Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-12-24

. boy-the ,yonngest being eleven
years OF age. AZ the time of his mur.
der he was on bail to appear for trial
on the charge ofhoing accessory to hil
wife's death. The circumstance Of hia
death led many people to believe that
his brother.in-1Aw, Of Chicago, who
came out to assiot In prosecuting COT
fin, and to look after the children and
interests, togethtr with incensed citi-
zens Of the locality, were the perpetra-
tors Of the murder. The business OF
the Coffin estate illss not been entirely
settled yet. Tho property was left ii
. complicated shape. Mr.. Lyman
Wright merchant residing at Lewis
and 8 brother -in-law Of tho murdered
man, 10 the administrator. This much
NE offer that the guninformed reader
may understand the following thrill
ling story:
A GHosTLY VISITOR.
Thursday evening, December 3, 1874,
ct 10 O'Clock, Mr. Wright was alone In
his store room at Lewis. l.. O. Reinj1
or the firm Of Childs & Reinig, and
James Gilmore, Q we'll known farmer,
had just gone out Mr.. Wright fas.
tened the back door securely, blew ont
the lamp, in the back part Of the room
passed to the CELLAR door and let the
old savage bull dog (Which Coffin own
q dsrfng life) ont 0f the cellar In the
store room, and went to the front part
Of the store room to blow out the hang
Ing lamp. inst ~ AAe tnrned around
and set the small hlpd lamp. which hA
EhAa b. s.ts hand, on the counter he OBJ.
MAN COMING.
from the back part OF the store toward
tho stove. The approaching form
walked but his footsteps made no
noise. Mr.. Wright silently wondered
whero the man came from. as he
thought oil the men had gone out.
The man came to the stove and noise-
lessly seated himself. Mr.. Wright
left the small lamp on the connter and
walked TO the stove, when the man
rose from the chair and said
"How are you Mr.. Wright?'
Mr.. Wright took the man by the
hand and recognized him as being Eli.
1. Coffin, with the same clothes on
that he wOro on the day that he was
hurried out Of this world. Mr.. Wright
assured our special reporter that when
he (Wright) took Coffin BY the hand Z
thrill passed through his whole bodv
such % he had never felt before. 1t
WAS like taking hold of galvanic bat
terry.
THE ANGEL COFFIN
seated himself 90 sLs ssszAo selAAix- sSsAs'
he Just occupied, and Mr.. Wright rest.
ed himself in another chair six feet
distant. The old dog jumped up on
Cof3n's lap, Coffin pushed him away.
Ho had no time to fool with dogs. He
had another mission to perform.
Mr.. Wright asked :.
who killed your
Coffin replied: II Was shot in, the
stairway OF Henry Rogers house by .
stranger. %. r. Carter the iDeBUsk
boys and Jesse Smith were there. They
bncked and gagged me and left me 10
tho lower part Of Mr.. Rogers house
until night. Carter put the newspa-
pers over my head. AZ night they
hauled me in my wagon and hung me
under the bridge"
Mr. Wright asked the Spirit the OBJ
tect of the visit now. Hs replied a.
follows: 10 tGo pa.
"Whitney still has fifteen hundred
dollars that he borrowed OF me, and
one hundred and twenty dollars that /
left on deposit. / don't want Whit
ney to pay any Of that to Carter nor to
Emma, bat I want it divided between
the boy and the other girl" $3.50
Mr.. Wright says that at this juno.
ture he felt % sure that 1t was CofIln
that he - xed for somebody. else to
come In md be convinced also, and
hearing Q noise in front like some one
walking on the sidewalk, ho turned his
head and looked toward the front
door, and when he turned his head
back 10 its former positions the Ghost,
Apparition, Angel, or whatever yon
may call Il, was gone. After his Wis.
itor had gone, MI. Wright lighted sll
the lanps In the store, and looked the
establishment through from cellar to
gArret but could fnd nobody. He
then blew out the lights and started
home. When about half way home,
Mr.. Wright informed our reporter
that fear overcame him and his hair
assumed perpendicular attitude, a. Il
were. On reaching homo he told his
wife hls experience, and tried 10 70
to sleep but couldn't. jHo didn't
sieep any that night.
Xr. Wright IL we'll knswn 10 this
county. He Is not believer d ghosts
spisitaAlism, or anything of that klsd,
bpt he anthorizes us to say that he dil
hAys Just such an interview with Cot
| a. g above narrated, and he woold
make oath to II II It wefe the lssG sst
| ~ HE lite. He asks nobody b believe
Ain, hut says he knows what Ne Gays
u truo. Heis not nervous q excita-
bio man, but since he had ~ above
angelic Interview he does not feel like
tha same tcing. He taiks Of the mat
ter great deal.
| We make no comments. The public
have the story and can form thclr own
cancellations, and franc their own ex.
planations.