Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-05-09
AN INDUSTRIOUS GHOST.
Terrif ying the Corn Crushers of
ShOhOla.


SHoHoLA, n. Y, April 25.-As a crowd
was sitting around the stove in Quick's store
last night telling bear stories, who should
come in but Charles Gillette, who farms
forty acres of rock and sand at Barryville,
on which he raises the best stone fences in
the country. He came in as white as sheet,
his eyes sticking out like carbuncles, and sat
down on cracker barrel.
whats the matter, Charley?' said old
ex-Postmaster Brown. You haven't lost
your cow?'
THAT horse you bought of the gypsies,"
said Deacon Hank Stoughton, hasn't run
off and smashed that s1O-buggy of yours,
hOpe?
Gillette opened his lips freely and said:
Its worse than that. | have seen a ghost
up at the old canal lockr'
Here Gillette fell off the barrel and had to
| be given whisky and water before he could
| be revived. lie was set upon the barrel and
he said:
I've secuted at ghosts and spOOks for fif
| ty years, and everybody knows that I'm the
last man to believe in them. Well, tonight
was coming along the tow-path, whistling
| and feeling buOyant. l got to the bridge
| across the canal, at the upper lock, and
started across. l hadn't taken more than
three steps when | felt a cold chill come over
me that couldn't account for. | lOOkedup,
and there in the middle of the bridge stood
woman. She was dressed in white. |
took off my hat and bowed to her, and said.
Madam, it is a cold night on the canal
'She didn't say anything, and as she
seemed to be coming towards me stepped
to one side to let her pass. Although she
was looking directly at me could not see
her face. l thought the woman had lost her
la,. 4
down to the village, thinking it was my
duty in the matter.
Before had advanced two steps she was
gone. l couldn't tell whether she disap-
peared into the air, or into the water, or
dropped through the earth. L still thought
she was a woman, and at first supposed that
she had dived into the canal and l looked
about to see her come up, intending to jump
in and pull her out. She did not appear and
then knew she was ghost. l ran with all
my might for the village"
Five minutes later James Snyder, who
owns the principal saw mill, came in and
said he had seen ghost on the bank OF
BrOdhead'S mill pond and that it looked like
woman. He said that teamster who
hauled logs to the mill had seen the ghost in
the middle of the road a mile this side of
Barryvllle, and that the mans horses were
so terrified by the sight that one of them fell
down in the road and the other refused to
move.
About Q o'clock Captain Flynn, who is one
Of the eldest navigatOrs OF the canal, came
in and said, on being told OF the ghost, that
one moonlight night he was going along the
canal loaded with lumber, the weather being
good and the mules making good time, when
ghost, woman In snowy white, sat down
on the prov and stayed there all night. He
was at the helm and he kept his hand on the
tiller all night. He did not know at what
moment the boat would 90 down and stood
glued to his post. The mules went on like
mad, and had finished eighty miles by
morning.
When the gray light of the dawn appeared
the ghost was gone. He had stood watching
it all night and he was unable to move for
two hours, till the second mate came on
deck and led him away. He first noticed the
ghost on passing the bridge where it was
seen by Gillette.
Farmer Israel Toll, driving to town with
load of hay, turned to look over his Shout
der when about two miles from the village
and saw the ghost sitting on the hay hack of
him. lie drove the horses as hard as he
could till he got to town. When he looked
back again the ghost was gone.
Mrs. Watson, living on the bank of the |
canal near the bridge, has seen the ghost |
three different times. Her description of it |
corresponds precisely with that of Gillette |
She says that each time the ghost stood on |
the bank pointing down the canal.
Farmer Lewis, who keeps dairy, got up |
at O'Clock Sunday morning and started |
down to the barn with lantern, to milk. |
He saw the ghost at the pump pumping wa |
ter. He dropped his lantern and was left in |
the dark. He could see dim white figure, |
and could hear the pump going for two |
hours and half. In the morning the well |
was nearly dry, but the ghost was gone.
There is the greatest excitement in the vii |
lage. 1t is proposed to drag the canal. Sew
eral think that murdered woman will be |
found there.