Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-11-26

a Suicides Spirit Haunting .
Massachusetts, Town
1ns Wskrd Figure That startled Invest1-
gators The Confusion That .
Tipsy Plzstsr<r Csassd--A
Lively story.
Boston Globe.l

Some time ago Roxbury man, weary
with life and the unhappiness il brought
him, sought relief for his soul ia sui
cide's death. he went into certain or
chard ON Parker's Hill, Roxbury, and
swung himself into eternity from the
limb of an apple tree. Time sped by,
and the neighborhood had almost ceased
to remember the tragic affair, when stor-
les began 10 circulate telling of strange,
weird sounds and ghostly figures that from
time To time disturbed the belated traveller
in that region
At length the neighborhood of the or
chard began to be Stunned by all who hap
pened TO be out after dark. No one seemed
inclined 10 be the first to seek to penetrate
into the weird revels of the spirit world,
said to be carried ON there nightly. OF
course, no end of stories, strange and hor-
rible as the ghostly being which occa-
stoned the same, were told now by this
one and now by that, until not soul IN
the neighborhood of the orchard re-
mained who could not tell the stranger OF
something unearthly which he or she had
seen. One would tell you that he saw the
figure of man swaying to and fro as If
gently impelled by the wind. He could
identify the tree as the same as that upon
which the suicide had given up the ghost.
Another would tell of . man clad in deep
black, who could be seen between the
hours of twelve and one pacing through
the orchard, with head bowed down
as if in deep thought, and his hands
clasped behind his back. He would walk
a. xha fol- in,
the SHOWS of winter, his footsteps always
inaudible. After circling the tree few
times he would pause beneath its out
spreading branches and once more enact
the process by which he had passed from
life to death. One thing, however, ap-
peared never to vary, and that was, no
sooner had the body assembled into the air
than it became on the instant invisible.
Another story, the one, perhaps, which
has more directly to do with the present
sketch, is that in the deep shade of the tree,
with back pressed against the trunk, could
be seen on moonlit nights a man clothed in
white, motionless and to all appearances
aailed there. A week ago Saturday night,
a man, whose name could not be learned
by the Globe reporter, rushed into crowd
of men who were discussing politics on
public square, and in terrified voice told
them of what he had seen. He declared
that while passing by the haunted
orchard few minutes before-it was then
ten o'clock-he saw plainly outlined
against the trunk OF tree figure clothed
in white.
He thought at first that he must have
been mistaken, and looked second and
third time. Each time he looked the figure
appeared to double its size, until at last it
seemed as tall as the tree itself.
This story, told in tremulous voice, con-
vinced the listeners that there was some
thing wrong. A consultation was held;
and it was finally agreed that they would
wait in body uIon certain Sweeney, a
blacksmith OF the neighborhood, and If he
could be prevailed upon to accompany
them, they would unravel the mystery of
the orchard.
Among certain class of people, and for
many generations past, it has been believed
that blacksmith can exert more influence
over the spirit world than anybody else,
his commands and prayers being, as it
were, more particularly and specifically
this belief was what induced the super
stitious of Parker Hill to seek out Sweeney,
the blacksmith, before proceeding TO the
scene of the weird mystery. Sweeney, on
being found, readily assented to make one
of their number, and forthwith armed him
self with a massive prayer book.
On arriving at the spot were the ghost
was reported to have been that evening,
more than one heart grew faint with ter
ror. They proceeded cautiously, however,
and behold, what was their dismay,
on rounding a certain clump OF bushes,
to see, standing motionless, with
its back against tree and clothed in
white from head to foot, the outline of a
man. The common feeling which prevailed
in every heart of that little band of ex-
plorers was to fly from the spot. Indeed,
some, it may be stated, could not flee even
if they had wished, SO overcome with ter
ror were they.
II was at this critical point that the
blacksmith displayed his courage by step
ping TO the front of the ch-frightened
crowd, and shouting in voice to which
the occasion seemed to lend sepulchral
ring:
'In the name Of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost, l ask, who are
you~
An oppressive silence followed, when,
nothing daunted by the first repulse on the
part of his majesty, the ghost, Sweeney
advanced solemnly pace nearer and re-
peated:
"In the name Of the Father and Of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost, / ask. who are
your"
Still the figure in white remained silent
and nsotionless. As the charm is generally
in the third call, Sweeney was not sur
prised that the ghost had not deigned to
reply to his first and second.
He advanced second time, this move