New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-30
AN OLD sEXTON'S STORY.
What was Found in the Vaults of
Haunted Church.


Such commotion az there was in town
when it came to be fully believed that our
church was haunted never saw in my life
before, and hope and trust l never may
again. 1t was all that was talked about
from one end Of the community 10 the other
until at last not a child dared to 20 to bed
alone in the dark, and many q grown per
con was in the same predicament.
The church, you know, is surrounded on
three sides by a large number OF evergreens,
so that even in the broad daylight 1t Is
gloomy and solemn, in and around it; and
since it had got about that it was haunted,
few there were who cared to pass it after
dark; and even in the daytime people took
pains in crossing to the opposite side of the
street, 90 that they might be as far from
the ghosts as possible.
As you can see, it is but little way from
nv cottage here to the church, yet even
the walls can only be seen in one spot, and
about half OF one of the windows, owing to
evergreens, of which l have spoken grow
ing so close about it, and there, perhaps, it
was little wonder that saw nothing of the
ghosts there were more than one, people
ssid), and it was noised all about the town
that strange sights and sounds had been
seen and heard coming from within at late
honrs in the night or very early in the
morning.
The first word that l heard about the
ghosts came from my wife. relative had
died in a distant town, and had been sum-
moned there, and found it impossible to re-
turn for q week. Ny wife could not we'll
accompany ne, SO when she got letter
that would not be back before certain
day, she went out of town on a short visit,
coming back in time to open the church
doors Of Sunday morning, and then it was
that che learned that there had been ter
rible carvings on in the church while we
had been gone. Lights had been seen
cleaning out through the evergreens, and
sounds had been heard by people that were
entitled to credit, and one more daring than
the rest had entered the yard at the dead
ono of the windows, and had tumbled back
in great alright, at the risk of breaking his
neck, and hurried away as soon as he could,
declaring that he had seen q figure dressed
in long white robe glide along the aisle
and disappear along the passage way that
led to the vaults beneath; and he also main
tanned that he had heard sound coming
up therefrom 80 strange and unearthIy that
it had frightened him more than tho object
he had seen.
When my wife heard Of it of Sunday
morning, from Mrs. Jones, a neighbor, who
ran in to tell the news, she declared there
was nothing in it; that it was the invention
of an enemy who wanted to cast reproach
upon me; that had always taken SO good
care of the church that there could have
been no chance tor anything Of q ghostly
nature to have taken up its abode therein;
but when afterward sne was opening the
doors, she heard it from the lips of first one
and then another, until the good woman
came to think there must be something in
it; and when, later in the day, the pastor
referred to it in the desk, she could no
longer disbelieve it, though she stoutly
affirmed that had not been remiss in nv
duty, and that as soon as returned would
dispose Of the ghost in short order.
1t was on Thursday that got home, and
before had been in the house minute l
knew by the looks of my wife that she had
got something of Importance on her mind,
and in less than halt an hour had heard
the whole, and good deal more, expect,
from her lips and those of Mrs Jones, who
ran to tell me, as she declared, "what she
knew about it, as che had always been
friend to me, and didn't want me to get into
trouble" just as though could prevent
ghost from taking up it's abode in the church
II it should be SO minded.
After had heard their story, which, by
the way, they enjoyed telling, though l
think my wife had rather Mrs. Jones had
kept out and gave her the chance of telling
the whole, took down the keys of the
church, that are always hung in a particu-
lar spot, and went across the ward, under
the evergreens, to the porch door.
Glancing up at one Of the windows, saw
that the ivy beneath it had been displaced,
torn from the wall, where year after year
it had chung, and that there was q tramped
spot on the ground beneath. So much of
the story was true, then, tor this must have
been the spot where the person had clam
bered up who had heard the sounds and
seen the white hgure in the church.
Unlocking the door, / passed in and
b0lted it behind me, Tor did not care to
have some one who might have observed
my entrance str0lling in. l wanted to
make complete examination of every hole
and corner within, and l wanted to do it
alone. l had come ghost-hunting, and l
was afraid that my game would be fright
ened away if they saw too numerous a
party. Every part and parcel Of the church
/ searched, going into nearly every pew, to
see if anything were hidden benea tn their
high sides, into the desk, the singers seats
and the organ lott, even taking a look into
the instrument Itself. But every thing was
as it should be; nothing was displaced,
and l came down to the floor of the
church, and there lighted lamp l had
brought with me, for the purpose of gong
down into the vaults beneath, which years
ago had been Used az Q burial place,
though the practice had long been discOn.
tinued as the town had increased in size.
The one ghost that had been seen had ap-
parently disappeared beneath the church,