Ills Mysterious Nisisant-
run Details of the Seven Weeks Disturb
.ncc-Thc Mystery Unexplained.

ancc Tho Mystery tneNpiaihcd' .-
LEXINGTON. VA, Jan. -, RIl.
Roy. George c. Thrasllcr, OF Buchanan,
v.S IN TOWN TODAY. and being an intimate
arouaintanre aud friend your correspond
chi interviewed" him concerning the
r,ysirr!nlls manifestations reported TO nave
n,,,rrfra at his house. He gave us \ de-
,.:t.n account of the whole affair, and rom
NH notes taken at the time we present
ynur readers with the following FIRsT-CLAss
GuuST STORY
About seven weeks ago, during Mr..
7,hrashcr's absence from home, his wife
and children heard. about ) O'Clock in the
evening, loud talking AZ the corn-house,
I-non going out they saw two persons run
~. ana found that about i peck Of corn
hsS been distracted from the crib and
rourcd in a pile on the ground near by.
'Thr next r>cnin- about tn" same hour they
heard 4 noise in the rear Of the Kitchen,
md ;Ipnn going out found that the window
had been carefully removed and put INSIDE
O, the Kitchen. and that the cooking uten-
oils and Kitchen furniture were scattered all
over thr ward. Mrs. Thrasher distinctly
-tw two men run of, and two young men
,vho came up nj the time also saw them
,lnel..ug about III the field above. Inc next
yy.tiiuC MIR. ThraSher returned home about
dusk. and. while his little boy was telling
him rf these strange occurrences, the WIN
dow Of the Kitchen WAS seen to he open,
sr,i on examining, the utensils and furni-
,Irc there were found 10 he again scattered
..hcut the yard.
The next evening. while Mr.. Thrashcr
Mqx il the courthouse watching. h" saw q
;lrm pass rapidly around the kitchen, but
taking il for 4 servant woman did not pur-
sue. Not long after be Went into the
house. and upon sending his little boys out
ihcy reported that the window OF lock.
room Joining the house had been opened
fallhougs securely bolted inSldc), ard bag
rakrn nut and thrown on the ground. Soon
ffor this Mr.. IhraSher and his wife went
ever 10 call on Il neiehbor, leaving at home
tl,rir children two boys Of seven and four
tccn)ana 4 little white girl Of thirteen, who
Hyc> with them. In about ten minutes the
children reported that the kitchen had
been auain turned out OF doors, aud that
they had seen two men run oil.
The next evening dozen young men
from the village guarded the house. They
.Hw nothing while Oh post. hut when they
went into thr house 10 warm the little girl
who was watCAn. at the window reported
that two men had Jumped over the fence.
Instant pursuit WAS made, and they saw
enc Of The men sitting down in vacant lot.
Filling in IN attempt 10 surround him they
fired five shots ut him AS he ran Oil. The
next evening and the next the kitchen was
,.cIyrd as usual. but no one was seen. The
next evening the visit was nude before
O'Clock and the kitchen window broken
hut Notwithstanding there WAS snow on the
ground 10 tracks or traces Of the mystic
riuu> visitors were to be found !; indeed, no
tracks have ever been seen.
The next day Mr.. TraShor moved every
'hiuu ont of The kitchen into the lock-
room, and since that time nothing aboHt
tNc promises has been moved out OF Its
nl4r". save on one occaSion"-the tactics OF
'hr ,t$itnr Dor since then only one has been
>.r"1 being entirely changed.
Il. she, or he. (Which prOnoun shall we
~. y now began to knock violently ut the
'front.' or hack door. The noise was gene.
rr.lv heard from ) o'clock in the afternoon
II. : O'clock i'll the evening, and would
consist oi very loud aud rapid knocks. Mr.
Tri>irr would sit in his cDanber with the
door opening into the passage, and on thu
lis, knock would rush out. The knocking
wunII continue until he reached the QUITE,
Glur. but on throwing it open he could see
no one. although there WIS 10 place fol
some distance in winch Il man could hide
Every Sivatrgcm was TcSnrtcd to-Such IL
sending persons on each side OF the house
hjIl Hit Il! VAN.
At;;o'rlnrl in the afternoon the Friday
before { hrls mas The knocking was especial
X Violent. and (Nlr. ThraSGcr being absent
Wis. lhr;r~hcr rang a hell. and DR.. Wood
Irrmriiy came over. but could see no one
IT." knocking WAS continued as be!Or,
after n" DOCTOR went into the house, and
rrc-rntiy violent noise, sounding Liz" {;
man Jumping up anu down on heavy boot
heels was distinctly heard in the paSSpg"
They would rush out TO ind nothing
These kiockingS have been hcarc
cyyty day, except that several tlm"'
ih,GG has been an interval of two
no disturbance heard. The mystery is, that
Nr. ThrashcIs house is situated on IL hi
in full view Of the whole town that 4 NAT
at this front door in broad daytime would
almost certainly he seen, even II no on(
Wa, specially on the watch: and that thert
have been numbers OF the citizens at dilier
cnt Joints kccnly looking out for the mys
FERROUS visitant. One evening about
o'clock. with the moon brightly shining
the knocking at the front door was dis
tinctly beard by two respectable c0loreC
lnrn who were passing immediately in from
OF the house, and by two young men at thu
PRESBYTERIAN church, 4 short distance of
and yet neither Of them could see any
lhin%. -
one evening at dusk violent stamping
was heard OH the stone pavement leading
10 the house, which continued to com,
nearer until 1t was very violent on til,
porch, even while Mr.. Il. was opening tn,
The door; but it suddenly ceased us h
stepped out, and nothing could be seen.
For two or three weeks past it has hcen
t0ikattce spirit (?)--even disposed to be 10
Guaclous. one evening, during Vlolen
Knocking al the door, the little girl Wht
lives in The house, and who had been sus
pected 10y some of the citizens OF hAvlnE
some agency in the disturbances, asked il
the presence of the children, What have
YOU against Mr.. Thrasher and his wife,"
Nothing,' was the prompt reply
",hcy are very good people, but arc no nc
count
"Do you not know that am charged
with doing this :"
Yes But they are very much mis-
taken, and it is not done with vet" @
Are YOU dead or live spirit :"
- am in my right mind.'
Another evening Mr.. Thrasher and his
wife being out, the little girl threw rock
out of the window, and voice Instantly
said .'Do not hit me-" The Knocking
at the door was ut once begun, and when
MIR. Tbrashef's little son threatened to
shoot ayoice responded: II am not afraid
of being shot tonight. Mr.. and Mrs
Thrasher are not here. l saw them GO
away myself"
Jbe children frequently hold protracted
conversations with the mysterious Tisltant,
who declines, however, to talk with Mr.. l.
or his wife. ..,.,.
one evening it was agreed that the little
riri and boy should hold him in CONVERSE
lion III the front door while Peck Gan Older
bow should take of his shoes. creep out at