The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-10-12
CHOk ER'S GHOST.
STRANGE ACcIDENr-A SECRET WELL
KEPT.


The only true ghost story know is the
story of Chokers ghost. That is positive
fact well attested. All the ncighboia know
what happened. All the neighbors saw
how it began, and as it is the story o! Cho-
ker's ghost, it could not have begun until
Choker died.
Old Choker had been so called for n good
many yeals-before he was actually old, |
should suppose but he was very queer
fellow, a man without relatives or friends,
and who seemed To want none.
He was mysterious man, too.
He bad wooden leg, and DO one knew
how lie came by it.
lie had black patch over one eye, and
Iro one could tell why lie wore it.
He had rusty brown wig, aud there was
no man intimate enough to know whether
he adopted it because he was bald OF be
cause he Was gray.
He had depositiu the bank and no one
knew how he earned the money.
He camp stranger to Glabtown, and
bought house and a little farm there, Civ
ing his name as Guy Choker.
That was all that any one knew about
him, except that he had he best crops to
be seen tor miles around.
lie never went to church, and never
chatted to a ,ei2ibor. No one knew any
thing against him as they knew nothing,
last be was found dead oEe morning, all
the bottled up curiosity popped out as
champagne does when II Is uncorked.
Every body went to see him where he
lay.
Everybody attended the inquest, aud ev-
cry body went TO the funeral.
IL was decided that lie died of apoplexy.
There was no relative to him, but
there would probably be plenty left to pay
for his funeral, so there was difficulty
about that.
The clergyman said doubtful sort Of
good word for him, aud as he was dead, no
one contradicted it.
And Peggy Kinder, who said she wasn't
afraid of anything, was put into the house
to take care of it.
She knew old Choker very well, having
done washing for him for five years.
That night the weather being chilly
spring weather, she made up good hre
i'm the kitchen and slepl on an old lounge
there. Once in the night she woke up aud
thought she heard .he clump, clump,
clump Of wooden leg overhead, but,
though she felt a chill run up her back bone
at the thought, she made UP her mind
that il was all nonsense and went to sleep
again.
At six she was up aud had put more coal
on The fire, and was lilling the kettle, when
positively-no fancy about it this time-she
did hear that cIump, clump again across
the room up stairs, half dozen times, then
down the stairs.
The sound of Cboker's wooden leg and
nothing else, and as she turned about,
shaking and trembling, she saw Choker
himself at the door his big lowered
dressing gown, with the black patch over
his eye, and the brown wig on.
Then as Choker nodded cheeifully, and
said. breakfast ready yet?'' she grew be
widered.
"Tve been having horrid dream, SIR
she said, getting away from the figure,
,houob. as She spoke, land is natural as
life. | dreamed you were dead, sir, but
i: was so natural that you skeer me"
oDo I?'' said old Choker. ''"hy, bless
me- we must all ole.
Eyes sir,'' said Peggy.
"And ali be buried, too" said Choker.
81 know that" said Peggy
ssOnly all of us won't stay buried, sald
Cboker. putting his finger on his nose.
And at that, Peggy, never waiting even
for her bonnet, boiled out of the house,
and came tu,nbling into her daughter S,
half an hour after, shaking with fright, and
vowing she had seen Choker's ghost.
The daughter was nearly as much fright
ened as the mothe", and the news spread,
but nobody believed 1t.
At least every one said 1t was rdicuious
and that Peggy must have been drinking.
S,,e did drink more than was good for
her now and then; and at last the unoef
,aker himself accompanied by the cononer
",ha two men nervous on the subject of
Ghosts and besides who had a thorough
Enowledpe of Choker's death and burial
vent 10 the house together. accompanied
T., !. .,,;,, of admirers who kept at 4 re-