The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-05-05

presented by the various tTaditionary accounts and
descriptions of this wonderful mine. the exact loca-
ton of which lost to future generations by the
sudden and mysterious disappearance from the
scene of the discoveTer an aged German. one
AhrWud, vine Is believed to have returned to the
Fatherland nearly one hundred yearsag0, and dying
there. the secret of the lGine died with him. cor
respondent residing at Union Mills, within a short
distance ofthe supposed location Of the mine, and
who is thoroughly conYersant with all the Wierd
Iautlohs invested ABOUT me l0st ana lohs s3ugnt
tor) mine, has kindly furnished us with the follow
ing interesting sketch of the diScoverer of the mine,
old man Ahrwud, the supposed location ofthe mine,
and the various weird traditions of the nelghbor-
hood regarding the "uncanny spot:
OLD AHRwuDs SILVER MINE.
Who was Old Ahrwud? He must have been
somebody, but his name is about all that we have
of his history up to the time of his appearance
among the first settlers of the valleys of Big Pipe
Greek and Silver Run. He then a fullgrown
Dutchman, and his trade was that of slversmith
What silversmith could have to do in country
as thinly occupied this-more than one hundred
years ago-is evidently imaginary; but the tradition
concerning the silver mine, located about mile
from Cuon Mills i'll Carroll county Md, begins
with the story that a silversmith named Ahrwud
And this Ahrwud is said to have been on such ami
cable terms with the Indians. (who were at that
time very plenty hereabouts) that they furnished
him with Silver gratis! Where the Indians got the
silver is not mentioned but it is said that they kept
secret repository or underground storehonse ior
their sver-crude ore coins, caDdlestlckS or coHee
pots-it is not stated which; and that Oid AhrWua
had the privilege of helping himself when ne
celent arrangement it is plain that he able to
sell spoons at very low rates. and his dong So causea
the inquiry, Where does Old Ahrwud get MS sil-
yer ?! to be in the mind of everybody living Within
ten miles of Old Ahrud's home 49,,
He had home, and daughter, too SO tne St4 by
goes; and while his home could not nave Deen lar
from the silver mine of to-day, there Is not lne
slightest clue remaining by when 10 ma us sttn"
ton; nor is there anything said of the daughter
more than what foilows0and that she also was
very curious to know from whence came the
| queer chunks of metal in her fathers WORKSHOP.
The old silyer-worker was finally prevailed upon by
his daughters importantly to show her tne source
of his working material WIN 9nG t tbav ar
posed that she must travel bndlolq unti lnef ar; az
rived at the place They started. and amer walkng
some distance the old man Leading the DIlhulodeu
girl Size became thirsty and asked for wafer Anr-
Wud said they were near spring. and soon after
removed the bandage from her face that she might
narrow valley-on one side woods the other bar,
rem hillside Her eyes were again covered, anu
after crossing stream they reached the mysterious
repository of Indian wealth. She was then carried
through opening into the MIL, ana aiter slolt
! interval during which she heard the striking OF
light her ewes were uncovered, She saw her father
Standing by her. with a curious old lantern in his
hand and in front great heap OF massive la SILVER
nuggets cleaned in her wonder-strlcken eyes!
Here tradition ends Whether or not the Ihdlalls,
in rage the revelation of their secret chopped OH
/ the daughters head and condemned the old silver
smith to perpetual pilgrimage back ana 1Oftn WIN
his lantern we unable to Learnt but 1t Is natural
TO suppose that such must have beer the case from
the ghostly indications about the silver NINE when
/ have been seen up to the present time There nave
been many of these, and of different strange Shapes.
The daughters story must have glyeh tne I 1aI
which fixed the point for digging ms Is IN piit
side small stream OF WuleT llOHIHS
I tiesnake Hill into Deep Run. 1t is not six hundred
/ yards from the road leading from Hanover 10 Tue
/ Westminster turnpike but more lonesome spot
can hardly be found so near public highway. A
short space of old field soplng suddenly 10 lne NIUE
stream is entirely surrounded by woods and in It's
Yer and find spooks! Spooks have been seen much
more than silver, since Old Ahrwud ana ms daugh-
fer have passed into the spirit land, but the occi-
sional appearance of these apparltlons mas only
served excite more earnestly the desire TO ma the
hidden treasure. c r.
Woodsboro Frederick county, made the hrst at
tempt in the way of actual mining for SILVER at hls
been unable to learn 1t is enough to know that
they made pretty large hole in The ground, and
the"silver mine of Myers District, No. 3. was then
and there located. After removing respectable
pile of EARTH and probably losing faith in find,
these parties gave up the search, ana the mine re-
manned undisturbed until the years 1895, when
the mining fever broke out with extraordinary en-
ergy in Carroll county, Maryland and the adjoining
counties on the Pennsylvania side OF Mason ana
DiXonS line.
