The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1885-05-07
LAYING A GHOST.
~ WILL r. roxD.

An old friend Of mine, retired sea
captain, has a house overlooking the
Nauows, near Fort Hamilton. 1t was
built from his own plans and is chiefly
remarkable for square structure rising
from the roof, generally taken for
an observatory, but which Is really the
old mans sanctum, known as "the
cabin" The privileged visitors are his
grandsons and nephcws, who obtain en-
trance by going on the lawn and shout
ing ship ahoyn' meeting with the reply
'ahoy thereg then lis the skipper
aboardi' and the answer to this query
settles the matter Of whether
they will be admitted or
not. II they are, story Is the
natural result aud as the old gentleman
is an enthusiastic sportsman, he has many
"reminiscences Of the sea. have several
times been one Of the audience, and not
one Of the least interested by any means.
The boys had been spending the sum
mer in the Adirondack last year and on
their return speedily made visit to
"the cabin, where the captain aud
were seated. The usual ceremony was
gone through, the boys reported the
tNtutS VI illt uOlluuf, bIs US NO NcIHleu
1t, "ovcrhauled their log,' and then
without any asking, the Old gentleman
said "Boys, | have a story about
Raquette Lake that is worth hearing.
Did anyone tell you about the ghost
caught thercW
Ghost" echoed the boys, "what was
it2p
81 suppose it was about twenty years
ago, - began the old gentleman, "when
| found myself with friend
at Raquette Lake, after prolonged
fishing trip in that most lonely
region For q week or more luck had |
not been ours and we had moved from
Saranac to Raquette Lake, in hopes of /
finding some big fish worthy of our steel.
Arriving at the hotel in the evening, we +
had supper, and then sAught TIE piazza
whore we found mutual friend to whom
we applied for inforr ton about the
fishing, and who gay niS The name Of q
good man to engne droveing his re-.
marks with, "a pistol the ,nc fault
superstition--@e box Of $4.lep bar "a
sne " vevilinped. aspvr " 4
.ss--sllfg am oItalxe YOU over to the.
! Pool ns they call IT, although the best
FISH are said to lay there. $685..
"Why notYn we asked. 'q'@'s f
"Afraid Of the ghost, was the reply
"What ghostl' f.
Our friend laughed. "Well, the local
story is somewhat indefinite. Many years
ago a young couple came here on their
honeymoon, and spent a good deal Of
their time in fishing. In the woods, bor-
dering the pool, was gypsy camp, and
by some means the young fellow incurred
the enmity of the gypsy woman, and
was cursed by her, The following week,
bride and groom were drowned Ia the
pool by the accidental upsettiug Of their
boat, and their bodies were never recov-
cred. The gypsy's curse Is said to have
doomed them to eternal wandering, like
her own nomadic race, and local tra
dition says, the ghos. OF the girl in her
husbands arms Is still to be seen in the
pool at night, aud evil follows to those
who are unlucky enough to see them.
81 laughed at the story, although,
like all sailors, | was superstitious to
certain degree, and would not have liked
the daily appearance Of a shark along
side. or have tempted Providence by
catching Mother Cary's chickens, any
more than many other sailors who know
what these things mean.
"As was saying, laughed at it, but
my friend, a younger man by ten or
twelve years, jumped at the chance of
some excitement aud declared we must
investigate. The next day we engaged
our fisherman, and made arrangements
for him 10 rent US light canoe, which
we could keep on the lake front, for our
own use, independent OF the large boat
we used with him. We fognd the fish
ing very good, but the fish were not
extraordinarily large, SO al last we pro
posed TO our guide to take us to the
pool To our amusement he fatty, but
civillv refused to do so, and so one day
we went alone, aud dared the dangers,
probable and improbable. twas pretty
nook. with deep. black water. the hills
rising 20 considerable height. clothed I
with hemlocks and frs. We caught
one good fish, n-pound pickerel, /
and a number Of fair sized ones.
The next day it rlined in torrents and
the next; then about noon it slowly
cleared away, and as the sun went down
not a cloud was to be seen, and the water
was like glass.
"'whst a night for fish, said my
young friend; let US take the canoe and
try the pool; the fish ought to rise as
soon as the moon comes up
Nothing loath, got my pole. and
away we went, starting from the house
about eight O'Clock Arriving at the
pool, we waited until the moon rose. and
then we fished, soon having three beau
ties in the boat As we began to feel
rather tired at our long day, We started
home early. al the paddle, wheh sud
denly my friend said, pointing behind
me, Look. see there, what Is itf
nurriedly turning. 1 saw something
moving across the moonlight about
three hundred feet away. swimming
ever the surface Of the water. rising aud
falling as a swimmer would, then L
sank.
"'whas On earth was III again asked