The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-07-06
A Strange Story.

The other day, Mr.. Jacob Shreckhise
came into our office, and taking from
his pocket book slip cut from a news
paper. told us to read it, and that when
we had finished it he had story to re-
late with referenence to the parties men,
toned in the notice. The old gentleman
was for many years resident OF this coun-
tv. but a short time ago sold his fine farm
on the ''Glade'' and moved to Rockingham.
He almost looks upon Augusta as his home
now. for the friends and ties anu asso-
Citations of gone days are too strong
to be affected by so brief an absence.
The extract he gave us told OF the sale OF
the effects of Matthias Krsh, decd, a
bachelor who lived in the lower part OF
this county. The personal property was
sold last year by E. NJ. Cushing, auctioneer,
and it was mentioned that among the arti-
Giles disposed of we're sixty baskets. about
as many butcher knives, and quantity OF
blankets, some of them marked 1923.
Those Kirshes were a strange family
said Mr.. Shreckhise, rs we finished reading
the extract. II rememember them fifty
wears ago. We called them Cash, in that
day. and they were noted for being the
finest farmers in the lower part OF Angus
ia. Their crops were the largest, their
horses and cattle the fattest. and the farm
told at a glance of careful and skilful culti-
walton. With all OF their prosperity, how
ever. there seemed to be an atmosphere OF
mystery about them. They lived pretty
much to themselves. The neighbOrs would
ride by to look at their stock and crops, but
seldom visited the house. The family at
! the home place. consisted of the father
and mother, a bachelor son, and maid
en- daughter. Matthias, another son,
who is mentioned in the notice you read,
lived down near the mountain, consider
able distance from his parents. 1t was In
| 1892 that left the eastern part OF the coin-
ty aud moved 10 the western part. Before
[ moved was pretty nell acquainted with
the Cash family that is knew them about
as well as any one in the neighbOrhood did
After had been absent sOaie time heard
|
fanitly had been seen about the place. The
nrighbors had kept careful watch, bat not
IL human being was,visible. The farm looked
as prosperous as ever ; the stock seemed to
be well-fed and cared for but how and by
whom this attention was given no one could
I tell In those days witches and witchcraft
were mere or less believed in, and from
their peculiar mode of life, their retlcence
and general conduct there were many who
Thought that the Cashes were the special
| favor ties of the Evil one" For this rea-
on the farm was avoided. and however in
tense curiosity might have been. 1t was not
strong enough to overcome the supersti-
tions dread. Month after month passed
! and still no one was seensabout the house,
| vet none vcntured to seek solution of the
mystery From the middle of November
TO the lst of April following things thus
continued. On the first Sunday in April, l
| was at Mt Meridian Church Charles Nc
| Chung and had been talking about the
| Cashes, and we resolved to 60 to the house
and see if we could find out anything. We
roe thither and hitching our horses to the
fence. walked up to the front door OF the
| house aud knocked. No answer came, We
knocked again and louder. Still all was ST.
lent. We then tried to effect on entrance
through the kitchen window. and had just
com ulenced to raise the sash, when Ann
Cash, the daughter, appeared at the door,
perfect picture of fury, and babe us be-
gone She said that we had no business to
disturb them and she wanted to be left
alone We told her that we came to see
what had become of the family, and that
We intended to go in and investigate. At
this she became still more enraged, and
dately retire. We ponderel for little
while and then concluded to get reinforce
ments before attempting to force an en-
trance. Going back to the church, the ser
vices of which were just about oyer when
we returned, we gathered up lot Of wild
young bucks, like ourselves, flor tell you
we were pretty gay fellows in those times)
and started back. to the Cashes. There
were John Fulton, Peter Crickenberger,
VIM Leake, Geo. Bolen, George, Matthew
and John Rankin, Geo. Eutzler and Geo.
and Wm. Whitmer, besides Charles Nc
Chung and myself We made up our mlnds
to probe the affairto the bottom before the
sun went down. Reaching the Cash house
we all dismounted ndmarched forward in
body. We stood on the porch and called.
Being the only one in the party who could
speak Dutch, was delegated to carry on
the conversation, the Cashes being German.
Being unable to elicit any responses to my
calls, we concluded to 60 to the window
again. This time no one opposed us, and
we entered through the kitchen and passed
from there to the main building. The sight
that met us as we came into the family room
was simply horrible, and the stencil was so
sitting that every man beat a nasty re-
treat. Regaining the open air, we breathed
freely once more. and fortfying ourselves
with herbs, and burning tar and such other
disinfectants as we could think Of, returned
to the room. On the bed lay old Mrs.
Cash, dead. She had evidently died at
least two weeks before, and decomposition
had done its work with fearful effect. At
the loot OF the bed was the old man, his
face shrunken and shrivelled. Ann was
near by, and when we attempted to ques-
ton her, became furious, declaring that her
mother would have been restored the next
day if we had not interfered to break the
spell. We paid but little attention to what
she said, but sending some OF the party to
apprise the neighbors, proceeded to look
about the place and to make ourselves COM
Portable for the night. We determined not
to leave until the old lady was buried, and
some effort was made to arouse the living
members OF the household from their
strange condition. In looking about the
house we found food and fruit plentiful.
In the Scellar was some fine old brandy and
one of those old-rime cone-shaped loaves
of white sugar. With both of these latter
we made pretty free. After some time it
occurred to us that we had not yet found
John, the bachelor son. We asked Ann
where he was, and she refused to tell US
F further than to say that he was all right
I M~fc AL l. 81 g.