The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-12-26
C0FFIN's GHOST.

C0FFIN's GHOST.
Spiritual Sensation in Icwa.:.A Murdered Man
Returns ana h0t Ga FRIEND isnas'a'ion VIII ~
On Saturday Fee. I, 1878, Eli r. Coffin was
murdered, and in the evening his body was
hung under bridge on Turkey creek, abou:
FIVE miles south OF Atlantic, The whole case
Is familiar TO our readers. Collins wife had
previously died, and it was supposed her
death was caused DO exposure and starvation
Coffin was worth several thousand dollars,
but was misery and selfish in his disposition
He had three children, two girls and boy
the youngest being II years. AT the time
of his murder he was on bail to appear for
trial on the charge of being accessory TO his
wife death. The circumstance of his death
led many people to believe that his brother
inlsw, of Chicago, who came out to assist IN
prosecuting Coffin, and to look after the chill
dren and their Interests, together with incens,
ed citizens of the locality, were the perpetra.
tors of the murder. The business of the COT
fin estate has not been entirely settled yet,
The property was left in complicated shape,
Mr.. LYMAN Wright, merchant residing al
Lewis and brolher-ln.law to the murderec
man, is the administrator This much we Of
for that the uniformed reader may under
stand the following thrilling story:
Thursday evening, Dec. !, 1874, at 10
O'Clock, Mr. Wright was alone in his store
room at Lewis L. o. Refining, of the firm
of Childs Il Refining, and James Gilmore, a
we'll known farmer, had Just gone out. Nlr.
Wright fastened the back door securely, blew
out the lamp in the back part of the store.
room, passed to the cellar door and lett the old
savage bull dog (Which Coffin owned during
life out o! fRe css.lar Into the s,osc'Toom; ans
Welt 10 he front part of the s;ofe-r66m to
blow otit the hanging lamp. Just as he turn
ed around and set the small handlamp which
he had In his hand, on the counter, he observ-
ed man coming from the back part OF the
store to the stove. The approaching form
walked, but his footsteps made no noise. Ar.
Wright silently wondered where the man
came from, as he thought all the men had
gone out. The man came to the stove and
6oiselessly seated himself. Mr.. Wright left
the small lamp on the counter and walked to
the stove, when the man rose from the chair
and said;
GLOW are you, Mr. Wight"
Mr.. Wright took the man by the hand and
recognized him as being Eli 7. Coffin, with
the same clothes on that he wore on the Cay
tina, he was hurried out of the way. Mr.
Wright assured our special reporter that
when he took Coffin by the hand thrill
passed through his whole body, such as he
had never felt before. 1t was like taking
hold of a galvanic battery. The angel CONN
seated himself on the same chair that he just
occupied, and Mr.. Wright rested himself in
another chair six feet distant. The old dog
jumped up on Collins lap; CONN pushed
him away. He had no time to fool with dogs
I i hnr Zee N
Mr.. Wright asked;
Who killed you?'
Coffin replied: "I,was shot in the stairway
of Henry Rodgers house by stranger. ID
X. Carter the DeBusk boys and Jesse Smith
were there They bucked and gagged me and
left me in the lower part of Mr.. Rodgers
house. Carter put the newspapers over my
head. At night they hauled me in my wagon
and hung me under the bridge"
Mr. Wright asked the spirit the object OF
his present visit to earth. lie replied as fol
lows:
whitney still has 81 ,4eo that he borrowed
of me, and $120 that left on deposit. don''
want Whitney to ray any of that to Carter
nor TO Emma, but want il divided between
the boy and the other girl.
Mr. Wright says that at this juncture he
felt SO surc that il was Coffin that he longed
for somebody else to come in and be convlnc
ed also and hearing noise in front like some
ore walking on the sidewalk, he turned his
head and looked toward the front door, and
when lie turned his head back to its former
position, the ghost, apparitlOn, or whatever
YOU may call it, was gone. After his visitor
had gone, Mr.. Wright lighted all the lamps
III the store, and looked the establishment
through from cellar to garnet, but could finc
nobody. He then blew out the lights anc
started home. When about half way home
Mr.. Wright informed our reporter, fear over
came him, and his hair assumed perpendic
ular attitude, as it were. On reaching home
he told his wife his experience, and tried tt
go to sleep, but couldn't He didn't sleel
any that night.
! Mr.. Wright is well known IN this county
| lie IS not IA believer in ghosts, spirltualism, OF
ANYTHING of that kind, but he authorizes us Il
say that he did have just such an interview
\ with Coffin as above narrated, and he Woult
make oath to it If 1t were the last of his life
! lie asks nobody to believe him, but lac know
what he says Is true. lie is not a nervous o
excitable man, but since he had the above an
gelc interview he does not feel like the SAM
being. He talks of the matter great deal.
;, We make no comment The public hav
the story and can form their own conclusions
. and frame their own eXplanations.-At!a"tt
:. ior0) Tdegr0ph, Dee. Q.
! Ii is wrong TO hold ND taintIng person