The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-16
PHANTOM LAND IN WINTER.
THE MYSTERY or SNAKE nm ann
NIIIES PONIl. NEIK POCHNOK.


One day went over 10 tho Astor House
and sat down to luncheon with the Knights or
the Round Table. They arc n merry lof md
more often discuss good spirits than spooks
Bot Judge Funrher. probably in consideration
OF TIE supposed fondness OF quilldrivcrs for
spook lore. told n story " n ghost that he said
wandered around the romantic hills Of New.
hursh. Tho Judl.o lives in Newburgh in sum
mrr. and it was last summer" he said that
this ghost FIRST made itself heard in Nrwburgh."
There was an old man." so the story ran
who used to live up at Washington's Head.
quarters all alone. lie was pretty hard old
case. and about year ago he died. The rumor
ts now current among tho common folks up
there that the old man ghost wnndcrs around
from house 90 house. 1t first appeared. or was
heard in the headquarters. but OF late it hns
taken up vngrnnt habit Of turning up in all
sorts of places. II takes possession of first one
and then another unnhabtcd mansion. and
makes tsolf heard. II nos seen"
Not long ngo." continued Judge Fancher.
some Of my young relatives being in the viii
lhge. took fancy they would go up to my
house. which s not occupied in winter. They
walked up the hill through the evergreens, and
across tho lawn. and not finding the man
who has charge OF the premises any
whore around. they eat down on the
porch awaiting his return 10 open the
house for them. The silence and loneliness Of
the place. and the hour. perhaps Git was about
twilight. naturally broughtup the subject of tho
ghost. suddenly they heard noise in tho
house. They called out. who's thcro? No an
swer came. hut in n few minutes an old Dutch
clock that stands In the basement hail. and
which certainly has not been wound up for
years. began to strike. The young folks were a
little scared. but began to count tho strokes
laughing and TESTING to drive away fear. The
old clock struck slowly. onc-two-three in the
deliberate way Of old Dutch clocks. and contin-
ucd TO strike until seventeen strokes wcrc
counted. Then the young folks grew seriously
frightened. for bv this time the twilight had be-
como dark. They ran ~ fast rs their legs would
sarry ihrm down the HILL and have not been up
Such was Judge Pancher's story Last
"Wednesday another Ncwburgh ghost story
reached me- through one Of tho morning pa
pers This time Il was the ghost Of womnn
Mtl,, and the mother Of large iamily-Mrs
Williams was her nnme-thnt hal returned To
afh icted husband. had hnstcned his death hy
her ghosty visitntions aud now tormented her
.Thu!slay | started iy tho Newbureh branch
1.-THE Erie Railway for the scene Of these ghost
dramas. | would not risk the possibility nf a
lhaw in the Hu lson preventing ne from cross
ing the river ~ shkil and N'wburgh.
York who have never been u Newhursh.
Nhyf because they have a new pleasure before
them Nrwburrh Io,srss,s exc.p,ional IN iii.
tics for-not pleasure. but enjoyment 1t is On
the northern SLOPE of tho Ca,sSilis and So ,r,n-
phtely Isolated from tho sea air. both by its ati-
rude and liz peculiar geographical position AS 10
possess n mountain atmosphere % n very dry.
mild quality. IL IL cold bat neither damp nor
windy. The storm King Mountain and Anthn-
nYs Nose on the south cat OF the clustering
sea hrecz''s, and the lesser and upper Catskiils
on the north arc screen against winch the
north winds oxpend their fury before they
reach the hills and rHvin"s Of Newburgh. 1hi
unriyalird n the Caiskt I'll group OF mountains.
II ~ p1t.or Of The lllur states" hotel fnmnd
2 New England woman with that peculiarly
pcnu'liu "1nlprNi2n, whlrh many lnNalbls
from New England have. She WIS elegant
XII Ife ~ r AM rhnS ~ inn pn she SD
because she found the mir n-.r., with her better
than thn' ul NV haven AMI n a few hours she
could h, IA NV York. or IN Westminster VIII re
her children were % school
That New fnsiund woman IL treasury Of
spOok lore ana spirtuaiistie i"nrninz; S,' tod
me OF haunted huus" near NV Haven. and
rotated won lrrful stories 81 - sister of hers.
who y a M Jun and sees Eho-s. an "a
tact, lives IN kh"stlnni thr gr,"trr part ., tao
time an uneduehri NV ENGLAND RI" she
nes'r.hu h.r Out hHN'nt vet iJund Nrw
England girl that cnn br ,nilrl uuslu .nfri >.
