Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-25
HAMLET IN ORANGE COUNTY
The Ghost of James Van Tassel's Father
Appears and Delivers a Charge.

thursday was the day set for William
Van Tassel, who died last fall, to return.
| according to statements made BY his fam
lily, to his farm near Twin Lake, on East
Mountain, at Central Valley. in Orange
county. A Newburg On. " special of
the 21st inst. to the New York World
says: Hundreds of citizens from the sur
rounding country were to be on hand to
see the apparitiOn. Van Tassel was a
plain farmer. He had between 200 and
800 acres on the mountain east of Central
Valley. The dwelling is situated close to
the road and is surrounded by high wood
lands and low valleys.
Van Tassel reared a large family of
girls. and boys, most of whom are now
married and living elsewhere. Two of
the sons are running on Erie Railroad
trains, and third was badly injured on
the same road some time ago One
daughter married a carpenter of Pough-
keepsle named Byron Baker, and the
youngest married John H. Hoffman.
Baker, who resides on the place, told
reporter that two weeks ago he was maxi
ing an aXe-handle. William Bailey. a
son OF another mountain farmer. stood
near by. Suddenly they were startled by
ag0nlZlng groans in the barn. 81
hastened to where l supposed the
groans came FROM" said Baker.
land opening the barn door l saw
an animal, which seemed to me to
be species of the leopard, darting
across the hay NOW. | climbed into
the NOW, but could see nothing of it. In
one end of the barn there is a chest which
contained many yaluables. At this time
l unlocked this chest and found nv
father-in-law's fur hat there. in one end
undisturbed. l then locked the chest and
resumed my work. l was not many min
utes employed when Mr.. Bailey startled
me with a cry of 20, lookp l looked i'm
the direction indicated, and to my sur
prise and horror L saw my tather-in-Iaw
William Van Tassel, who has been dead
since last fall. He was looking from the
barn window, and wore the fur hat which
l had locked in the chest only q few min
utes before. He also wore a sheeDskin.
drawn loosely over his shoulders. then
again unlocked the chest, and to my utter
surprise found the fur hat in the corner
where / had seen it before.
subsequently, when Mr.. Bailey and 7
were talking about the strange visitation.
we were startled again by a loud voice
Gazing james, James, James, Looking
III the direction OF the sound we saw nv
iather-ln-law standing in the yard in
'front.' CT the barn, wrapped in buffalo
robe and calling frantically: James.
James! l want my son James, | imme-
diately went into the house and induced
James to come out. When he stood in the
presence of his fathers ghost the latter
addressed him, saying: james, YOU
must mend your ways and stop swearing,
and take charge of this farm. | under
stand that John II. Hoffman is coming to
i've Eere, and | want you to tell him that
VIII be here again on Friday, Feb. %,
and II be is here then | VIII haunt the
lie out OF him. When this was said Mr..
Bailey went to the house for a shot gun to
shOOt the ghost, but when he returned
and pointed the gun in the direc ton
where the ghost stood it had gone"
Ihe residents in the surrounding cOun-
try who have talked with all or anv of
the trio say that all tell the story alike
ana will not listen to any refutation by
the incredulous.
Mr.. Cooper, of the firm of Cooper &
Barnes, at Central Valley, who had heard
the story, was found in his store Thursday.
lie SAID: Baker is the husband of one
OF the oldest Van Tassel girls, and Hoff-
man the husband of the Youngest dauoh-
ter. The latter was married against her
fathers will. Van Tassel did not live
very happily with his wife. They were
Doth about sixty years Of age, and he be-
SICK much OF the time, became peevish and
Il
UP between them. Mrs. Van Tassel had
left the farm about a year before the old
gentleman died and taken her residence
with Mrs. Hoffman at the Forest of Dean
Mines, in the town of Highlands. She is.
however, to return to the farm this spring
with her sOn-In-law Hoffman, who is to
work it."
GHOST OF ITS WORD.
A W0rtd special of the 22d saws: GA
reporter called on James Van TasspI who.
it Is alleged, received the charge from the
ghost, this evening-after the hour for the
re-entree-and found him surrounded by
his nelghbOrs, among whom were James
Cnet AlmOra, Rice Stevens, Gil BaiIv.
sam Jones and George and Mrs Stall.
NV hen approached by the reporter
James sad the apparitiOn that he and his
brotheT-ln-law saw did not resemble his
father 1t looked like a child 5 years old,
and had neither arms nor legs. He heard
1t say that James Henry Hoffman, his
Orother-ln-laW, could not come to the
property. Then it vanished. Although
he does not believe in spooks, James saws
he cannot but believe his eyes.
IIue TO contract, as James would lead
people to suppose, the spectre returned
again last evening at the appointed hour.
ana all the neighbors had gathered to
greet 1t. A noise was first heard outside
oi lHe HOus6 ABOUT CLOCK. An lnVeSti-
cation was made, but nothing discovered.
The party Went into the house and re-
manned until between 80 and O'Clock.
when another noise, which sounded like
the groans of human being, was heard,
and the party went out determined to see
what was the cause. When they looked
around the premises they discovered a
brilliant light about 800 yards from the
house. 1t started from the ground and
gradually ascended skyward. Asi float
ed through the air it slowly sailed to the
northeast although the wind was blowing
strongly from the west. 1t had the ap-
pearance of a mans head and neck. but
1t was much larger than any James had
ever seen.
The neighbOrs stood and looked at it in
amazement as it hoated in a direction
contrary to the prevailing strong wind.
1t took about five minutes for it to grad
ually recede out of sight, AS 1t bore
away from the mountain side it presented
a sight not unlike a fire-balloon. The
head and neck figure was there, however,
and was source Of great wOnderment to
the party, who were unable to discern its
meaning.
FLOODS OF THE FUTURE