The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-12-21
PEG ALLEYS GHOST.
One Of Those Queer Stories for Which
There is No Explanation.

One Of Those Queer Stories for Which
There is No Explanation.
From Lippincott's Magazine.
The following was related to me.by the
gentleman to whom it happened, and
whom shall call Mr. Kennedy. It was
mentioned in the most commonplace
way in the ordinary course of converse
tion-not as a supernatural occurrence,
but simply as a singular and puzzlingex -
perience. There is long and very mar
row strip of wooded land, known as
'Peg Alleys Point" situated between
the main stream of Miles river and one
of the navigable creeks which flow into
it. This little peninsula is about two
miles long, from fifty to two or three
hundred yards in width, bounded
by deep water and overgrown
with pine and underbrush. There
is a tradition that many years ago q
party Of Baltimore oystermen encamped
on the point, among whom was man
named Alley, who had abandoned his
wife. The deserted woman followed up
her husband and found him at the camp,
where some words passed between them,
the result of which was that the man in
duced his wife to follow him into
thicket AMI there murdered her with a
club. The point has ever since been
known by Peg Alleys name, and her
perturbed spirit has been supposed to
haunt the scene of her untimely taking
off. Mr.. Kennedy had lived from boy
hood on the place and had never given
a serious thought to the story. Two or
three years ago he had party of rail-
spHtters at work on the point, the foreman
who finally refused to go back, declar-
there and that he had seen a ghost. His
employers laughed at him and dismissed
the matter from his mind. Some time
after this Mr.. Kennedy had occasion to
ride through the woods one afternoon
to look after some sheep there being
but one road and the water on either
side. As he approached the point his
horse started violently and refused to 60
on, regardless Of whip and spur. Look
ing about for the cause Of this unusual
fright he saw woman rise up from a
log upon which she had been sitting,
few yards in advance, and stand by the
roadside, looking at him. She was very
poorly clad in faded calico dress and
wore limp sunbonnet, from beneath
which her thin jet black hair struggled
over her shoulders. Her face was thin
and sallow and her eyes black and pierre
ing. Knowing that she had no business
there, and occupied in controlling
his horse, he called to her somewhat
angrily to get out of the way, as the an
imal was afraid of her. She turned and
walked slowly into the thicket, without
q word, looking back at him as she went
With much difficulty he forced his
horse to the spot, wishing to find out
who the intruder might be, but no trace
OF any one could be found after care
full search, although there was no place of
concealment and no possible way of
escape, for which, indeed, there was not
sufficient time. Mr.. Kennedy declared
that the thought of Peg Alley never en-
tered his mind until that moment, but,
upon finding that no one was on the
peninsula besides himself, he turned his
horse homeward without looking farther
after his sheep and with a decidedly
sympathetic feeling toward the recusant
rxl-splitter.