Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-01-21
aMiscellauu.
From he Home journal.
A GHOST STORY,

WI hORSIiS lulIt
The Village Of Clinton, iii Eastern
Tennessee Is situated on the northern
shore of the river Clinch, one OF thC
most beautiful and important Of th(
aliuents OF NJ" river Tennessee.
The nama Of the stream originated
in ludcrious circumstance connect
cd with liz earliest exploration BY
! the white man, more than a conttur!
since. An Irishman unluckily iguor
ant of the art of swimming, was ont
/ of the party Of adventurous pioneers
gnd bv some accident, he 4ell from
the rude raft that bore them into tbC
pcllucid depths beneath, In hi'
eager anxiety to survive, at least Ions
enough to complete his exploration
of the "ncw country before adven
turing into another world altogether
he exclaimed, with energetic fervor
every time his head popped above
the surface Of the water. "Cltncl
me hoyw lie was speedily rescued
and amid the good-humored raillery
of his companions, it was agreed that
the river should be known as The
"Clinch," in commemoraton of the
circumstance.
The Indian name for this beautiful
river now displaced by the trivial in
cldent of serio.comic character Just
related, was Pelissippi. confess .
preference for il, anda wish that il
were restored. Civilization is not
always improvement on barbarism.
The village itself, fckle as the river
or as a woman, has also changed its
name. Originally, it was named
Burryille-honorlns NicG-Prcsident
Aaron Burr in the very fret years Of
the present century BY its name and
its teeming population of an hundred
inhabitants. But after the storm OF
popular indignation had burst over
the name of Burr, in consequence OF
the death of Alexander Hamilton,
the discreet village quietly put aside
the name By legislative enactment.
The surname of the rising De Witt
Clinton fell over it as a mantle, which
it yet wears. :,
il was the very quietest OF Ill the
quiet villages of the earth at the Pc
riod of the incident hereinafter re-
lated There was not mile of rail-
way in the whole State, The fells-
sippi River was innayigable to Tho
little steamers which sometimes did
puff aud blow their way over the
shoals up the current OF the river
IIolston to the more consequential
VILLAGE ofknoNville. A wall of lofty |
and picturesque mountains rose on
the horizon in every direction. Ihe
great world and its bustling concerns
were shut out by the Titantic hand
Df nature, and the deep repoSe which
rested over this charmed VII
age was of that weird character as
,ribed by Tennyson to the land OF
he Lotos Eaters, where Gas the poeIt
leclares) 'the languid air did
iwoon."
About the beginning OF The year
lo1l tUlS IlCoSAh6 NN ~
lead' was slightly startled by inc
Of the arrival of n stran-
ter in the village. He took lodgings
Il the inn, and remained there with
1ut any apparent business tor a ape'
,iod of several weeks. He was rare
v seen outside ofthC limits OF his mar
.ow apartment; yet he was not III,
md did ample justice at every meal
o the Widespread table of his host.
lila time was chiefly spent in sitting
before a good fire in his little room,
md In reading a few small volumes
which he brought with him, and
icpt carefully stored IN his saddle
baas" when not using them. lis
horse aud equipments bore he marks ,s,
,f a long journey. lie repellcd WIN
IN emphasis bordering on icroclly all
lueslions put 10 him by the curious