The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-07-08
A Ghost Story.

Burlington county, N. j., thinks it has
a ghost. The haunted house belongs to
Joseph Tatum. The alleged ghost is
that Of a drover. An old resident of
the neighborhood tells the story. "They
say that house was built before the war
of 1912. Long time afore l know.
Then the wing was put to 1T bout 1920,
l reckon. 1t used to be a great stop
ping place for drovers. There was q
field there for cattle to rest and water.
There was drover used to sop there
often l forget his NAME One day he
came there sick on his way west. He
said he had the yellow fever. Anyway,
they put him in the woodshed and he
died, like as if he came to-day and was
dead tomorrow. They buried him in
the lane that runs down back of the
cow-house, and arte' ards somebody came
and wanted to know wherA his money
was. They never found it anywhere,
and that's how folks came to believe
how that there was foul play, and the
ghost of tue old drover is there yet. l
believe he is, and | amt going to talk
about haunts any more" There is one
door the ghost will hot let stay closed
at night. If it is locked he will turn
the key if it be bolted on both sides
he will draw the bars if furniture be
blocked against this particular door it
will be removed, and when tenpcnny
nails have been used to fasten the door,
tie ghost has been known 70 draw
them. Joseph Tatum, who lives in the
house, is regarded as man of truthful
ness and probity. Such men as Colonel
Davis. who keeps the hotel; Edward
Cliff, the express agent; MIR. Finn, the
editor of the local paper; John Reeves,
the segar maker; John j. Maxwell,
President of the City Council Lawyer
Cannon; Cassander Foulke, the butcher
all respected people of Bordentown-
say. they believe in Joseph Tatum i'm
pIicitly, and would take his word in
preference to most mems oath. The
Herald reporter and detective recently
spent part of night in the room the
ghost likes best. Everything was quiet
till ten minutes past twelve. "Then,"
writes the Herald man, "there came
sound. The house creaked as il great
weight had been laid upon it. A few
seconds more and it creaked again, this
time louder and with al ache more un,
earthly than before. Another lapse of
time equal to the interval between the
first and second noises and it is heard
again. Now it is nearer, and the sound
is like the effect OF the steps of large
man whose movement makes no other
noise. The men who have waited for
the ghost begin to think that perhaps
they have waited too long, for the sound
it does not withdraw: For twenty min
utes it is kept up, and then the shrill
crow of cock is heard and his voice Is
taken up by his fellows in chorus
When the FOWLS are silent the SQUAD is
moving away Sometimes the ghost is
heard dropping something, and once it
was seen out by the barn, in a white
sheet (all orthodox ghosts wear white
sheets), and holding drovel's whip in
his hand. The Herald repo. ter con-
fesses that he didn't solve the mysterv.
AS they drove away, the detective said
abruptly "Do you know what male
that nose2' The reporter replied, re-
fectively, 81 don't y and the detective
rejoined, "Neither do L." Joe Tatum
says: 1--WE have followed the footsteps
all over the house, from cellar to garrett
Every week we hear this, sometimes
two or three times week. One night
/ heard the steps in my room. l lay
quiet, fearing to wake my wife, when
she said Joe, there's a man in he
room Jumped up, expecting to have
tussle with bun glar. | couldn't find
any body. We lit the light, and then
we heard footsteps. Pre- acher Cheney,
of Georgetown, near US, heard the noise
soon atterward, and there has been
no end Of people to hear it The door
between the houses went stay shut at
night. We've locked it and put things
against it, but it always gets open.
We've had two years of tins. | am
going to stay it out. Lately 1T has been
worse than ever; sometimes 1T Is
terrible"