The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-05

of Unity disappears, except the graves
in the old churchyard.
This is as it should be; the march of
improvement is onward, the things of
the past must give way for the things Of
the present, but yet it is with feeling
of sadness, that we chronicle the de-
struction of this old building, that was
associated with our boyish days, and
will always occupy one of the bright
spots III our memory.
One of the oldest tombstones we can
find in Unity churchyard bears this in,
scription.
ISAAC SELLARS,
died Feb. II, 1918,
aged 49 years.
God my redeemer lives,
And ever from the skies
Looks down and watches all my dust,
Till he shall bid it rise.
Like most old buildings and church
yards, "Old Unity early gained the repu-
tation of being haunted; ghosts ofvarious
kinds were reported to have been seen
around it, until it became task of no
inconsiderable magnitude to pass it af-
ter nightfall. Let no one laugh at this
and call it idle nonsense
"Nor think TO village swains alone
Are these unearthy terrors known;
For not to rank nor sex confined
Is this vain ague of the mind:
ii arts firm steel, marble hard,
Gainst faith and love and pity barred
Have quaked like aspen leaves in May,
Beneath its universal sway.
Many time We have passed that old
churchyard with quickened steps and
bated breath, casting many fearful
glances behind, as on we went, lest like
"honest Tam O'Shanter," "Bogles
should catch US unawares." But, alasl
for our readers, it was never our good
fortune to meet ghost or sprite, on that
haunted ground.
Unity church had, what is generally
called, double doors, one of which was
continually open, and it was popular
belief in the neighborhood that it could
not be kept shut; be this as it may, it
stood open day and night; and we have
seen it closed dozen times during a SER
mon and when all was still and quiet in
the house, except the voice of the min
lister, it would slowly open, as if.
moved by some unseen hand. Who can
say but what the old memb bers of Unity,
they who had long ago gone to their
rest in that quiet little graveyard, were
silently entering, invisible to mortal eyes,
and taking their places of worship as
they did in the olden days.
There was, at one time, quite little
sensation raised by the appearance of,
what was known as the "bloody child"
The story was briefly this.-A man,
driving a team, in passing the church
one night heard, as he supposed, a child
crying; looking about him, he saw a
small child following the wagon crying
bitterly. supposing it to be lost, he stop
ped his horses, and going back towards
it, he saw that it was covered with
blood. Terribly alarmed he hastened
his steps, but when within three or four
feet, it suddenly disappeared, and all
was still.
Rubbing his eyes, to make sure he
was awake, he stood in utter astonish-
ment, not unmixed with terror, for sew
eral minutes, then returning TO his wag-
on he had scarcely started his horses,
before he heard the crying, and looking
back he saw the same appearance of a
bloody child. Again he returned to-
wards it, and again it disappeared. This
was repeated the third time, and the
fonrth he heard the crying, but now
thoroughly alarmed he put his horses to
their mettle and soon left the phantom
child to cry on, or disappear, as it chose.
We offer no comments on the above
story, only to remark it Is not more abb
surd than hundreds of others like it.
We might give other instances of like
nature, if we wished, we might tell how
one of the old band of worshippers was
said to have re-appealed, after death, to
several persons, always in the vicinity
of Unity, and to have walked by their
side, as they passed by, but never to
have uttered word to any of them, but
we deem the above to be sufficient and
will turn to other items of interest.
All the names of the early members
of Unity are familiar to MS. There was
father Pherson, a blunt, straight forward,
honest IriShman, then father sCookson,
an exemplary man in every respect, then
father Pugh and his son David both
and observance of the Lords day, then
father Isaac Brown, good man, weigh
ing two hundred pounds, who always
had his regular seat in church, and woe
to the unfortunate wretch who, arriving
early, took his place. he had to vacate
Immediately or be mercelessly crushed
beneath two hundred pounds of Presby-
terianism. Many remember how he
startled the church one day by abrupt-
ly calling out, as he started for the door,
"whoa, bolly, whoa" as he saw his staid
old horse about to break loose.
All the names we have given above
are familiar to us, az, also many Others,
but we do not wish to weary the reader
by recalling them. They are the names
of class, who are gone from us forever;
let us forget their faults and try to imi-
tate their virtues.
The tombstones of Unity church
yard tell US where most of them rest;
but some are not there, some rest in 9TH
er spots of earth, and few, u very few,
linger yet with u.s. waiting their sum
mons to "cross over the river, and rest
under the shadow Of the trees" '