The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-01-07
q SOLDIERS YARN.
Beating the Ghost Story Record-Dead
Gunners Coming Back to Drill.

Beating the Ghost Story Record-Dead
Gunners Coming Back to Drill.
The strangest experience ever had
was at old Port William, on Governors
Island, in New York Harbor, over
twenty years ago. Twas Sergeant at
the time, married, and with my young
wife had been living on the lower end
of the island, but the commanding Off
Ger concluded to tear it down, and
was to select the best rooms of the nom
commissioned officers quarters in the
! then unoccupied fort What with my
usual military duties and the fatigue of
moving and placing things to rights, l
was pretty well tired out when night
/ came and slept like log. My wife
was worn out, too, but did not sleep so
sound as not to be disturbed every
night by what she called ''the funniest
noises, that sounded just like thunder"
but | paid little attention to her, think
ing that il was only the noise OF passing
steamboats, or the wash of the water on
the shore. 1t might have been two
weeks after had settled down that one
night l awoke suddenly from a sound
sleep with that peculiar feeling of dread
or uneasiness upon me which arises
from an unknown cause, and has been
experienced by nearly all of US.
John, do you hear it now?" asked
my wife, when she discovered l was
awake; sit sounds like some persons at
work below"
Listening for a short time, recog-
nized familiar sounds, and had not
been positive that the doors were
locked, with the keys hanging on nail
in my room, would have sworn that
the batteries were manned by expert
enced gunners. The quick tread of
the men as they dragged the guns in,
the ring of the hammer, the handling
of the shot that lay piled in readiness
for use, the return of the iron wheels
over the rails as it was run out of the
port was perfect in every detail, only
lacking the words of command and
the report of the piece to complete the
/ illusion.
/ AS listened the uproar increased in
! volume until it was impossible for us to
/ hear each others voices without raising
them to a high pitch. The guns were
served with what seemed incredi-
BILE rapidity and the very walls, mas
I sive as they were, trembled under the
! heavy artillery in continual motion,
/ while the balls were rolling from one
/ end of the easements to the other.
: striking the sides with heavy thuds.
Unable to stand this state of affairs
any longer, l arose and lighting my
lantern, took the keys along with a
loaded revolver, and descending the
stairs as lightly as possible, reached
the doors. The noise at this point was,
if anything, more deafening than when
left my room.
Cautiously inserting the key into the
lock l cooked my six-shooter, and
throwing the door open suddenly, with
raised lantern and weapon presented,
entered the nearest easement to find it
unoccupied, save by the grim old gun
and the shot stacked in their usual
places. 1t was the same in every bat
terry l entered. Not a footprint dis
turbed the thick dust upon the floor,
nor was there a fnger-mark upon
either the gun or shot. The tompions
were in place and no carriage had
travelled over the rusty rails. Con-
founded even still more than l was
before, 1 returned to my room, and
was disturbed no more that night.
again the following night and
was kept up with slight intermisSion
for month. Ely account of this singular
disturbance was met with jests and
laughter from my fellow-soldiers, which
they modified, it is true. when cor
roborated it by my wife, but then only
so far as to declare that it was a scheme
on our part to get removed from I'M
comfortable quarters to one of the new
quarters then about completed. Nettled
at their taunts / vowed that if ever the
noises commenced again l would have
other witnesses to them, and | did not
have long to wait, for about one month
after l was awakened by the phantom
gunners. This time / passed out over
the draw-bridge, and, going to the
mems quarters awakened a Sergeant
by the name of Smith-pOOr fellOwi he
served with me twenty years and is
now in the insane asylum at Washing
ton-and much against his will made
him accompany me to the scene. After
standing listening to the racket until
Smiths face was as white IS sheet,
and he was trembling from head to
foot, l threw open the door. Smith
always declared that for moment he
saw the ghostly crew at their places,
but | could detect nothing, nor could l
ever discover any cause for the disturb
ance.
Some months after leaving the island
l learned that during the Mexican war
an artillery company drilled with these
guns some time before they left for
Mexico and that they were nearly all
killed in battle. suppose it must have
been freak of theirs to have their re-
unions in these easements and practice
with their old friends, the guns.-Min-
neapOlis Tribune.
LAcoNIC patient to physician: Caught
cold. Physician: Take Red Star Cough
Cure; no morphia, no poisons. Only TWEEN
ty-fve cents. st. Jacobs Oil cures pain.