The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-02-24
GHOSTS AND GOLD.
STRANGE STORY OF A CRUEL MURDER IN OHIO
FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO RECOVER A
LARGE SUM OF MONEY.

In the side Of a ravine near the village OF
Mount Nebo, ten miles southeast of Youngs
town, Ohio, is a cave which is an object OF
horror to the superstitious and of peculiar
interest to the adventurously inclined
One night twenty years ago, so the story
goes, two men sought shelter in the cave
from binding snow storm. One was a
simple minded peddler who for years had
supplied the farm-houses in the vicinity with
his wares, which he carried in pack on his
back. The other was friend whom he had
long known, and whom he had met an houI
before, belated like himself and seeking
shelter from the storm. During the night the
peddler was murdered by his companion,
who thus secured a large sum of money,
which he hid in the cave. He would not re-
main in the cave with the body of his mur-
dered companion, and rushed out into the
snow, intending to return some time and re-
cover the fortune, for there were thousands
of-dollars in the peddler's hoard. A clasp
knife he still retained, and with it he bazed
trees along his path so that he might be able
to fiud his way to the cave more easily on his
return.
A month later he was lying in a hospital at
Cleveland, haggard and helpless. He had
been found in the snow miles away from the
scene of his crime, so badly frozen that am
putation of his hands and feet was perform
ed in a desperate effort 20 save his life. Pity
ing Samaritans had cared for him. little sus-
pecting that the object Of their''sympathywas
a murderer.
He fingered in the hospital for months,
and then they told him he must die. The re-
membrance of the crime he was expiating
so terribly became too much for him to bear.
He sent for his neice, to whom he told the
story, and died.
Scarcely waiting to see the manned body
of the murderer consigned to the grave, the
neice and her husband hastened to Mount
Nebo and made inquiries concerning the dis
appearance of the peddler. By means of
the blazed trees which the murderer had
described they found the cave, only to dis
cover that its walls and rocks had fallen in
and barred uD the entrance. The husband
set to work, assisted by farm hands who liY-
ed in the vicinity, to remove the rocks. At
ter trey had progressed a few feet they were
startled by unearthly yells and lights that
sounded and cleaned through fisures in the
rocks in the darkness in the interior of the
cavern. The exploring party Immediately
abandoned the work. and moment later the
rocks again fell in, filing up anew the space
which had been excavated.
Since then many unsuccessful attempts
ft-ve been made to open the cave. One was
he MIR. Conrad Dittmar, who owns the prem
upon which the cave is situated. He
)m ,res the place is undoubtedly haunted,
at vostifed to having heard and seen the
oxAnd lights which frightened the first
l." Ag party.
vi; NobG of four men, living near Mount
had tb.mpted to open the entrance, and
his tba majority to camp out over night at
m. sittin1 az, the cave. After dark, while
a COW the otheir campfire, they distinctly
fevz feot fra figure of man standing
ur th, e,rra fasm. Upon being addressed
noir Of one vay into nothingness The
ASS perfectly white party became instantly
'ill so they say. ia day or so later he died,
figure they saw gyivers declare that the
ed descriptions of tfponded exactly to the
ng hv those who remembered peddler given
to One Individual whim.
NV after dark exhIbitedtured to the place
weeks afterward in pr and bruises for
ot had been picked up bot S'oiy 'ii''' iie
h. -, .--.s -, +l,e cvaeF unseen hands Z
ed ,,,ttor, ~ the ravfne runs along the /
N A "spirit medium who
IA said that the fortune wouldd the place |
n for mary years to come. IecofeIe"
The trees standing on tAeA
diately around the cave are blaee ilnliie
he and have the appearance of iiieleSs
so burned with fire. Voe"
IL The story OF the murder is well
he Gated and the ghost stories are fhti-
believed by the residents Of Mount Ntly
Id ,,,o,,,;t,- I'd
"a FoR headache, sick headache, take z
"A. Sold at James drug store. Ebensb