Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-10-19
Montana Ghosts.

1t will be remembered by many oi
our readers that some years since an af
tray occurl ed in Sterling which resulted
IN the death OF man named Hanna ;
that parties charged with his murder
were arrested, tried and acquitted; that
| 1t was shown that one of the parties
tried did wound the victim, but satisfied
the jury that it was done in self-defense
This much by way of Introductory. In
the Lower Hot Spring district, in the
neIghborhood of Sterling, stands rock
house erected by a mlning company
soh.e years since, building of more
pretensions than any other in that vi
Unity. After remaining tenantless for
long time, mining operations in that
vicinity were renewed, and the house
was again occupied by miners, and a
class OF men not unusually afflicted with
weak nerves, neither over-credulous
concerning the ghostly stories of the
past nor easily scared by pretended Wis.
itors from the undiscovered bourne"
Among these occupants was the person
referred to above as having killed Han
ma. Soon after taking possession of the
house. the inmates began to be disturb
ed at night by noises as of some one
moving about the house, now in one
room, and now in another, but always
unaccountable-since their own number
were all present and no one else W; in
the vicinity who could make the dis
turbance. These manifestations con.
tinuing, the occupants of the house
commenced an investigation. When
the disturber of their slumbers appeared
! tanc ii 10
ton from the premises. When approach
ed it Ietreated, keeping ever just be-
yond their reach, and seemingly inviting
pursuit, since it made no attempt to es-
cape, but ever as the pursurers advanced
it's footsteps could be distinctly heard
just before them. This fruitless search
was continued night after night for
weeks, and always with the same result
= the human footsteps were always
heard, but no human form was ever
seen by any. Unwillingly these hardy
sons Of toll began to admit to them
selves and to each other that their visitor
was in reality ''some perturbed spirit
doomed for certain season to walk the
earth" This conclusion reached, they
abandoned any further annoyance of
their ghostly visitor, allowing it to range
unpursued through the house, and be.
took themselves to speculatlons con,
corning who it mig ght be and what its
presence betokened. During these
speculations Hadzler, the person refer.
red to above, expressed his belief that
the spirit was none other than that of
Hanna, his victim. But the ghost, thus
lett free to pursue its pleasure, not con-
tent with the wandering about the
rooms, became more familiar, and now
commenced disturbing the sleepers in
their beds-indicating its presence by
adjusting the bedding, tucklngit under
at the side as careful mothers do about
their infants-and lightly patting the
bod es of those in the beds-and wav-
ing its hands above their faces. They
felt no touch of the hand on the face
but distinctly the motion of the dis
turbance of the air. These manipula-
tions being continued became at last
unbearable, and the boys abandoned
the house and found other quarteas.
Shortly after others occupied the house
only to be subjected to the same mys.
ferrous manipulations, and they in turn
left the premises to the sole occupation
of this formless visitant. And the
house now stands monument of grau-
ite to the truth of the doctrine that the
spirits of the departed do visit the earth.
- Hryinia City 4Montanian.