Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-09
ONI.
BRAVE SENATOR
4.e was Not Born to be Scared by Billy
GOat.

Goat.
There is an element of superstition,
says James R. Randall in his Washington
letter to the Augusta Chronicle, in all
mankind. In most cases Senator Ran
som, of North Carolina, has very clear,
cogent and practical ideas, but he lost his
balance once. His house burned down,
not so very long ago, nothing remaining
but the chimneys and some charred beams
around them, except a fragile stairway.
The Senator and his family removed to
another residence, a short distance from
the old home. and in full, melancholy
view OF it. One night, when the moon was
young and feeble, the negroes on the
place ran affrighted to the Senator ana
told him that they had seen ghosts walk
ing on the top of the burned dwelling, or
rather darling swiftly all about it! Their
terror was genuine, and did not abate
when he laughed at their story,
and proceeded, in his vivid, dlplo-
matte way, to demonstrate InaI
hobgoblins were mere projections of
a disturbed and fanciful stomach. He
was begged to come out and see fer him.
self. Yielding to entreaty, he stepped
outside and looked toward the ruin. The
long chimney stood gaunt and torlOrn:
The blackened rafters were dlscerned
cObweb-like against the misty horizon.
But no sigA of life or motion could be de-
tected. Soon, however, a wild chorus OF
prayerful and fearful ejaculation came
from the negroes, interspersed with
muffied cries of Look dar, Mas'r Mat!
Look darP' The General, who had faced
bullets and Con gressmen, nowise daunted,
cast sharp glance as directed towards
the skeleton of the house. He was
amazed to see white, spectral
quiek-flashing phantoms chasing each
other over the chimney and along the
| remnant of the roof A cold chill invaded
his spinal marrow, but pulling himself
| together, he said LET US all go together
and find out what it isl The negroes
would not bulge. Finally, the General
said: "If you are too cowardly to go
| there, | will 90 by myself" The negroes
| took hold of him with affectiOnate violence
| and implOred him to remain. Olsen
| gaging himself, he stated to them tnat he
would penetrate the mystery if he died in
| the attempt. He confessed afterwards
that his heart beat unanimously in his
breast and goosefesh grew on his back
| bone, but nothing could have INSTRUCTED
| him short of dissolution. He
marched to the haunted house in
| trepidly, but with more misgiYings
| than he ever had experienced when res
ceiving the onset of mortal fOeman in the
ranks of war. The apparitiOns continued
to scamper about, and appeared to as
sumo gigantic proportions. He remem'
| bered Booths Hamlet" and all the
weird stories Of his boyhOod with start
ling perspicacity. He began to see all
| his sins in their professional enorMity.
God never before seemed so majestic, and
virtue so real and attractive. Finally,
with big beads of sweat on his brow and
his brain in a whirl, he reached a spot
very close to the spectral house and
awaited further developments. All was
still. He picked up a stone and sent it
crashing among the splinters of the roof
| Then there was a mighty rush OF most
substantial figures, and down from
the giddy eminence poured column of
goats, led by venerable and ill-smelling
| Bnlyi There was an instantaneous re-
action upon the Generals part, and he
| laughed until his sides ached. Going
back to the terrified gentlemen of African
deicent;he rallied them bOisterOusly upon
their ridiculous fears and abject craven
ness, ending with the injunction that
when they started any more ghosts, to
give him the contract of dispensing them,
as he was "born insensible to fear, and
would eat the Witch Of EndOr on toast, If
parbOiled and well-flaVored."