The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1877-12-13

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90 the teah' oF elll1 lw, Mis-
sissippl, d V|N IS pgn assthe
Houston road' lm oakalo.
ma. Vie cof1 o9. % village Il
Ellous s|aa there IS sens pot which
has iof ears 4a tsllqs Witch.
ts R5ndazyoQ y s be isas its
.prIgin;ina ialiabe aitions and
wild s0persiilions egpnfcted with
ihe.lpeahty and 'someef hsse are d
peculiarly weird and Hing char.
acter. The haunted sp1 which is
perfect barren d gas Or bush,
does l.t lieIude maze q h an acre
Of ground, circular g andssitu'
.afad on tlin 11f.a Antle hill
and, though It issurfsulded BY large
trees, it is said no leaf or tSig has
ever fallen within the charmed space,
1t is a tradition that for over "a half
century witches have come TO the
desolate place to dance and indulge
in their magic incantations. They
come at midnight, and vanish with
the cock,crow. Twenty-Five years
ago the many ghostly stories which
were current at that time created
considerable public excitement all
through that section of Mississippi,
and the Jackson Clarion commission,
ed Colonel Thomas S, Gathright to
visit Chickasaw County and investi-
gate the truth or falsity of the re-
ports. Gathright wrote very elab.
crate account of his visit, which was
published in the Clarion. In the
course of his article he said there
was tradition to the effect that a
tribe of Indians had buried valuable
treasures in the vicinity. The ac-
count created a great sensation, and
a number of people went to the
witches rendezvous and began to dig
for gold. The deep holes and trench
es still to be seen in that locality
were the only results of their labors.
A remarkable feature of the soil is
that it is red.colored, whilc that out
side the circle is very dark, that
country being included in what is
known as the black lands. The phe-
nomenal circumstances is accounted
for by a thrilling story to the effect
that in. the early times q band Of
Chickasaw Indians, temporarily en-
camped'on- -the spot, were surprised
and massacred by the hostile Creeks
and, to eNpress,his wrath, the Great
Spirit turned the soil to Blood color
and cursed it forever, causing troub-
led spirits to haunt it and appall all
who should pass the uncanny neigh
borhood. Indians, when they inhab.
tied the country, had great dread
of the place, and would never 60
near it. Spirited mediums have fre.
quently visited the haunted circle
and sat in darkness to commune with
the witches, and they assert that the
truth Of the above'story is confirmed
by the in-essential beings forced by
fate to gather at this wild and isola,
ted place, According to the medi,
ums, one hundred years ago, one
hundred and eighty Chickasaw In,
dians were savagely slain by an
overwhelming force of Creeks, and
that after being scalped the bodies
were left on the ground to be eaten
by the wolves, and that the Great
Spirit, as an evidence of his displeas'
ure at the atrocity of the deed, de-
creed that the neighborhood should
be forever under the foul influence
of evil spirits.
The peculiar manifestations which
are now and have ever since been
witnessed by those who pass there
between midnight and break of day
consist mainly of ghostly forms,
dressed in white or cleaning as with
phosphorcscent light oldhags oxhib'
iting horrid charms or engaged in
unearthly dances; ghostly Indian
warriors, mounted on whitened skel,
etons of ponies; beautiful maidens
appureled like brides; gigantic hu'
man forms, gaunt and wasted, with
eyes glaring like balls Of fire and glib
bcring like goblin voices; floating
lodges of the red race, populous with
wailing squaws and pappooses. Be
sides these, there were other less no
table demonstration, but all of q
mysterious character and all sustain