Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-01-03
GHOSTLY COFFIN MAKER.

Mysterious Midnight Orders For COfins
Written for the Evening Post.
The writer was sitting, a few
days ago, in the Office OF the Hotel
Martin, Lancaster, Ohio, cOnversing
with an old resident of that city on
various topics relating to the past
history of the place when he in
quired:
"Did you ever hear the story of
Jacob Humbarger, the haunted
coffin maker ?''
"Never. Is it out of the ordin-
airy ?"
ayes. 1t is a curious story, and
1 hesitate about telling it, for fear
people will think l am trying to
humbug them with a ghost story"
"I'Il accept it as the Gospel"
GAS | have already remarked, it
is q strange story, and had the effect
of making me believe in supernat-
ural manifeStatiOns-yOu will no
doubt, call it superstition. l was
well-gown boy when the things &C.
Cured which | am about to relate,
and they made such vivid impress
sion on my mind that they are as
fresh to-day as they were half
century ago.
Jacob Humbarger was OF Penn
sylvania Dutch stock, and came
here from Lancaster, Pa, three
quarters OF century ago. When
first knew him this city was VII
Iage with less than thousand pop
ulation. He was a cabinet-maker,
and made tho rough and subStan-
tial furniture in vogue among the
pioneers whose sons have since been
Congressman, Governors, Senators,
Cabinet Ministers and Generals.
"He was frugal and industrious
and left some property behind him.
In addition to making furniture he
made, when occasion demanded it,
collins for the people of al. this re-
giOn. There were no hearseS and
splendid undertaking establish
ments in those days. The dead
were placed in plain, homemade
collins and carried to the little
graveyardS in farm wagons or by
hand when the distance was not
too great, except in rare instances,
"Iltil lllSIS vas ~ SAO"
and ostenlation, and an Old-f;ish- |
Toned carriage WAS used in place OF
the modern hearse.
People would come from a dis |
lance TO Hamburger shop with the |
dimensions of Ii coffin and wait I'M
til it was finished, and then take it |
home in wagon or on horseback, |
AS the case might be.
zone night, or rather one morn
ing, an hour or two before daylight,
Humbarger arose, leaving his wife
in bed, proceeded to his shop, and
lighting y tallow candle set TO work.
When Mrs. Humbarger awOke at
the usual hour she was surprised to
hear Jacob hammGring away in
his shop, and supposing that he had
some job that must needs be finish
ed early in the day, set about pre-.
pairing breakfast, and when the
meal WAS ready she called her hus-
band:
"ValI, ChacOb. Wy for you 60 of
work so gwick the. day ?" inquired
frau Humbarger.
Ivy, Katarine, did you not hear
dot man who comes OF der coffin
by dree O'Clock ?"
"Mien, nien. Chacob, you make
foolish of me-"
AZ not make foolish, katarine
dot man come of dree O'Clock on
der door an say l must hat dot
coffin of IL o'clock, and he gif me
the measure on dot york bench, und
I 90 of work und haf him now half
mafe."
HKatarine was increduiOuS, and
Jacob was firm in his assevcratiOns.
certain il was that he had a coffin
we'll under way, and by 10 O'Clock
4 was finished, and Jacob was
waiting for his customer while he
smoked n pipe.
"Between 10 and II o'clock gen.
leman appeared at the shop door,
md Humbarger greeted MIN with:
HYou vas q Ieedle laHe meln
rentE'
: "Not very late, considering that
have ridden from near Somefset
ince half-past q" -.
TVy for did you go back home
.fter you wake me, up?
"I didn't. have just got 10
own"
"But you come of mine door last
ide, und call me oud OF mine bed
0 make dis coffin
"Oh no, my friend, but 1t looks a.
hough IL would suit my purpose.
zet me measure it,"
'srhe stranger measured Ii and "
vas Just the size of a coffin he had
cen sent TO nrocure, aud he asked
4GMbarger if he could hayeit TO
axe back with him Immediately.