Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-05-04

yak; while Others saw him either sit
ting penslvely perhed On the railway
which surrounded the quarry hole. or
quietly slipping down into his resting
place In the black depths Of the pool.
Ii would be quite useless 10 attempt TO
convey any ideaof the excitement which
these reports, rumors, and specter-see-
mgs caused IN the district Everybody
believed In the ghost but the person
chiefly concerned Myzie Brown She
found herself al but ruined 5y th. ghost.
and protested. and stormed, and shed
tears, al in vain, in opposition 20 the
popular idea- The ghost carried all
before Il. and the very minister Of the
par5sh. who before had been sceptical
regEoIng apparH0ns. preached ser
non On spirits, which showed how much
be had learned since Jock Browns ghost
had FlsaDed the parish Nor did the one
EhoE ing have the run Of the district
10 HseH- Other ghosts, envioRs no
doubt OF this ones immense popularity,
frooped into the place. and TRIED It
doors snd hoisbed beds and their occu-
pants mp n the middle Of the night, and
raped On tables and walls. and rang
bells With broken wires, and bewiIehed
cows as elerWF rs they could have
done In the sans good old days when
Mother Shipton and the witches had
everything In theI own hands, and the
biazing faggof rewarded their genius.
Whist WIS the accused widow to do
under the circumstances? She could
not starre, and 10 remain inactive would
be To impiy conscious guilt She
- st he's tn nj acf2 I'D
him TO get I'D q prosecution for libel
But against whom was the charge 10 be
preferred? Shaad had uttered no libel
II WAS sae ghost who had declared MFsae
murderer, and the ghost uaforgu-
naSeiy,was beyond the Jurisdiction Of any
court Of law This was the decision Of
NY son and myself. but Myle WIS not
to be repressed-
She rent TO the authorizes and de-
manaI 70 be put upoaker trial This
request could not be accedea to, from
the simple fact that the principal wit
ness-the ghost, had no known address,
and therefore could not be cited: and
also because the body Of the missing
JOCK Brown had never been found. Still
undauazed- Mysie employed men to
search the pool, and then, most singular
TO relate, there was found and brought
up human skull. some human bones,
and 8 muddy fragment Of rope attached
TO hesFT stouei The skull WAS sub
miTted 10 the medical man Of the dis
friet, sad he st once pronounced 1t not
only the skull OF q nan- but of one
about age and mae Of tie missing JOCK
Brown
This discovery created IN extrsordi-
nary sensation not only IN the district.
but over wide tract Of the country as
well, when the Circumstances got into
the newspapers, and the case promised
70 be one Of the most celebrated In his
tory. Sozething Ike body bsing now
found. Mvsie was arrested and formally
accused af the murder, and though she
protested more .sIrenao1sly than ever
her Innocence every one now disbe-
Iieved her. a0d hourly expected her TO
make clean bresE Of it by contrasting
The whole parIcz lars of the crime.
The case had thus been blown I'D
stesdilv TIL il had assumed enormous
and baliooa-Eke proportions. Il now
seemed as II the mere prick of pin was
TO make the whole collapse
Mvsie was examined twice before the
Sheriff, / and my son attending 10 watch /
Der case, but On the second occasion the j
pin which was ID prick the balloon ap-
.eared in the person of 3 somewhat |
1iminufire MR. who stalkeo into the |
Dom and quietly said
DIV We no ken me- ?'' |
Mysie screamed ont and was I'll his /
ide in moment, cfsspTng the peeFish- /
seed man TO her breast, and erying, |
lTstericaT1v: @
.sE's JOCK. It'smy Jock-ny bonnie
Tock-cone hame safe and sound, af-
er a't''
The appsrition beng questioned, de-
Jared on his oath that he had never
'een dead, nor thrown into q quarrE
iole, nor eaten with perch nor forced
Q haunt the district as spectsr; but
lad been al the five yesrs quietly work
NJ al his trade as tailor Ia distant
ity- He had, he admitted, cnarreled'
NTH his vile before leaving, and had ]
ealiy left her a letter saying she should !
ever see him more. but he did SO with
Ut any thought of suicide or death of
ny kind In his head.
"Whs1 was your quarrel about,
ray inquired the Sheriff, with half
unused expression Of coun1enanee,
lazt t31 4gi Lie E3AbS
esofTe 10 part from your wife and
Arms for eFers Was It anything
eadlys'' .
"Deidly enough, SIR" was the grave
sply- at was just ABBOT my parritch
eng oEre ssat- had telIt her til
as tired hoo liKst them ssn1is. and g.
" tellin' did nse guild. She wad sauf
hem 70 please herself and gsed me
ome tonguin forbFe. 80 I saw fne we
ould never live thegither peaeebly, and
stermined TO leave her for guid- SzaIl.
wsdna like her to be hangif for killing
le while I'm leeFin', so / can through
explean msitters-r
Mysie and her recovered husband re-
rned home together, and there Was
nnsdiate inquiry for Peter Shand, the
Iore so as the village grareaigger now
,membered that Peter had been EN-
Dyed in putting lock on v&nk IA
hieh were kept q number Of skulls
Id human bones, turned I'D In the
,arse of some slferations on The grave
nd, and Thus had probably possessed |