Yet ~ her iruhr"s thus sister %! my lady in black
Newhursh. speaks Frrnrh. German. and Ita-
lan' plnyS On me pane t'e most n"u.t
musig "t Beethoven. Nuh Nr.'r, Handel Lied.
hni O. pm. and docs not srow ono mote from
ine olh.r nnG no .nnti"a' tui English wen
Lie~ al lw.iers IN Phantom Lanl. the in
1nhitHuts ~ Nrw'nreh -s0 10 guests ly q. ~
light Two r.N-iuL,r n.'n W th.ou.y irr-
mock 81 Wn.I,u tn-' II D.. l,,i ten, ~, I,..
utlr DARK / .ounl several otlrr.. two tlpf IS
and a worthy huu,ier. who knew some ui-rI-
2eis q, ine " ilii1ms family AMI had heard Oi
it iid not require much persuasion on ny
part TO drum up II tween dark ami O'Clock an
Mrs. Wiliams's ghost Not one Of ths party
1al rNnr n"rn To the lo'ui.ty or cy"n know c-r-
minly whore II wis. eN '.ut tho butcher. ARR
driving milo or two Iva tn wrong lir elton ~
were put IN the right ono Us TIE man OF a.
srhver. nnd alter RAPID drive over TWO ui =
d an paved mountain rond. our coa-hGian
sam" % "a halt.
This is the place" h. rrowled There was
sheet Of iro1'n water before "a. ,gienmin-
white under the brilliant stltiia:t T."r' Mo-
NO moon. hul thr clou.lle-s hry"rs Elir"rint
with stars and Starlight revealed the steep Ia
Of Snas- litl .uuing down INTO the Wlit"r, and
Of silhi in the darkness.
There was not a hous.' to be seen. The coach
man declared he would 10 no lurlhrr. Ii
would be- 10 possihl" To- turn around with his
earring" on TINT narrow. i'c-houud rond Tho
house WIS only about quarter of "a niliu
further on. | Inspected That the fellow W..s
frightened, but II WAS impossible 10 induce h!m
The butcher led the way. - in- the only man
Of the party Who seemed 10 know tho ground.
II was a long tnr b-forv ", turned GROUND
Snak Iii and caught Llimpse Of the lights
OF tae I"rhu'k hril'nent. The road ran AL
OF ice rnairrd Us To see Our way. The wnl
swept ia ~ ~ gusts across the pond. wailng
ikea hIn-nrc as u riiinr over the ics-huund
sheet u water. AZ last We reached IA" door ~
an hunh.e human dwelling. an unpaintad
wooden structure OuV ono rrm1ie lrOm a
shady. IL WIS not many yurl- from the
waters clg", Huj the .i2ht rom wi; lin cleaned
ruldy AMI BRIGHT tlr,u-h tn ous ru iry-
glazed. un .urnnel WINDOW. Up The rlrhe,y
st"ls our pnrty advanced, AMI were readily ai-
mited the door swinging open NJ the fast ray.
tail, WHY man. VIII - ldwuy mou~'d b. AMI
n complexion of almost IN" SHINE nue.. OPENED
the door, "iusing II quickly. ~ soon a. ws
eHtrred, o. smut ont IN" Win'ry blast ArNIu ! a
large rusty kurhrn wool stNy" were gut cred
the Williams family. A Kerosene lamp NlgatHl
the fanny taalc, where the only romans oi thr
evening meal. hOnr. WIS srrn. and "a few
piscas ~ crushed drlt Wer" scattered oycrthe
uncovered buarla. AnuullShtrl. parity harmed
out tHiluw candle on % smell waS the only Wulti
OhInrt in tur room, rN '"ut when a young girl
20 King cradle in ths corner. OPENED her
mouth. shr Wing a row al long white. pointed
teeth. The only bri- tit of color IN ~" apart
ment wls some red flannel IN the baby's ciu,ll.'
There wrrr two women, two little girls. % lad
Of about -. and two tail men, Of the family
party. Tho men Wore heavy. high boots. guilt
less OF shine. and rather the worse Tor wear.
All the feminine members Of the party rose
and ga2ei az rs curiouslg. Tno men and boys
kent their seats, with their h'gs crossed. and
smoked AWAY silently at their short -atemncd
brlcrwpod dds.