Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-09-10
A REMARKABLE STORY.
A Ring of Earth that is Attracting Much At.
tention Near an Ohio Village.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazett.

tention Near an Ohio Village.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazett4.
A Helena, O., telegram to the Gazette
says: Until Aug. II this little hamlet was
unknown to fame, and had scarely beer
heard of outside the limits of its own
county {Sandusky), but now its fame has
gone forth through an entire state. and
it promises ere long to reap q national
reputation from a series of events which.
in the mystery connected with them, are
startling.
Helena, a pleasant little village of
northern Ohio, is situated on the Penn
sylvania railroad, about thirty miles
from Toledo, and has been. during the
past week, Mecca for the curious-lov-
ing persons of northwestern Ohio, of
whom l was one, and of what l heard
and saw l propose to give a true ac-
count.
Arriving in town, l was at once asked if
l wished to see the mysterious ring, and
upon answering in the affirmative, was
conducted to a numbering vehicle, on
which, for a small consideration, l was to
be taken to see the sight. 4 drive of
nearly two miles brought me to the edge
of forest, where l was asked to alight.
l did so, and followed my guide into the
woods, and was surprised to find nearly
200 persons standing in a circle around
something which seemed to cause them
great bewilderment. In momont had
Joined the group and was looking at a
ring of freshtramped earth, A feet in
diameter, with the line of the circum-
stance about two feet wide.
This, then, was all that had drawn hun
dreds of people daily from far and wide
"a ring of earth. But how did it
come there? What caused it: Men look
ed wise and said horses tramped it,
Others said spirits" and the majority
gave it up. But there was the ring as
round as a dollar, and measuring Just 30
feet in each direction from the center
Not track could be found inside or out
side of the circle. 1t was as true as
die.
l asked one of the most intelligent
looking men standing by to tell me the
story of the mysterious ring and i'll
solemn tone of voice he told me this:
just twenty-eight years ago there
came into this vicinity very rich young
man from Shellsburg, Pa. He had plenty
of money, which he carried in buckskin
belt and which he exhibited ON all Ucca-
sions. His object, he said, was to buy an
entire section of land. He remained
around for some time, and then myster-
iously disappeared. Nothing was ever
heard of him, but in the center of the cir
Gle you see here his blood-stained buck
skin belt was found empty. Then, twenty
eight years ago a ring like this was form
ed in the same place, same size. The af
fair caused great deal of excitement at
the time, and his friends came on from
the east. Detectives were placed at work
but neither the man nor his body could
be found. Three men were suspected of
the crime of numbering him, but the evi-
dence was not sufficient to warrant their
arrest. Well, fourteen years rolled
around; the man and the crime were for
gotten. Then one of the men died, and
for the second time the mystic ring ap-
peared. Excitement grew intense,
and the thing was talked over
the entire country. Now another fourteen
years has passed, and on Aug. II another
of the suspected men died, and on that
morning the third ring was discovered,
the one you see here to-day, and the peo-
pie are more excited than ever. Do you
wonder that three perfect circles have
been formed around the place where the
bloody belt was found, formed by horses
Ieel, anu on the morning OF the death OF
the victim and two of his suspected as
sailants: | tell you, nothing like it has
ever been heard of before anywhere. |
am good member of the church. and all
that, but can't explain these rings. Can
YOU"
l confessed that | could not explain the
rings. | found on careful investigation
that the story was true in every respect,
and is vouched for by the editor of the
Bellsville Enterprise, who has made
careful study of the subject in all its as
poets. He says in his paper:
These are strange occurrences but they
are the veritable truth as we took great
pains to find out the correctness of the
reports"
The story has spread and grown in pro
portion to its flight, yet l only give what
the best informed and most conservative
men in the vicinity say on the subject.
The people in the neighborhood have
commenced an excavation of all the spot
inside the circumference of the circle, and
hope to unearth the skeleton or some
other tangible evidence of the crime.
They are in earnest, and think the time
has come for action.