] About this time numerous spectral appearances
which were seen in the neighborhood OF the mime
ried by some one was said to have often been seen
moving across the hills toward the mine, which, II
| followed, would disappear; this light always moved
in uniform course. and never seen to pass be-
! yond the mine. well authenticated story comes
from a man who must have seen Old Ahrwud him
self This man was one night walking along post
fence not far from the mine when he noticed Il
stranger Just on the other side OF me fence wearing
CARRYING Il lighted lantern. This stranger moved
quietly with him until they reached crosstence
bounding the next field, when the stranger passed
/ through the fence without raising his lantern and
vanished. When this man was asked why ne qua
not talk with the stranger he answered, lie didn't
/ 4 farmer who lived near the mine said that he
often saw this light; and that he was one night
coming down the Hanover road with his team
when at point in the road where the woods reach
from the road to the mine his horses stopped and
refused to go a step. He got off the saddle horse
! and went forward, but could find nothing in the
road; he then whipped the horses. without making
them move until he felt Il breath of cold air across
his face, after which the horses moved OH as if
nothing, was wrong. He did not see anything him
self but the horses snorted as if i'll great fright
/ Another person spoke of time when lie was Il boy,
and was one night going near by the mine with his
father who died many years ago. when ms father,
/ without head? She was nearly as high as the
/ trees The boy did not see the headless woman
but said that he saw big fire burning on the top OF
the trees that same night
, These stories and many others of the same kind
/ no doubt stimulated the three men from Pennsyl-
vania who during that summer, tried to find old
Ahrwuds silver. After an agreement with the
owner Of the land these three men went regularly
/ to work at sinking u shaft at the place which
had been tried by the Woodsboro men. The leader
of the party was provided with four-leated clover
and q number of charms for luck also with written
words and figures of talismanic power against evil
spirits and unfortunate accidents, While at work
they were beset by all manner of diabolical impS;
when returning from meals to work they would find
/ black dogs about the mine-SOmetlmeS black cats,
with eyes blazing with internal fire. and at night
they would see long black crawling things, like fish
| offers which would scamper through the woods in
droves and leave no trace in the morning, The
neiuhborhood became much excited by the ac-
counts given by the miners and the mine was fire.
uuently visited by night well as by day, by per
sons who wished to see these phantoms with their
own eyes. On one occasion young man. who was
with party looking for spookS. saw female figure
without head standing at the entrance of the
mine and column of flame rising from the place
where herhead should have been. This young man
tainted on the spot, and was carried away by his
companions, who were lucky enough not 70 see see
supernatural character of what he saw, and this
occurrence is about the best evidence of the pres
ence of Spooks i'll the whole history of the mine.
The four-leafed clover and other herertd which
the head miner always carried in his vest pocket
did not prove strong enough to avert the i'll luck
which seems to stick to this place. One day, about
noon the upper side of the shaft slipped i'll on him
burying him in the mine under ten feet OF earth
He was dead long before assistance could reach him
His associates abandoned the mine after his death
The next year another party made an attempt by
tunnelng to reach the supposed Location of the
silver. but without success. The black spectres
were again revived, however-they cling to the
mine with ominOus portent. Many persons believe
they have seen heard these otter-shaped imps
sliding over the fallen leaves in the woods along
the valley just below the mine. The legend hints
that three lives mast be sacrificed before the treasure
may be reached-one of these has already been of
fered. Last summer aparty of young people from
Union Mills came near furnishing the other two
They were rash enough to choose this queer situa-
ton interesting ground for pic mic, and, takn
food with the spent summer m fo TN I int
came quite sick, whether from the malign influence
of the locality, or from what they eat is hard tt
! 1t is "devoutly to be wished" that some way may
be discovered other than the giving of two lives b!
which this wierd secret may be revealed, and thu
spell which binds the wraiths of old Ahrwud anC
his daughter to this uncanny spot be broken; thel
the old sversmith relieved of carrying his lantern
and his daughter with her head on her shoulders
NAV be relegated TO their eternal rest W.
Union Mills Nd, ADril p, 1888.
A weather Comparison.
This is cool and backward spring, is Otter
I ba A nv0c Tr xuaafhar rooorC
shows that for April, 1882. the mercury av
eraged 43 at o clock in the meFaing and 81
at in the afternoon. For April, this year
the average at a. m. was one-third degre'
higher, and at 2 p m. about the same as las
year. In April, 1882, the mercury was below
, 80 twice, on the 10th and 11th and on twelve
, mornings between 80 and 40. In April thi
year the mercury was below 80 one morning
) 1st day of the month, one morning at 30, anC
from 80 to 40 on eight mornings. There
were two SHOWS in April, 1882, and four il
| April, 1888 In April of last wear there were